Paspunoori1 Sruthi Paspunoori
Rutledge
9th English
27 October 2014
Odyssey and O Brother comparison essay
The book “The Odyssey” by Homer and the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou” are similar yet at the same time are very different. The film is based loosely on “The Odyssey” and that is apparent in the characters of Odysseus’ crew, or Delmar and Pete in the movie. Delmar and Pete take the role of the crew of Everett, as Odysseus is called in the film and are his friends throughout the movie. The two groups main stories are the same but some of their main components are changed dramatically. Delmar and Pete and the crew have many elements in common such as their lack of trust for Odysseus and their trouble concerning the Lotus Eaters or the Baptists, but their two stories contrast when it comes to the Sirens.
In the Odyssey, the crew members are Odysseus companions throughout his voyage. The crew has a lack of trust for Odysseus, because he doesn’t consult them with important decisions, just like Everett in the film. One example of this is with Scylla and Charybdis, where Odysseus decides which monster to brave without asking the crew first. Another thing that is similar with
Delmar and Pete and the crew is the Lotus Eaters. The Lotus Eaters trap the crew on the island without them realizing it, yet it is the only obstacle they face that doesn’t involve any physical

danger, just slow down their journey. The final thing the crew and Delmar and Pete have in common is the Sirens. In the book, Odysseus protects
Paspunoori2
Sruthi Paspunoori
Rutledge
9th English
27 October 2014 the crew from the Sirens, which are half animal and half women and sing so that sailors crash onto the rocks, but he does not in the film.
Delmar and Pete are Everett, or Odysseus’, crew in the film “O Brother Where Art
Thou?”. They too are distrustful of Everett, because he, like Odysseus, makes decisions that negatively affect them without consulting them first, and is often lying to them about the