O Brother Where Art Thou Character Analysis

Two men, though part of different stories, travel long journeys to return home. Their paths face many obstacles and trials. How do their stories compare? The main characters are Odysseus, from Homer’s, The Odyssey, and Everett from O Brother Where Art Thou, directed by Ethan and Joel Coen. Though O Brother Where Art Thou, is based on The Odyssey, the two share many similarities and differences, such as the characters’ encounters with others, conflicts faced in the stories, and characteristics of the major characters.
The characters’ encounters with others share several similarities. Both characters experience similar encounters with prophets. In The Odyssey, Odysseus travels to the Underworld and meets with Tiresias, who tells Odysseus what he will undergo on his journey: a series of long and difficult tasks. Everett and his companions come across a blind prophet
This prophet, who remains unnamed, recites Everett journey as hard and difficult too. He informs Everett “...you must travel a road fraught with peril” (O…Thou). His message reflects the information Tiresias discusses with Odysseus. Meetings with the Lotus Eaters shows another example of similarities in the characters’ encounters with others. Sweet-tasting lotus-flowers from the Lotus Eaters attract some of Odysseus’s men, and the rest of the men must pull them back to ship. Sinners washing away their sins away in the river attract Pete and Delmar, who want to rid themselves of their sins. Everett needed to pull them back. Finally, both plots consist of the characters confronting Sirens. Sirens in The Odyssey sing their song which attract men to them, causing them to crash their