MovieChat Forums > O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001) Discussion > The sheriff is the devil

The sheriff is the devil

posted 15 years ago by drum6025
43 replies | jump to latest

This might be obvious for many people, but I just realised a few things while watching this movie for like the 5th time (I love this film).

I could have picked this up the first time watching it - but didn't.

Tommy, the hitchhiker, says that the devil is a white man with a hound dog.

The sheriff is a white man with a hound dog, who quite possible would have been at the crossroads at midnight looking for the three escapees.

furthermore later on when the Pete is about to be hanged the sheriff has flames in his glasses lens's, indicating the fire of hell from below... and when he walks into the shot it is quite scary, just the way Pete gasps when seeing him.

there was other references i forget now too.

also, i am not familiar with the tale of the odyssey so that didn't help...

oh and the three women-- the sirens.... it all makes sense now... seriously i never noticed until this viewing that it was an adaption of the odyssey... silly me hahah...great film, great music!

[–] adam-rych 15 years ago

Great job of pointing out what are arguably the two most apparent allusions in the movie.

[–] Merrida 8 years ago

There's always a "first time" for everyone to notice for themselves.

______________________________________
Sic vis pacem para bellum.

[–] KarlMaldensNose 15 years ago

The Sherriff actually says: "You have eluded Satan, you have eluded me." When he confronts them just before the deluge.

Paradise is exactly like where you are now, only much, much better.

[–] leetron 11 years ago

I thought he said "You have eluded fate, and you have eluded me"

Huh huh! I likes it when they run!

[–] galept 15 years ago

I saw more of the Bible than I did the Odyssey. The Devil was the Sheriff, God was the man on the rail cart at the very end that was pumped manually, and the flooding of the valley was the Flood that Noah built the Arc for.

[–] JR541 15 years ago

I think the blind man on the railroad cart was more representative of a biblical prophet than of God himself.

He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?

[–] scar_007 15 years ago

"seriously i never noticed until this viewing that it was an adaption of the odyssey"

I believe it says so in the opening credits...
I'd forgive you if it was only your first or second time, but you say this is your 5th.

...I am Jack's signature...

[–] redai02-1 15 years ago

Jeez, gut the fellow...some people aren't observant. I didn't realize that Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Concords was the Elf in Return of the King who says 'Lady Arwen we cannot delay' until a week ago, and I've watched LOTR a riDICulous amount of times. Sometimes you enjoy something so much you miss a few details

The Masses are @sses

[–] krisweddin 15 years ago

No.

You should read the message board. The railroad cart guy was lifted straight from the Odyssey.

Seems sad that everything comes back to the Bible.

[–] szephyr 14 years ago

I like to think that the blind, old railroad cart guy was an allusion to blind, old Homer himself...:)

[–] punxgurrl 13 years ago

He's Tiresias.

[–] taylor88 12 years ago

Yeah but but..... Christianity.

[–] kovesp 14 years ago

Oh for heaven's sake! The man on the rail cart was Tiresias, the blind seer, who appears to Odysseus.

[–] acaciajules 8 years ago

No, that's just you seeing things. I think you need to actually at least read a synopsis of the Odyssey.
As for the blind guy on the cart, he was the Blind Seer, a mysterious railroad man who accurately predicts the outcome of the trio's adventure as well as several other incidents. He corresponds to Tiresias in the Odyssey.

Chase: Wow. Yeah, I get it. House is adorable. I just want to hold him and never let go.

[–] criztu 15 years ago

pardon me, but what value is added to the movie once u find that the sheriff is the devil, or that John Goodman is the cyclop, or that the 3 women are syrens or etc. ?

let's put it another way. what if the sheriff was god, John Goodman was the devil, and Babyface Nelson was a prophet and the blindman who recorded for the radio was the cyclop ? and the railway blindman was i donno, assign a random Odissey or Bible character.

[–] elladeon 14 years ago

Because the whole point of an allusion is to add a deeper layer of meaning and motivation to the action. If you understand the parallels between the Odyssey and O Brother better, then you understand the story better.

[–] mjz688 13 years ago

--- Because the whole point of an allusion is to add a deeper layer of meaning and motivation to the action. If you understand the parallels between the Odyssey and O Brother better, then you understand the story better. --

Well said. I never really got a lot of the Odyssey references until I watched the movie with a friend who actually had read the Odyssey. It's so much more enjoyable to watch OBWAT now that I get the under-lying references.

[–] Lolly92459 11 years ago

YES!

[–] dirty_dutchman 14 years ago

Nope. He's meant to represent Poseidon's role in The Odyssey. The infusion of Christian themes/situations in the movie is merely for setting. Since obviously they're not at sea, the Coen's had to take some liberties with their antagonist. He ends up more like Hades than Poseidon.

Besides, the Bible is basically just another book of mythology, not unlike The Odyssey.

Arguing with idiots makes you an idiot.

[–] nystulc 13 years ago

> Nope.

Yup. He's the Devil. Satan himself.

He tells them, "You have eluded Satan; you have eluded ME!", and when they object that they have been pardoned by the governor, he retorts that those are "HUMAN laws", indicating that he is not human.

Also he matches the description of Satan given by the musician who sold his soul to the devil.

> He's meant to represent Poseidon's role in The Odyssey.

His role in the story roughly parallels Poseidon in the Odyssey. Similarly, the John Goodman character's role in the story roughly parallels that of the cyclops. Etc. etc. Still, the Sheriff IS Satan (and not Poseidon); just as the John Goodman character IS a KKK member (and not a cyclops).

> The infusion of Christian themes/situations in the movie is merely for
> setting.

Dunno what that means.

[–] Progeny51 12 years ago

"you have eluded fate and you have eluded me."

"...and when they object that they have been pardoned by the governor, he retorts that those are "HUMAN laws", indicating that he is [serving a 'higher power']."

[–] nystulc 11 years ago

> "you have eluded fate and you have eluded me."

Hmm. I guess that's right. But it is virtually indistinguishable phonetically (perhaps even deliberately so). (FATE AN' vs. SATE AN). And since the script already told me he was the Devil, I'm still cannot be 100% sure I misheard.

> "...and when they object that they have been pardoned by the governor,
> he retorts that those are "HUMAN laws", indicating that he is [serving
> a 'higher power']."

Okay, I'll bite. What "higher power" do YOU think the viewer is supposed to think he serves, while flames are burning in his eyes, and he prepares to commit three murders; after the script has already told us that "the devil" appears as a white man with a hound dog.

It is an allegory of a man who is guilty of the sin of pride, as a result of which he is constantly being ensnared by the devil (represented by a lawman who tracks him based on the smell of his hair-gel).

[–] acaciajules 8 years ago

Well, since the ODYSSEY was a GREEK story by Homer, I'm going to take a big leap and say the "higher powers" is THE GREEK PANTHEON. By the way, ever heard of Hades or his Cerberus? IE, Dogs of the Underworld?

Chase: Wow. Yeah, I get it. House is adorable. I just want to hold him and never let go.

[–] Trepanist 13 years ago

I have to disagree; I think Homer Stokes was the Devil. He had it on "good authority" that Tommy had sold his soul to the devil. How else could he have known that if he were not the great demon himself? Other clues were the red KKK outfit, and he also wore glasses. The only thing missing was the hound.

It may be that the Coen brothers are just trying to muddy the waters on purpose too.

[–] ricky_may1 13 years ago

Sheriff Cooley was the Devil

"it aint the law"

"Law? the law is a human institution"

[–] Trepanist 13 years ago

Then why did he spare Pete when Pete cried out to the Lord?

[–] whoiamnow 12 years ago

When Pete cried out for forgivness, the Devil knew that Pete was about to betray his friends. That was the agreement. "I'll spare your life if you tell the tale."

[–] nhoffman007 12 years ago

You missed the most important allusion to that; at the very end, the sheriff said, "The law? The law is a human institution."

[–] sss10627 11 years ago

Tommy Johnson the hitchhiker is just a reference to Robert Johnson, who sold his soul to the devil at midnight, on crossroads, in the south, in the 1930s, which bought him the ability to be one of the best guitar players (this is just rumor of course). I'm sure who he described was supposed to be the sheriff, but I think the scene was intended to be more of an allusion towards that old blues story.

[–] Peterlh 11 years ago

Actually Tommy Johnson was a real person from around the same time as Robert Johnson. The legend of selling his soul to the devil originated with Tommy Johnson, but was also associated with Robert Johnson after his death.

[–] [email protected] 9 years ago

No..it was a real bluesman called 'Tommy Johnson' who allegedly sold his soul to the devil at a cross roads. Robert Johnson just heard about it and wrote a song about it. Thus giving rise to the legend that Robert Johnson sold his soul. This from Wikipedia
"To enhance his fame, Johnson cultivated a sinister persona. According to his brother LeDell, he claimed to have sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in exchange for his mastery of the guitar.[3][6]This story was later also associated with Robert Johnson, to whom Tommy Johnson was unrelated."

All this is in the trivia section of this film board..if you could be bothered to read it!