O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Dear Mrs. Ray,Luke Hovee here. I came up with these in about five minutes, but I think it is pretty good."O brother, where art thou?"Protagonist: Everett (the leader of the three)Antagonist: Man who is going to marry Everett’s wifeInciting Incident: This takes place before the movie starts. When Everett finds out of his wife's plan to remarry.Conflict: Everett saving his marriageClimax: When KKK leader exposes the Soggy Bottom Boys. Then they are pardoned, and Everett reclaims his wife. Thesis: A marriage is worth the effort to save.I relies that this leaves out quite a lot of the movie, but it seems logical to me.Luke

Next is my brilliant analysis--if you don't want to read all the interesting commentary look to the end for my analysis:
Oh Brother Where Art Thou

Main Character: Ulysses Everett McGill
Governor has same name as a character in Odyssey: Menelaus
Governor actually comparable to Zeus in Odyssey
Opponent for governor named after author of Odyssey: Homer
Wife is Penny—in Odyssey wife is Penelope
Is a suitor: Vernon T. Waltrip; in Odyssey were many suitors
In both the protagonist was trying to make it home
In both the protagonist came home disguised
Everett’s pride in his hair parallels Odysseus pride
In both there is a distrust of women
Zeus says Calypso has to let Odysseus go home
Odysseus and Everett both reveal themselves by performing an act no one else could: Odysseus strings a special bow and fires it through seven rings; Everett sings "Man of Constant Sorrow" as only the leader of the Soggy Bottom Boys can.
"Sing in me O Muse... ", the line at the beginning of the film, is the first line of the Odyssey.
every time Ulysses falls asleep something bad happens.
the song which plays throughout the movie is called "Man of Constant Sorrow", Odysseus means "man who is in constant pain and sorrow". A man of constant sorrow is also a description of Odysseus.
There is a "Blind Bard" who pays the boys to "sing into his can". Homer was always thought to be a blind bard who told his stories verbally to his students.
Sheriff still tries to kill Everett after the governor’s pardon just as Poseidon tried to kill Odysseus after Zeus said to let him go home.
Loose connections with each of Odysseus’ adventures
(1) Cicones:
(2) Lotus Eaters: people going to river to be baptized attractive to Pete and Delmar but not to Everett just as Lotus Eaters were to Odysseus’ men but not to Odysseus
(3) Cyclops: Big Dan, the Bible salesman had one eye; pointed log almost went in his eye; flaming cross did hit him
(4) Aeolus: Baby Face George is a bag of hot air who leads 3
characters toward crime (wrong direction)
(5) Laestrygonians:
(6) Circe: Pete hung up like a “pig”
(7) Journey to the Underworld: blind prophet told them about the
journey home
(8) Sirens: voices of 3 sirens entice; Pete turned in for bounty
(9) Scylla: “Damn, we’re in a tight spot”; also only danger Everett and boys faced twice was a burning barn—only danger Odysseus faced twice was Scylla & Charybdis
(10) Cattle of the Sun: Baby Face George Nelson machine guns cattle
(11) Charybdis: “Damn we’re in a tight spot”; saved from flood by clinging to coffin; also Odysseus saved from whirlpool by clinging to tree trunk
(12) Calypso: escapes from jail to make journey home; “escapes”
Calypso to make final journey home
(13) Phaeacians: crowd at rally welcome Everett and send him home just as Phaeacians did for Odysseus


Loose with truth
Is a supernaural

What is historical?
Mississippi in the depression (farms repossessed; suicide after losing family farm)
TVA flooded part of Mississipi (?)
Crooked politicians
Riding out of town on a rail; what does expression really mean
KKK did hang blacks
Real life Delta bluesman guitarist Robert Johnson said to have gain otherworldly talents by pact with devil as did Tommy Johnson
Baby Face George Nelson: Lester M. Gills; famous for itchy trigger finger and hot temper; died in shootout in 1934—3 years before time setting in movie
Governor O’Daniel: W. Lee (Pappy) O’Daniel was governor of Texas 1938-1942 and later a senator; had a radio show and sang with the Light Crust Doughboys


Connections to other works of art
Wizard of Oz
(1) KKK Rally: dance is like that of the guard outside the witch’s castle; tinman, scarecrow, and lion drag off three guards and change into their outfits (as opposed to dragging off 3 KKK members and putting on their robes)
(2) Governor’s final speech pardoning the three and inviting them to become advisors compares to Wizard of Oz’s final speech as he prepares to depart and leaving the travelers to rule
Odyssey
The whole concept is loosely based on author Howard Waldrop's novella, "A Dozen Tough Jobs", which recounts the labors of Hercules in a similar Mississippi setting, albeit ten years earlier. The Coen brothers tip their hat in Waldrop's direction through the name of Penny's suitor, "Waldrip". [Note: other people compare Hercules’ twelve labors to Odysseus’ adventures.]
Another possible link comes from the Faulkner short novel, "Old Man". In it a convict survives an Odyssey like adventure. The "tall convict" in the story is carried away on the flooding Mississippi of 1927 and struggles to return home. At the very end of the story he remembers the only sweetheart he had before being incarcerated and how she stopped visiting him in prison or returning his letters until finally sending him a postcard. "It was a postcard, a colored lithograph of a Birmingham hotel, a childish X inked heavily across one window, the heavy writing on the reverse slanted and primer-like too: This is where were honnymonning at. Your friend (Mrs) Vernon Waldrip."
with scraps of "Moby-Dick," (I don’t know what these are)
Preston Sturges's "Sullivan's Travels," the source of the film's title.

Seer’s prophecy: You will get a treasure but not the one you seek; don’t fear the obstacles in your way; your redemption has been vouchsafed Devil as described by Tommy Johnson hollow eyes, white as you guys, and a big mean dog.Sheriff: the law is a human institution

ANALYSIS:
Protagonist: Ulysses Everett McGill
Antagonist: sheriff with hound dog aka devil
Inciting Incident: escape from chain gang (Joseph thinks it was when seer spoke)
Conflict: escaping sheriff, getting home, and reclaiming wife (treasure Everett was
seeking); sheriff’s goal is to keep him from recognizing there is a supernatural
and thus gain redemption which is the true treasure the seer spoke of
Climax: flood
Denouement: Everett explains away his “deathbed conversion” and says he’s glad to get
back to rationalism of French Revolution; Everett sees cow on roof and
realizes rationalism is wrong
Thesis: putting away clever rationalisms leads to redemption