O Brother, Where Art Thou? : A Comparisson of Ulysses to Odysseus

Indisputably, the idea of a clever protagonist who uses his resources to achieve a homecoming to his family is the main paralleling characteristic of both the Odyssey and the recent Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, yet the plots of the aforementioned works vary vastly regarding the few details (such as the Sirens and the Cyclops). The main characters for example, although both shown as very clever and able to manipulate people, differ due to many reasons.

Ulysses initially tricks his two friends, Delmar and Pete, into escaping the prison in order to find a lost treasure that would reshape their financial situations in the economically depressed south of the 1930's. Delmar and Pete, as well as Ulysses, had few amounts of time of their sentences in jail, thus it was not in any of their interests to escape, except for Ulysses who would have lost his wife to a suitor had he not left. Forcing two other people into aiding him by trickery that could have potentially ruined their lives appears as an egoistic action, especially since he had few chances of returning with his wife. Eventually, Ulysses and his friends evade their legal issues, yet Ulysses' had intentions to betray his friends in this fashion. In comparison, Odysseus never attempts to trick his men, who are somewhat less loyal to him than Pete and Delmar were to Ulysses as they speak of rebellion in the most dire of circumstances. Odysseus does in a way have the interests of his men in mind since they all want to return to Ithaca, yet Homer concentrates mainly on the homecoming of Odysseus instead of his men.

Also, both Ulysses and Odysseus are prideful, since in both cases their vanity causes them setbacks or losses. Ulysses obsesses over his hair-style and always uses Dapper Dan hair gel, thus the hounds of the sheriff can easily track him and his group down such that they are nearly caught, while Odysseus boasts that he has escaped to the Cyclops, who in anger launches large boulders at the crew. In both cases, one man's pride endangers the entire group, yet in differing ways as Ulysses pride is in his appearance, while Odysseus is obsessed with his reputation.

Overall, it is especially clear that the protagonists have the same basic flaw that, although it does not mean complete destruction, does certainly cause obstacles that could have easily been avoided. In conclusion, the main characteristics of the protagonists of both novels are shared between them in distinct ways that are typically seen as negative and self-destructive.

Odysseus' True Intentions

Of the major components of the Odyssey, the theme of "homecoming" seems to be one of the main aspects that drives the plot as Odysseus epically attempts and succeeds to return to his native Ithica. The logical idea that Homer advances on the reader is that Odysseus desires to return to his family after the war, yet faces many obstacles upon doing so. In the voyage to his homeland, although there are many of these inevitable problems, such as when they are trapped in the Cyclops' cave and are threatened with being devoured, Odysseus causes many problems for his crew as well as himself.

As an example, after having blinded the Cyclops and escaping the cave, Odysseus taunts the Cyclops and reveals his true identity. Perhaps if the Cyclops and Poseidon would not have known about Odysseus, then the crew could have returned and in a lesser amount of time, yet Odysseus' pride destroys any chance the crew has to return. Later, he spends an entire year with Circe as well as time with Calypsio, wasting said time that could have been employed sailing home, and by his actions, being untruthful and unfaithful to Penelope. Alongside various other actions, Odysseus sets his pride and hubris in place on several occasions that cause more damage to himself and his crew than any possible emotional reward that he can obtain from them.

Another interesting observation to note is that Odysseus is commonly seen crying for various reasons, such as in the company of Menelaus, yet no reason is given. Perhaps it is due to the memory of his homeland and family, or maybe due to another reason, but there are few reasons that the reader can logically assume since Odysseus does not pertain to one idea, value or belief, and changes his emotions randomly (especially with the homecoming aspect).

The Idea of Hospitality in the Odyssey

Throughout the Odyssey, hospitality to strangers, given by examples such as king Menelaus' gifts to Telemachus in the course of his voyages as well as the clothes that are awarded to Odysseus by the group of women who find him washed up at the river, is the norm for all of society. Though perhaps part of the ancient Greek culture or just that in our modern and more advanced culture we are suspicious of the good Samaritan, it becomes obvious that the characters of the novel employ large amounts of wealth to please their guests with gifts, clothes, meals and other such material possessions.

The idea that Gods could disguise themselves as humans and intermingle in ancient Greece likely caused a sense of fear and yearning to prove their moral superiority in Odysseus' society, thus people sacrificed material wealth on any strangers, whether they were royalty such as Telemachus and Odysseus or poor travelers. In the Odyssey, Athena and various other Gods disguise themselves as humans, often acting in similar ways as humans since they have their own petty brawls, are easily offended and carry grudges against humans. In a way, the Odyssey is the tale of an unheroic act inflicted upon Odysseus after he kills the Cyclops, since Poseidon morns the death of his son and places many obstacles on Odysseus' plans to return.

Various kings in the novel are noted to be especially generous, yet their generosity is only possible since they have large amounts of excess wealth and little to do with it. Therefore, they simply want to show their gratefulness for having been born into this wealth by allowing others access to said wealth. Yet another possibility for their generosity is the fact that they all wanted to obtain information and listen to the travel stories of others since few changes occurred on a regular basis in their home kingdoms and towns, thus paying for information and entertainment from travelers in a way. Regardless of the motives behind the generous ways of the royalty, the result is a much safer and welcoming society for travelers upon their entrance into societies, as well as a very different way of thinking from our own.