"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" parallels the The Odyssey in a variety of ways. The main character in "O Brother, Where Art Thou,?" Ulysses Everett Mcgill, parallels Odysseus in The Odyssey. They parallel each other even by name. Ulysses is the Roman name for Odysseus. Everett is attempting to get back to his home in Ithaca, Mississippi which parallels Ithaca, Greece in The Odyssey. Everett's ex-wife Penny is getting married and Everett is trying to reach home to prevent the marriage. This is similar to Penelope about to be getting married in The Odyssey. When Odysseus returns to Ithaca, he successfully prevents the marriage analogous to Everett. .
Everett encounters various obstacles on his trip back to Ithaca similar to Odysseus. The one eyed bible salesman that Everett encounters is comparable to the Cyclops that Odysseus encounters. Also the wash maids that Everett, Delmar, and Pete are mesmerized by are paralleled to the Sirens that Odysseus and his companions encounter. In addition, the wash maids are even called Sirens by Everett and his companions. Throughout the journey of both Everett and Odysseus, they both are angry at a higher power. Everett believes that God has dealt him a bad hand and that it would be useless for him to ask God for help. Odysseus defies Poseidon and believes that he can control his fate without the help of the gods. Both Everett and Odysseus inevitably realize that their journey will not be a success if they do not humble themselves and acknowledge the power of God. Odysseus is able to reach Ithaca when he realizes this, and Everett and his companions survive their nemesis and are able to continue their lives. The previous parallels stated between "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and The Odyssey are just a few of the parallels between the two works. .