In this excerpt, Odysseus is being compared to a hardworking merchant. We learn that he waited for the mast and keel to come back to the surface. He compares this waiting time with the way merchants work at the marketplace. He also tells us that, in the same way in which the merchant goes home to have supper after a long day, he was also rewarded at the end when the poles reared from the sea.
The theme that this excerpt supports is that having patience is tough but can lead to a reward. In the same way that the merchant is rewarded at the end of the day with supper and rest, so was Odysseus rewarded for his patience.
