Questions on Odysseus and Penelope's Journeys

so I have a a few questions that came up while I was working on my English paper on the influence of a hero's gender on their journey. (it's a comparative study of Homer's Odyssey and Margaret Atwood's Penelopiad)
Penelope and Odysseus obviously faced very differet challnges, but which of these challenges were personal, and which were external? What of their accomplishments? After all of Odysseus's feats and victories, did he ultimately fail at his most outright objectinv - to preserve? In all of Penelope's plots of warding off the suitors, and attempts to maintain her husband's kingdom, does she in fact fail her husband in any way? if not, why do I get the feeling that Odysseus not trust her?

If anyone wants to tackle any of this, or tell me what I got wrong ...