The movie O Brother Where Art Thou tells the story of three men; Ulysses (Everett), Pete, and Delmar, convicts who escape prison to go look for what they think is a hidden treasure. We later find out that Everett was lying about there being any treasure and admits to wanting to escape only to get back together with his wife. At one point in the film, they come across a radio station run by a blind man and record the song "Man of Constant Sorrow," calling themselves the Soggy Bottom Boys. During their quest the men run into several obstacles, mostly being characters that we meet throughout the film, who hold them back from their ultimate goal. Many of the characters we meet resemble mythological entities:
- The blind prophet in the beginning-- a mysterious railroad man who accurately predicts the outcome of the trio's adventure
- Tommy Johnson-- the accompanying guitarist in the Soggy Bottom Boys-- the man who claims to have sold his soul to the devil
- Sheriff Cooley-- the rural sheriff who pursues the trio for the duration of the film
- Dan Teague-- the one-eyed Bible salesman
- Root-- the blind man who works at the radio station
- The three singing women who lure the men to come to them
The blind prophet that we meet in the beginning of the film reminded me of Teiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes. Teiresias foresees Creon's future. He tells the king that his refusal to bury Polyneices and his punishing of Antigone for the burial will bring the curse of the gods down on Thebes. The blind prophet plays a similar role in determining the trio's future.
Although in this class we did not read the Odyssey, I do remember reading it in high school. The three women who are singing near the creek remind me of the Sirens in the Odyssey. The Sirens, like these three women, were beautiful creatures who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting voices until they were shipwrecked on their island. These women did the same type of thing; these men were immediately drawn to the ladies as they seduced them.
Excellent!
ReplyDeletehte blind clairvoyant is a fixture of many mythologies. Also, the sirens stand out as those who attempt to seduce Ulysses from his path home.
I agree with all of your observations. Just the order of your list of references reminds me of a Flannery O'Connor story! It's definitely her world mixed with Greek mythology. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said said as well. The sirens, I thought, were the most blatant reference to the Odyssey in the film. Just as Odysseus is distracted from his journey home by the sirens, Everett, Delmar, and Pete are distracted from their quest for the treasure by the three women by the river. Also, the fact that Pete was transformed into a "toad" is another reference to the Odyssey. In the story, Circe transforms Odysseus' crew into pigs after they gorge on a feast at her mansion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of the mythological references in the movie. Especially your connection between the blind railroad man and Teiresias. Both were seers who predicted the destiny of the main characters. I didn't catch onto the mythological connection with the sheriff. Was there a particular mythological character or story you had in mind?
ReplyDeleteI also wrote about the sheriff and I paralleled him to Poseidon. In the Odyssey, Poseidon holds a grudge against Odysseus and causes trouble for him throughout the story. In comparison, the sheriff, albeit a minor character, also complicates the group's situation and pursues them throughout the film.
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