What is the significance of this man in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

What is the significance of this man in O Brother, Where Art Thou? - A Family Making Jack o' Lanterns

In the closing scene of Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the old blind man driving the handcar, whom Everett and his associates had encountered near the beginning of the film, and who had made a prophecy about them, makes a reappearance.

Does this scene, and the man himself, have any significance? I am aware that the film is based off Homer's "Odyssey", so is this perhaps some parallel character?

I feel like I am missing some point about the film.



Best Answer

As mentioned on Wikipedia:

Lee Weaver as the Blind Seer, who accurately predicts the outcome of the trio's adventure. He corresponds to Tiresias in the Odyssey.

The source for this claim is Flensted-Jensen, Pernille (2002), "Something old, something new, something borrowed: the Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou", published in Classica Et Mediaevalia, Volume 53. (The footnote on the page links to the article in Google Books.)

Wikipedia's explanation WRT Tiresias:

In Greek mythology, Tiresias was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance




Pictures about "What is the significance of this man in O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

What is the significance of this man in O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Man Making A Drawing On An Orange Fruit
What is the significance of this man in O Brother, Where Art Thou? - A Man Making Jack O Lantern Out Of Oranges
What is the significance of this man in O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Man Wearing a Black Yukata



What do the characters in O Brother, Where Art Thou represent?

In O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the protagonist Ulysses Everett McGill serves jail time with his two convict friends, Pete Hogwallop and Delmar O'Donnell. Symbolizing the escape from danger all throughout the Odyssey, the convicts escape from the chain-gang and run off towards a promising treasure.

What is the message of O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The three themes of \u201cO Brother, Where art Thou?\u201d and \u201cThe Adventure of Ulysses\u201d Are pride, journey, and judgment. I think that these three themes are the most important to the two stories because they really describe the lesson and the moral of the story.

Who is the old man in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Lee Weaver: Blind Seer.

Who is Pete Hogwallop?

John Turturro: Pete Hogwallop.



The real meaning behind O Brother, Where Art Thou?




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Daisy Anderson, Daisy Anderson, Daisy Anderson, ANTONI SHKRABA production