O_Brother_Where_Art_Thou_&_the_Oddyssey

O Brother Where Art Thou & The Odyssey     O’l Brother Where Art Thou by the Coen Brothers and The Odyssey by Homer have similarities in their characters, plot, and themes. The characters in comparison are Everett Ulysses and Odysseus. They used their heads to get out of tight spots, talked to blind profits, were followed by loyal companions, went on an epic journey to return home, and are the main characters in their story. Both plots were based on events that the main character would have to go through in order to get back home to their families. Love and loyalty was the theme used in both stories as well. Both Everett and Odysseus had loyal people surrounding them on their quests and to get back home to their loved ones. The main character of O Brother Where Art Thou is Everett Ulysses. It is widely known that Ulysses is the Roman name version of Odysseus. In the beginning we are introduced to two other characters besides Everett. These two people are named Pete and Delmar. They help him on his quest to find the treasure in a time period of four days before the land floods. Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, was in charge of his crew that follows him on his quest to get back home to Ithaca. Everett and Odysseus both used their heads, their intelligence, to get them out of situations instead of acting rashly and getting into something to quickly. Both of them were challenged by their religious beliefs, Everett with the acceptance of the concept that God is real and can help save him from his sins and wash them away, and Odysseus challenged his gods saying that he didn’t need them and he was all powerful without him and he Odysseus was unstoppable and the gods could not compete with him. The fact that they thought they didn’t need their version of religion made it so they were challenged by it and had to go through inner conflict with themselves to come to understand the importance of religion. Their sense of treasure was different between them though, for Everett it was money that he had stolen and for Odysseus is was his kingdom he built with his bare hands and his family. Everett and Odysseus both had time periods in which they had to get back. Everett had four days to get to his cabin to get the treasure before the land flooded. Whereas Odysseus had until his son was fifteen and grew a beard to get home to his wife before she marries another man because of the promise she made to Odysseus. Both Everett and Odysseus had wives that they loved unconditionally and both women were being pursuit by suitors. Everett’s wife Penny was remarried to a richer man but agreed to go back to Everett and leave the suitor. Odysseus’s wife Penelope was avoiding every suitor in hope her husband would return. Another comparison between the two stories is the events with the Cyclopes. Odysseus encounters a Cyclops because of his greed and loses a great number of men. In the end, Odysseus and some of his men managed to escape by stabbing the Cyclops in the eye with a burning stick of wood. The Cyclops in O Brother Where Art Thou is a large salesman by the name of Big Dan T. We know that he is meant to be the Cyclops because he wears a patch over one of his eyes. During lunch, Big Dan T attacked both Everett and Delmar and stole their money, just as the Cyclops attacked Odysseus and his crew. Later on in the story, Everett kills Big Dan T by crushing him with a burning cross. Both the burning cross and the burning stake brings a great deal of mystery and suspense into the stories. The plot of both stories is the same both Everett and Odysseus go on quests to get back home to their families after being gone for a long time. The journey home for both of them is filled with obstacles that test them on self worth, intelligence, loyalty and love for their companions. Everett and his two friends Pete and Delmar O’Donnell they try to get back home in time to get the treasure Everett claims to have stolen before time is to late, along the way they encounter a crazy man one eyed man by the name of Big Dan T. The three companions later run into three mysterious singing women that have transfixing singing voices that lure them in and seduce them. Everett and Delmar were left to believe that Pete was turned into a frog by their so called witchcraft, when in reality he was captured by the sheriff. Odysseus and his crew have fifteen years to get back home before a new king is crowned and marries his dear Penelope. Odysseus and his crew run into a Cyclops and the sirens, the enchanting singing women that lure you in with music and then you die. Members from Odysseus’s crew were turned into animals just like Pete was thought to be turned into a frog. Odysseus abandons the gods because he is convinced he is better then them. Both characters succeed in their quests and reach their goals with the help of their companions and learn the lessons of friendship and love. Love and loyalty are the themes for both O Brother Where Art Thou and The Odyssey. In both stories the main character has a wife and family they are trying to get home to they go through hardships that put them to the test and show them that love is one of the most important thing. Everett had Pete and Delmar, his two companions that stick with him through everything and help him when needed throughout the entire journey. Pete and Delmar never left Everett, they stayed loyal to him through the entire story from start to finish. Odysseus’s crew also stayed loyal to him through his quest to get back to his wife and son.