Examining Myth in Modern Culture: A Comparative Approach

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Recommended: The idea of love in the odyssey

I don’t think there is a better way to examine a myth in modern culture than by comparing a film of the present day to one of the oldest stories ever told that influenced it.

I couldn’t think of a better way to examine myth in modern culture than by taking something from the present day and seeing how it was influenced by one of the oldest stories ever told. The Odyssey by Homer is said to have originated in oral tradition and only many years later been written down. The Odyssey dates back to 675-725 BCE as written by Homer. The Odyssey is one of the first great works of literature and is still studied and appreciated some 2700 years later. The Odyssey is still loved to this day for its adventurous story and timeless themes.

In the year …show more content…

Everett is reunited with his many daughters while Odysseus is reunited with his one son, Telemachus. In a kind of playful way, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” nods to The Odyssey with Everett almost killing Big Dan T (the Cyclops character) by stabbing him in the eye much like Odysseus did in the Odyssey. The story of Odysseus encompasses a much longer period of time than “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
The events in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” seem to take place over a matter of days while The Odyssey is a number of years. The theme of lost love is one that is present in both stories. Love is a timeless theme and can be seen in many works of literature. Both Everett and Odysseus miss their wives and families. These two characters end up doing whatever it takes to get back to their home and with their wives and children.

The main difference between the character of Penny in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and Penelope in the Odyssey is how they react when their protagonist husbands are gone. Penny divorces Everett as soon as he goes to jail and tells her daughters that he was hit by a train even though she knows otherwise. Penny even takes on a suitor and plans on marrying him. Penelope on the other hand misses Odysseus, dislikes the suitors, and waits patiently and faitfully for 20 years until the return of Odysseus. Penelope and Telemacus kept hope alive for the return of Odysseus while Penny has moved on from Everett until his

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