Ulysses vs. Odysseus

Seeing that my last blog post was about Odysseus, it's only fitting that I now talk about Ulysses.

From watching "O' Brother Where Art Thou," you can see that Ulysses is meant to be Odysseus. There are many similarities between Ulysses and Odysseus such as their scheming lies, (somewhat) lack of remorse, and clever planning. However, there are some key differences such as their portrayal to the audience.

Both Ulysses and Odysseus possess an innate ability to lie extremely well. Ulysses was able to make up stories about the treasure and the backstory of the Soggy Bottom Boys, just like how Odysseus was able to make up multiple backgrounds as he tested his family. Along similar lines, both characters are quite clever. Ulysses was able to make a (somewhat good) plan to save Tommy from the KKK and craft multiple methods of making money. It was also Ulysses who (presumably) thought of the plan to save Pete.

Other than their craftiness, Ulysses and Odysseus also aren't the most empathetic. Neither Ulysses or Odysseus show a huge amount of remorse at the loss of their friends. We already know that Odysseus wasn't too flustered when he lost his men, and Ulysses displays a similar disposition. When Pete gets turned into "a frog," Ulysses doesn't seem too depressed. At least, not as much as Delmar. It can be seen, however, that Ulysses shows some regret when he admits to his friends that he lied to them about the treasure. When he tells them the news, he looks quite remorseful (he was looking down, etc.). One can make the argument, however, that he wasn't sad for his sake rather than his friends' (didn't want to deal with the backlash).

There are obvious minor differences between Ulysses and Odysseus. Ulysses is obsessed with his hair. Ulysses is a southern American. Ulysses has seven daughters. There is, however, one significant difference between Ulysses and Odysseus is how they're portrayed in their respective stories. Throughout the Odyssey, we got the idea that Odysseus was amazing at everything. He was the fastest, smartest, and hottest. Ulysses, however, isn't all that. Ulysses starts the story as a runaway prisoner (for pretending to be a lawyer), not a lost king (which sounds and is a lot more impressive). Throughout the story, we're given a lot of proof of Ulysses's not-so-great skills. When Ulysses and co. were trapped in the barn by the sheriff, he did nothing besides repeat "we're in a tight spot." He let Big Dan wack him across the head with a stick without any fight or realization of what was happening. It might've been for the best that Ulysses didn't fight, however, as when he tried, Vernon Waldrip handled him pretty easily.

It's clear that Ulysses possesses some vulnerabilities and isn't as great as Odysseus. I (and most other modern readers/viewers), however, probably find the imperfectness of Ulysses more attractive than a highly rated Odysseus.