Poseidon Out of the Sea

Poseidon v Sheriff Cooley

Throughout The Odyssey the god Poseidon attempts to hinder Odysseus' journey. This is due to Odysseus fighting for the Greeks in the Trojan War whilst Poseidon was on the side of the Trojans as well as Odysseus and his crew blinding Polyphemus, Poseidon's son. Poseidon was the only god who was against Odysseus as described in Book 1  "nevertheless all the gods had now begun to pity him except Poseidon, who still persecuted him without ceasing and would not let him get home."

In O Brother the main antagonist is Sheriff Cooley who continually hunts down the escaped convicts. This is a clear allusion to Poseidon, as the Sheriff continues to hunt them down even when they are pardoned of their crimes by the govenor, symbolic of the Poseidon going against Zeus' judgement in saving Odysseus. Also the Sheriff comes to represent an unrelenting and blind revenge, as seen in the following video with his sunglasses. Throughout the movie he is seen with his dog who tracks the convicts. This may also be an allusion to Cerberus, the dog of the Underworld.

This scene in the film also parallels Odysseus's dangerous course between Scylla and Charybdis, as Everett cries "Damn! We're in a tight spot!" several times throughout the scene and can either hope to survive the fire or confront the waiting police.