Pride in Odysseus and Ulysses Everett McGill

O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Odyssey share numerous similarities. One of the most striking is the fact that Odysseus and Ulysses Everett McGill undergo very related heroic journeys. Although neither man’s personality is profoundly altered as a result of their journey, certain aspects of their characters show development as their stories progress. At the beginning of both men's journeys they are very proud and snobbish.

At the beginning of the Odyssey, Odysseus frequently shows his pride in frequent swaggerish bravados. For example, he arrogantly insults Polyphemus, drawing the wrath of Poseidon. He also often thinks of himself as almost superhuman. He essentially cheats the sirens by tying himself to the ship so he can listen and live to tell the tale. Not only was this unnecessary risk perilous to Odysseus, it also put his crew in danger.

Everett’s pride takes a more vain and self-advocating form. During the first few scenes of O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett makes it obvious that he thinks himself smart, clever, and good looking. He is constantly making smart alecky comments, like when he interrupts the blind man on the rail car with some economics jargon. Furthermore, he is always buying hair gel and combing his hair. Ultimately, his hair gel gets him and his friends into trouble, because it lays down a scent for the slave tracker dog to follow.

Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus learns to check his bold and glory-seeking manner. At Scheria he demonstrates some self restraint by hiding his identity to the king and queen. He finally learns some respect for the gods by trying to steer his crew away from the cattle of the sun. 
Similarly, throughout O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett develops some humility and learns to respect his colleagues. Although it may have been easier to ditch his friends along the journey, he never tries to.

At the end of both heroic journeys, Everett and Odysseus’s newly acquired modesty is put to the test as a deciding factor in the climax of both stories. Odysseus dresses up as a beggar, hiding his identity to his most loyal swineherd, his own son, and his very own wife. He lets the suitors insult him, yet still keeps his cool, resisting any urge to immediately shatter the ruse and slaughter them immediately. His self-control makes the quick and effective slaughter at the end of the book possible. Had he failed to control his pride and self esteem, there’s no telling whether he would have successfully ousted the suitors to his satisfaction.

Similarly, as the climax approaches in O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett has started to act significantly more considerately. He no longer looks down on his companions, but instead considers them his friends. At the beginning of the book, his companions were simply a burden, but Everett clearly thinks of them as more towards the end. He risks his life twice to save two of his friends. In the end, his willingness to do so made possible the revival of the Soggy Bottom Boys and turned the tide in the election, winning Everett back his wife.

At the beginning of both stories, pride is a major flaw in both main characters. As the stories progressed, however, both characters started to learn some humility and selflessness. Finally, at the end, both Odysseus and Everett prove that they have corrected their arrogant and selfish ways, effectively transforming both of them into stronger characters

Note about this post: This post essentially summarized my essay, so any comments about the general ideas or any examples that you can think of would be appreciated. Thanks!