Libby Ann Writes

Joel and Ethan Coen’s O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) comedy-crime film, starring George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Turturro as Ulysses Everett, Delmar O’Donnell, and Pete Hogwallop, respectively. Set in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film is widely recognised as a loose adaptation and playful parody of Homer’s The Odyssey. 

While the Coen brothers never intended a scene-by-scene translation of the pic, the film is  rich with symbolism, character parallels, and mythological allusions. From escaped convicts to blind prophets and siren-like voices along riverbanks, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Reimagines Odysseus’ journey home through a distinctly American lens. 

In this analysis, we’ll explore the strongest parallels between the film and The Odyssey, while highlighting the subtle references and thematic echoes throughout. 

Everett McGill as Odysseus

At the center of the film is Ulysses Everett McGill, a clear modern counterpart to Odysseus. Even his name is a direct reference: “Ulysses” is the Roman variation of Odysseus, signaling from the outset that Everett is intended to mirror the ancient hero. 

Like Odysseus, Everett is clever, persuasive, and flawed. He is a natural leader with a strong sense of self-preservation. His pride and impulsiveness are the traits that land him in the most trouble. But despite the chaos that seems to follow him through life, his primary motivation remains his return home to his wife and children. 

The parallel extends to his wife as well. Everett’s estranged wife, Penny, reflects Penelope from The Odyssey not only in name but also as she functions as the emotional anchor of Everett’s story. However, while Penelope remained faithful to Odysseus during his absence, Penny quickly abandoned Everett in favor of a new beau. 

The Blind Prophet and the Weight of Fate

Early in the film, Everett, Delmar, and Pete escape their prison camp. Upon their escape, they encounter a blind man riding a railroad handcar. This brief and unnamed but memorable character serves as a direct parallel to Tiresias, the blind prophet Odysseus seeks out in the underworld. 

Much like Tiresias, the blind man delivers a prophecy that will inevitably prove true. His cryptic insight reinforces one of the film’s central ideas: the men’s journey is shaped by forces beyond their control, much like Odysseus’s fate is determined by the gods. 

Sheriff Cooley as a Symbol of Death

Throughout their journey, Everett and his friends are pursued by Sheriff Cooley, a menacing figure often appearing surrounded by fire and darkness. This symbolism leads Cooley to be compared to Hades, the god of the underworld. Cooley is relentless in his pursuit and looms as a constant threat of capture and death. He is the underworld the men must escape. 

Sirens and the Illusion of Salvation 

One of the film’s most iconic sequences comes when Everett, Delmar, and Pete encounter a group of evangelists baptising people, singing “Down to the River and Pray.” In this sequence, but Pete and Delmar are saved through baptism. Everett, though, remains opposed to the idea of God, much like Odysseus opposed one of the gods of his pantheon, Posiedon. 

After this, the men encounter three women singing and washing their clothes in the river. Everett, Delmar, and Pete follow their siren song of sorts, drinking what the women offer. When Delmar and Everett wake the next morning, they find Pete gone. In his place is a toad. This turn of events leads Delmar to believe Pete was turned into a tone. 

Both of these instances at the river serve to mirror two of Odysseus’ foes: Circe and the Sirens. Like Odysseus’ men were with Circe, Pete and Delmar are led to believe they are safe (or saved). But soon after, they are preyed upon and transformed into animals. The sirens in O Brother, Where Art Thou? prey upon Everett and his friends the same way the sirens in The Odyssey attempt to pray upon Odysseus and his men. 

Big Dan as the Cyclops

Later in the film, Everett and Delmar (and Toad Pete) encounter Big Dan teague, a one-eyed Bible salesman played by John Goodman. Big Dan is a clear mirror of Polypheus, the Cyclops and son of Poseidon. 

Like Polyphemus, Big Dan is violent, deceptive, and physically overpowering. He exploits Everett and Delmar, robs them, and ultimately kills Toad Pete during their encounter, similar to the way Polyphemus kills Odysseus’ close friend and crewmate, Polites. 

However, Big Dan ultimately gets his comeuppance when Everett, Delmar, and Pete thwart a clan meeting Dan is a part of. In the process, they almost spear Dan through the head much like Odysseus stabbed Polyphemus in the eye. However, Dan’s ultimate demise comes when the men drop a flaming cross onto him. 

Returning Home: A Modern Ithaca

When Everett finally returns home, the film closely mirrors Odysseus’ return to Ithaca. In The Odyssey, Odysseus discovers that suitors have overtaken his palace in an attempt to steal his crown and wife. Similarly, Everett returns home to find Penny is engaged to another man. She has forsaken Everett as dead and told their daughters he was run over by a train. 

Like Penelope’s suitors, Penny’s fiancé, Vernon, represents the disruption of the hero’s homecoming. Everett must reclaim his place in the lives of Penny and his daughters. In order to do so, Everett must disguise himself and win back his wife’s heart. 

Music, Identity, and the Soggy Bottom Boys

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is widely remembered for the original songs that make up the movie’s soundtrack. Part of the reason these songs are so well-remembered is because they act as a storytelling device and identity mask throughout the film. The songs “Oh, Death,” “Down to the River to Pray,” and “Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby” act as storytelling devices during some of the movie’s key scenes. But, perhaps the most important song is “Man of Constant Sorrow.” 

Everett and his companions record this song under the name of Soggy Bottom Boys and unknowingly create a cultural phenomenon. It is this song that allows Everett to sneak back home and win Penny’s heart. 

The song itself reflects Everett’s Odyssean identity: a constantly-wandering man who longs for home, uncertain if he will ever arrive. Like Odysseus, he is defined by movement, reinvention, and survival.