O My Father Why Dost’ Thou Punish Me?
Dad couldn’t even finish reading this, my first real essay at USC. I guess it was meant to humble me, it did. Now can I have some money?
Several Gods to One
Contemporary Myths
in
O Brother Where Art Thou?
Courtland Wade Noble
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The epic is a lengthy, revered narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. (Michael Meyer, The Bedford Introduction to Literature, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005, p2128) |
O Brother Where Art Thou?(2000), a movie created by Joel and Ethan Coen, intertwines an alternate reality, based on Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, with an unpretentious theme of good versus evil. Just like in the life of Odysseus this film shows that in order for man to win the battle with nature and evil, divine intervention is necessary. The Coen Brothers use Homer’s poem as a reference point to tell us of Everett’s journey through the “Old South,” and also to maintain the belief in religious myths in this contemporary environment. Through the character of Ulysses Everett McGill, his weaknesses and the superior powers that come to play in his trek, the Coens create their modern day epic.
The fourth title card in the opening credits of the film reads:
“O muse, sing in me and through me tell the story of that man skilled in
all the ways of contending. A wanderer harried for years on end…”
Later on in the title sequence, a card reads “this film is based on Homer’s The Odyssey.” Right from the start the Coens want us to know that this film references the epic journey of Odysseus back to Ithaca. The brothers do not expect us to know all the details about Homer’s poem to understand what will happen throughout the film. They themselves admit to never having read it. The main reason for this reference to The Odyssey is for the audience to apply the mythical aspects onto their film. Joel Coen said: “Part of what was attractive about basing it on The Odyssey, or at least sort of saying it was based on The Odyssey, was the idea of telling the story in such a way that was very removed from reality, or sort of larger than life in the way that myths are.” (Palopoli, Steve, “Joel and Ethan’s Big Adventure,” Total Movie, pp. 55) By saying that their film is based on The Odyssey, the Coens were then able to create a set of characters and a plot that the audience would be willing to follow beyond realistic circumstances and understand just because of the film’s mythic association. This is a very similar device the Coens’ used earlier in Fargo where in the title sequence it states:
“THIS IS A TRUE STORY. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota
in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect
for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.”
This is not true, the actual murder with wood chipper that the Coens based the film on occurred in Connecticut in 1986. The Coens used this so they could get the audience to believe whatever they put in the film, because they told them it was a true story at the beginning. This is not the only thing they used the poem for.
In addition the Coens also used character traits, names, and even plot elements directly from Homer to further develop the film’s mythical qualities. Ulysses Everett McGill, not only shares a name with the hero Odysseus (Ulysses is the Roman translation) but they also have very similar characteristics. Besides being the goal oriented, hard headed protagonist both characters are blessed with, as Everett puts it “the gift of gab.” Odysseus and Everett both use their wit and clever tongues to escape danger. Everett’s only way to succeed is by talking his way out of situations or using disguises. At one point in the film he says: “Ain’t you ever heard of negotiatin’. Bet we could talk this thing out.” Later on we learn that he was truly arrested for practicing law without a license. What greater example is there for a man who is charming, very well spoken and desperate for a job, other than pretending to be a lawyer?
Physical combat however, is not a skill in Everett’s repertoire as he has his lunch served to him by Vernon T. Waldrip in the Woolworth’s. Instead he has to devise a clever plan to get close to his wife Penny, to plead for her not to marry Vernon. At the end of the film, the boys disguise themselves as the old traveling minstrels called the Soggy Bottom Boys. This closely resembles the instance when Odysseus returns to Ithaca and disguises himself as an old beggar to discover what has been going on in his household. The disguise Everett comes up with to save Tommy from the noose by knocking out and dressing up as the colored guard references the story where Odysseus and his men dress as sheep to avoid the Cyclops.
Being the protagonist, Everett is also the one with the goal that pushes the narrative forward. We all assume that he shares it with Pete and Delmar and it has to do with getting to the treasure before his land is flooded. So for a majority of the film, Everett appears as just an ordinary criminal trying to save his loot from being washed away. Though we don’t know it until later in the film, he is leading Pete and Delmar on about the treasure. In fact he encourages their delusions of riches when he asks them what they are going to do with their treasure.
The Coens however are very fond of their soft-core criminals (some critics may disagree and think the exact opposite, but H.I. McDunnough was a sweet guy too), so when Pete confesses to having “spilt his guts” about the treasure, Everett himself opens up and tells the boys that the treasure really doesn’t exist. His true purpose for escaping is revealed. A new side of Everett’s character is shown; he has a heart and cares about his wife and daughters. This sounds much more like the hero Odysseus, whose journey was about getting home and then killing off all the suitors who were after his wife.
While he may have been very deceptive, in lying to Pete and Delmar, Everett’s motivation to get his wife back and see his daughters is a righteous one. It is this side of Everett that keeps the other two around throughout the film. Even after admitting there was no treasure and Pete attempts to kill him (after Everett broke him out of jail), it is Everett who again devises the plan to save Tommy from the noose. Despite Everett’s Métis, or cunning intelligence, there are many obstacles on his journey that he cannot save himself and his friends from.
It is this aspect of the epic that a major point of modernization occurs. Here Greek Gods are not the divine powers that intervene for and against Everett. Instead the idea of one God is the common belief amongst the characters. The story is told within a Christian perspective, where there is one God on one side and the Devil is on the other. Good and evil are both represented in the film as actual beings or in some cases unexplainable forces.
Even though the film has Christianity as a central subject, the Coens never come off being pretentious. Their goal here is not to convert or preserve the myth of the Christian faith. They would prefer to leave that to others as it is difficult to be silly and ironic as they are and want to be and at the same time attempt to preach to the audience. In this film religion is entirely part of the narrative. It is God and the Devil that provide the obstacles along the journey. These are the forces that obstruct and push the plot forward. Every time good or evil is present in a sequence the experience is very surreal not only for the audience but also for Everett.
The first encounter that Everett has with God and his believers is the great baptismal scene in the woods. The three of them become mesmerized by the choir of Baptists coming from the trees. The audience continues to be entranced until Delmar breaks the spell by rushing to the waters of baptism. Here we see the effect that believing in God’s redeeming powers has on Pete and Delmar. A crucial element to this sequence is Everett’s reaction to the two of them getting soggy. It evident that Everett does not take seriously the other two’s belief in being saved, in fact he mocks them calling them “dumber than a bag of hammers.” This is important because of the change in character that Everett experiences at the end when he falls to his knees and pleads for God’s help.
Since the entire film is seen from Everett’s point of view it reflects on the entire film’s idea of the necessity of faith involved in such an epic journey. Seeing Pete and Delmar rush to the waters of baptism is silly and calling them “soggy sons of bitches” in the car afterwards is a pretty accurate description. However, after the flood, Pete throws it right in Everett’s face when they are floating in the lake and he says “We prayed to God and he pitied us,” then Everett tries to explain about the “perfectly scientific explanation,” then Pete responds with “That ain’t the tune you were singing back there.” Pete and Delmar believe they have undeniable proof that God intervened in their lives and Everett attempts to pass off his participation in the plea for God’s help, as a thoughtless act in a moment of desperation. This is a great example of Everett’s most devastating fault (and Odysseus’), that of pride.
As Everett is attempting to explain to the two about why the valley was being flooded “not a moment too soon” something catches his eye and his breath. He sees a cow on top of cotton house. The blind man at the beginning of the film had prophesied that they would see it and that many other things would happen, including them not finding the treasure that they sought. While the audience may believe that it was just a coincidence that the flood happened moments before they were to be hanged, it is impossible to deny the fact that everything the blind prophet predicted came true. This reflects a Christian myth that while some things may appear as coincidences, there are other events that have no other possible explanation than God.
The Coens also managed to adapt the important motif of water from Homer to their “Old South” setting. In the travels of Odysseus, many of his problems come about while on the sea. Because he blinds the Cyclops, the God of the sea Poseidon, who happens to also be the father of Cyclops, decides to punish Odysseus. Instead of allowing him to return to Ithaca, Poseidon commands the seas to destroy his raft. In O Brother Where Art Thou? water also possess this life altering force. First, this is seen when Delmar and Pete are baptized and have their sins washed away. The great saving force of water is again demonstrated with the flood. Instead of frustrating the journey further (as in The Odyssey) God’s divine intervention is used to save Everett, Pete, Delmar and Tommy from Sherriff Cooley and the noose.
Here is the ultimate example of good versus evil. Cooley is the man that Tommy describes as the devil earlier on in the film. In fact the words that Cooley uses at the end position him as a being not of this world. “Law is a human institution.” Here he is stating that he is not only above the law but that he possesses a superior power than humans. This gives greater meaning to Everett’s humble and desperate plea on his knees in front of Sherriff Cooley. Here not only in front of the law but in the face of evil itself, it is no longer a matter of pride. He has no choice but to look up and ask God for help. It comes in the form of water, and lots of it. Everett mocks Pete and Delmar earlier for being baptized, because even though they were saved in the eyes of God, they were not safe from the laws of Mississippi. Except, here in the end Everett was baptized and this time it included the state of Mississippi. All four of them had been pardoned the night before, and then saved from evil by the rushing waters of the dammed river. This event was a veritable rebirth for Everett and a chance to begin anew.
What makes this an epic film? First, it is the blatant association with Homer’s poem The Odyssey. The second attribute that makes this film an epic is its hero Ulysses Everett McGill. Without the close association to Odysseus, it may be difficult to imagine Everett as a hero. Remember his true reason for escaping from the chain gang and why he had to lie to Pete and Delmar. Also, it was because of his courage and his intellect that Pete and Tommy were saved from the noose. In order to make this a true epic the Coens had to create a world the audience could identify with. They succeeded in telling a clever and funny story about the “Old South,” complete with its unique characters and wonderful music. However the real triumph was that the brothers were able to translate the myth of Homer’s epic poem into a contemporary world and retain the religious myths so necessary to this type of tale.
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Comments
This is not what I was sent to review.
I spent more than an hour “helping” a beloved son.
Why pick on an old man?
Old men are sometimes vulnerable.
When was it rewritten?
Or, who rewrote it?
I for one would like to express my never-ending support for Wade and his attempts to refine his sons into something greater than they are. It would behoove him to heed his father’s counsel and select the suggestions that would make his work better. fritoP. loves his father very much, his frustration masks the great respect he has for him. Someday he will appreciate such wise counsel….
Wait, he is the one that is supposed to call Maryann?!?!
Nevermind…
I am confused, I am sure he fell asleep whilst reading the essay the first time, so it felt like a brand new essay the second time around. The major changes were with the introduction paragraph, because that was key to setting up what i had already written in the essay.
you just used “whilst” cause I did the other day - Now we know why your essay was so good… plagiarist!
you can’t use “whilst” without permission (even though I heard it from Ricky Gervais the other night)
dats some good stuff! thanks for sharing it!