O Brother Where Art Thou How it relates
O’ Brother Where Art Thou How it relates to the Odyssey by Homer
Main Characters ● ● ● Ulysses Everett Mc. Gill (goes by Everett): Odysseus Pete Hogwallop Delmar O’Donnell Tommy Johnson Big Dan
Plot ● Everett, Pete and Delmar are all convicts ● They escape during field work for the prison, they run into a field and get into the woods ● Reason for escape: Everett tells of a treasure existing at a Dam that in a few days time will be collapsed, which would leave the treasure lost at the bottom of a lake ● They have a long journey to this treasure…. . ● https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=2 v. Tom. Euu. IZA
Differences ● The odyssey takes place in Ancient Greece ○ O’ Brother is placed in the 1930’s ● Odysseus has an army in the epic ○ Everett has fellow jail birds Peter and Delmar ● The Odyssey contained gods and goddesses ○ Everyone in this movie is Mortal (mostly)
The blind man ● ● The Odyssey: Odysseus meets Teireseus, former seer of the Underworld who foresees the journey of Odysseus and his crew ○ Teireseus claims it will be a long and hard journey, unknown how long, with many obstacles O’ Brother: Characters meet the blind man traveling on the railroad to begin their journey ○ He claims to have no name, no job to report to ○ He tells the men that he knows they seek a treasure, that they will indeed find treasure but not the one they are seeking, and that they will have a long journey, unknown how long, filled with many obstacles to get there
The Sirens ● ● ● The Odyssey: during the journey Odysseus and his crew must pass the Sirens and avoid their songs/calls to stay alive ○ odysseus ‘ men fill their ears with wax while Odysseus is tied up O’ Brother: while traveling, Pete hears a song and jults from the car prompting the others to follow ○ The men encounter the 3 sirens singing at a river while washing their clothes ○ The sirens seduce the men with their song, Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby ○ When the men wake up, they see that Pete’s clothes are there but Pete is gone ■ Frog? https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=_dl 2 L 4 v 6 ec. M
Baptism ● ● ● The Odyssey: Lotus Eaters ○ Some of Odysseus’ men eat the lotus flowers, but not odysseus ○ The men who do become happy and forget of the journey for a while O’ Brother: Pete and Delmar get baptised ○ While on the journey, the men come across a lot of people dressed in white walking through the woods to a nearby river ○ Singing Down to the River and Pray ○ In the river is a priest, he is quickly baptising people so Pete and Delmar participate (not Everett) then speaking of how they’re cleaned of their sins and forget they’re convicts https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=82_bh. D 0_Trw
Big Dan ● ● The Odyssey: Odysseus and his crew encounter Polyphemus, the cyclops ○ The cyclops kills and injures a lot of the crew O’ Brother: the men meet Big Dan Teague ○ He is a big guy who can only see out of one eye ○ He tricks the men into hanging out with him to discuss “business” but ends up ripping off a tree branch and hitting them ○ He also grabs the frog Delmar is carrying thinking it is Pete and crushes it in his hand
Penny, Everette’s wife ● The Odyssey: Odysseus’ wife name is Penelope ○ ○ She loves odysseus, but still accepts prospective suitors while she waits for his return Left for 20 years while he was in battle and on the journey home Telemachus (his son) doesn’t believe it is him when he returns When Odysseus finally returns, Penelope doesn’t believe it’s him and gives “the bed test” ● O’ Brother: Everett’s wife name is Penny ○ ○ ○ She loves Everett, but plans to marry a man who is genuine and a good man when Everette went to the jail Everette’s daughters do not believe it’s him because Penny said he got hit by a train Penny ends up returning to Everett, but he has to first get the ring back that he gave her a long time ago in order for her to accept his marriage proposal
The journey purpose ● ● The Odyssey: Odysseus recruits his loyal men, the purpose of his journey is to return home to his family ○ All the obstacles he faces are worth it to see his family again O’ Brother: Everett recruits Pete and Delmar by telling them the treasure is the goal, but that turns out false ○ Everett wants to return home to his 6 daughters ○ He hears his wife is getting re-married and wants to stop the wedding ○ The purpose for the journey is to return to family
Extra comparisons ● Pappy O’Daniel Flower: town Mayor characterized as Menelaus, desperately trying to keep the town in order during a new election ● Tommy is captured by the KKK, the 3 men disguise themselves as clan members to free Tommy from one of the leaders (Big Dan) ○ Odysssey: Odysseus and men hide under the sheep to escape the cyclops ● Big Dan dies from a flaming wooden cross falling on him ○ Odyssey: Cyclops: blinded by flaming spear/stake ● The men wear beards to sneak into a political rally so Everett can talk to Penny ○ Odyssey: Odysseus was disguised by Athena so he could talk to Penelope without the suitors recognizing him ● Penny’s new fiance, Vernan T. Waldrup, represents Penelope’s many suitors ● Everett is constantly looking for hair product on the run, comparing his vain
Thank you! If you haven’t yet seen this movie, I recommend! It is definitely about the Odyssey but it also had other funny/entertaining twists and turns that make the movie great. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=YZtg. Z 5 f. HOu. U
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