Why does odysseus not want to talk to his mother?

Hover for more information. This is actually in Book XI (not XII). Odysseus cannot hug her, no matter how much he wants to, for his mother is now a "shade," living in Hades. There is a division between flesh and spirit that cannot be connected.

Explanation:

(you didn't attach a copy of the poem, but i'm answering as best as i can)

since a simile compares two unlike things using like or as, it kind of gives an item the ability to do something it can't.

example: "the player was like a tiger on the field"

in this sentence, the simile conveys the idea that the player was fast and strong, like a tiger.