Myths as Interpreted by the Coen Brothers

           As Laderman notes, film was originally invented to make the bible accessible and it continues to be one of the most influential mediums in “generating religious values, images, and sensibilities.” Beginning with the title, the Coen Brothers’ movie “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” is rife with these religious and mythological references. The plot directly parallels Homer’s The Odyssey, and is a clear re-telling of this heroic journey myth. From the opening scene the audience is exposed to numerous controversial religious themes. The main characters, having escaped from a chain gang attempt to convince Everett Ulysses (George Clooney) that their sin can be absolved and their slate wiped clean through baptism. They encounter a blind prophet who predicts their future (noting that they will see a cow.) The men then pick up a hitchhiker who has just waited at the crossroads to sell his soul to the devil. Throughout the movie the characters continue to follow the railroad, representing the river on which Ulysses traveled. Similar paths appear in other religiously inspired movies from our readings such as Dorothy’s yellow brick road on her quest to Oz. In "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou", the characters are distracted by three naked women bathing in a lake. These women represent the sirens from The Odyssey, but also the general concept of temptation and sin presented in Genesis. The final scene is clearly religious. The three men pray as they await their execution, all set to the background tune of Amazing Grace. In response to their prayer, the land suddenly floods and the camera brings the viewer underwater with the men as they are saved. Just as in Big fish, and Charlottes' Web, we enter a scene filled with water.

             In combining various myths and spiritual references with typical Coen Brother’s humor, the movie highlights sincere religious controversies and the overall question of faith, but leaves these themes open to interpretation. At the end of the film Everett’s followers are convinced that they were saved by a miracle, while he refuses to believe, arguing that there is always a scientific explanation. He declares, “Out with the old spiritual mumbo jumbo, the superstition, and the backward ways”. Yet, to offer a counterargument, Everett’s anti-religious rant is interrupted when a barn floats by with a cow on the roof, confirming the blind man’s prophecy. In retelling this myth, the Coen brothers leave the audience to form their own opinions regarding faith and miracles.