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.