O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The most significant moment in the film is when Ulysses, Pete, and Delmar encounter the Blind Seer, and he tells of their future.

"You will find a fortune, though it will not be the one you seek...Though the road may wind, yea, your hearts grow weary, still shall ye follow them, even unto your salvation."

O Brother, Where Art Thou? defines road trip with salvation. The Blind Seer directly comes out, and tells the trio (and the audience) the purpose and outcome of their trip. Their journey goes on to fulfill this fortune with the baptism scene, saving Tommy from being hung, being pardoned by Pappy at the campaign dinner, and the flooding of the valley. All of these scenes enforce the idea that the men are traveling for salvation.

Do you think there is any connection between Ulysses' lie about stealing money from an armored car and George Nelson (the bank robber)?

O Brother, Where art thou?

I thought the significant scene of the film was when three of them sneaked into the campaign dinner and performed as three old man. It shows the three of them working together and realizing the changes they have obtained through the companionship in this journey. It is this scene audience's overwhelming support of their music, shows that they have changed from running from the law to becoming accepted by the society. Also, Everett realized he has reached his 'treasure' of becoming 'bona fide' to his wife. The road trip served as an adventure for these men to move away from the past and bond together through the hardships they encountered.

Why is this film called, "O Brother, Where art thou?" Does it refers to the bonding of these three mans eventually becoming brothers to each other and that they worry for each other?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

"I am a man of constant sorrow, I've seen trouble all my days."

I think this line is significant to the movie because this road trip is about finding forgiveness in the wake of trouble. Along with what Hayley said, the movie is about redemption and salvation and this song expresses that sentiment. The men realize that they have crimes in their past but they hope to find through acts like baptism and this trip that they can redeem themselves.

Another line that stands out in the song is when they mention they haven't been able to find any pleasures on earth. They realize that any of the infractions that they committed was based off of greed and did not fulfill any of their needs.

The trip is not only about finding "treasures" but it was mostly about these men finding atonement within society and themselves. I believe this movie is trying to say that road trips are sometimes about finding that you can be better and that you can have better. As long as you have the desire to want to be better, you can put your past away and move onto your present and future.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I felt the film was defining a road trip as redemption or salvation, a way to rectify or wash away their past sins and transgressions, so to speak. The scene where Delmar is baptized helps to illustrate this idea.

Pete: Well I'll be a sonofabitch. Delmar's been saved.

Delmar: Well that's it, boys. I've been redeemed.

Another scene that helps to illustrate this idea is when the valley is flooded right before Tommy, Pete, Delmar, and Everett are to be hanged. (Earlier in the movie Tommy describes the devil as "white, as white as you folks, with empty eyes and a big hollow voice. He likes to travel around with a mean old hound." --which is Sheriff Cooley) So, the flooding of the valley saves the men from the devil himself, and literally washes away their past.

Both of these scenes use the image of water to symbolize the rinsing away of their past life, purifying and baptizing them into their new life. This imagery helps to reinforce my definition of their road trip.

Question: George Clooney's character is Ulysses Everett McGill. Throughout the movie, Pete and Delmar refer to him as Everett, and not Ulysses. Why is this? Is it significant?

O Brother, Where Art Thou

I thought that the scene where Everett admits that there is no buried treasure was significant. Before this, Everett, Pete, and Delmar are looking for their freedom and for this treasure. Everett admits that his true purpose was to get his wife back, and with nothing to lose, Everett sets out on the adventure. If he loses his wife and children, then he would have nothing left. Although Pete and Delmar seem to have been deceived by Everett, they still follow him, which shows that this movie is also about companionship. They stick together even though Everett has gotten them into big trouble. As Pete mentioned, he was going to be set free in two weeks, but now that they've broken out of the prison house, he'll be stuck there until he is eighty-four years old. They almost get hanged, but in the end, Everett achieves his goal.