O Brother Where Art Thou Character Analysis

Brenda Nguyen English 1 Honors October 5, 2015 Intro Paragraph “People get tangled up in their own ego of how they’re perceived. They can lose their way,” –Pierce Brosnan. Some people seem to get caught up in themselves with their actions so that they can be viewed a certain way to society while negatively affecting others without realizing it. This self-pride can be a destructive force if realization isn’t taken into the interests of others.

The purpose of my essay is to explore how different social backgrounds and the social norms that follow affect the personality of two fictive characters and encourage them to break out of their station to find an identity. The protagonists Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye and Tambudzai in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s novel Nervous Conditions are both victims of social norms. Therefore, the foundation of this essay was to analyze the character’s social background, which has influenced their personalities, behavior and aspirations, and consequently their opposing actions against society. Holden Caulfield is an American adolescent during the period after the Second World War.

Lane Kruse Mr. Whitaker English 9 13 February 2023 The Odyssey compared with O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Odyssey written by Homer in the early 7th century B.C. is a fascinating story about Odysseus and his struggles to return home, after the long war in Troy.

Homer’s Odyssey and the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou are mirror images of each other. The characters in both stories go through events that display similar themes. For example, when Odysseus arrives at Helios island, his men show a lack of discipline and control within themselves. The crew were told by Odysseus not to hurt the cattle of the sun god when they were to arrive at the island.

In the novel The Catcher in The Rye, there are many interesting characters, including the protagonist Holden Caulfield and the relatively minor character Stradlater. Their vary from one another in their attitudes towards academics, relationships, and in their sanity While it is may be said that Stradlater and Holden behave similarly regarding academics, they do differ ever so slightly. Holden for one has a deplorable work ethic as he openly states on pg. 13 “That his only interests in school were in English and one semester of History.” He also it may be said, cares very little about his grades, and has failed to meet the mark in many of his previous schools.

Lost In Yonkers by Neil Simon is a charming play primarily revolving around two boys and their relationships with their extended family, while their father is traveling the country selling scrap metal. As any other play would, it has strong characters and weak characters, strong storylines and weak storylines, effective playwriting, and wasted chances. Unlike most other plays, though, this play’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. The numerous characters and storylines allow for a storyline or a character that everyone will relate with, but also multiple that they will not connect with at all. Lost In Yonkers, although enjoyable at times, certainly has some obvious weaknesses.

According to Victor and Edith Turner, a liminoid pilgrimage is a “[rite] of transition marked by three phases: separation, limen or margin, and aggregation” (p. 2). In Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods, all of the characters go to the woods and take part in those same three phases outlined by the Turners. They learn lessons on their journey and come out as changed people that barely resemble the characters in the traditional stories. In this way, Into The Woods is the musical liminoid pilgrimage of classic storybook characters.

I believe that Sucker has been created out of a psychological need, and there is some evidence to prove this. Sucker doesn’t seem to get noticed by anyone in his family except for Pete, Pete forgets about him occasionally, and the way Maybelle treated Pete was projected on the way Pete treated Sucker. Despite Sucker living with Pete and his family for quite a few years, he does not seem to have many connections to his family besides Pete. Sucker has been with them since he was a baby, and while it is normal for siblings to share a room, I do not know many siblings that share a bed.

Dally A rock-hard hood who never backs down from any challenge. Dally is a character in the book “Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton. The Outsiders is a book where a ragtag group of greasers band together and overcome victories, tragedies, and above all, build an even stronger bond of brotherhood. This story begins in the town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Ponyboy(our main character) is walking home from the movies and gets ambushed by a large group of Socs(Sociables-the “popular/rich” clique).

Throughout one’s life, one tends to adapt to the traditions of their family, and gain a significant bond with their loved ones, including their siblings. However, that connection a person gains can either be diminished or forgotten due to a sense of different mindsets between family members. The two stories “The Rich Brother” by Tobias Wolff and “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin indicate that sibling rivalry occurs when each member does not understand or acknowledge their sibling’s perspective, and this builds a wall barrier between the siblings.

Holden Caulfield lives his life as an outsider to his society, because of this any we (as a reader) find normal is a phony to him. Basically, every breathing thing in The Catcher in the Rye is a phony expect a select few, like Jane Gallagher. What is a phony to Holden and why is he obsessed with them? A phony is anyone who Holden feels is that living their authentic life, like D.B. (his older brother). Or simply anyone who fits into society norms, for example, Sally Hayes.

Elizabeth Lee Dr. William Sewell English 201 3 May 2016 Varsity Blues Movie Analysis Varsity Blues is set at a high school in a small town in Texas. This movie tells a story about 5 football players, their coach and their hometown, which idolizes them. The theme I get from Varsity Blues is about goals and heroes.

In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Mr. Antolini gives Holden Caulfield advice when he is at one of his lowest points. Already aware of Holden’s mental state and position on school, he quotes Wilhelm Stekel, a psychoanalyst, “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” (Salinger 188). Although Holden fails to grasp Mr. Antolini’s message, the quote applies directly to his life because of his relationship with death as a result of his younger brother, Allie’s, death. Mr. Antolini uses this quote specifically because he wants Holden take a step back and try to live for a noble cause instead of resorting to death.

Siegel, J. "The Coens’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Homer’s Odyssey. " Mouseion: Journal of the Classical Association of Canada, vol. 7 no. 3, 2007, pp. 213-245. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/mou.0.0029

Motivation is the deciding force that guides a person on any journey. Every action or decision you make is consciously or subconsciously influenced by prior thoughts and events. These thoughts and events can create several different types of motivations in different people. In A Few Good Men, the main character has many turning points because of the challenges presented to him throughout the film. In Rob Reiner’s