Thanks especially for noting the parallelism between the Baptism ceremony by the river in the daytime and the Ku Klux Klan ceremony at night. Both appear as religious ceremonies conducted by large groups of people in white robes. The first ceremony, Baptism, is a sign of entering the Christian religion. This instance showed Baptism as practiced in the Baptist denomination, one of the largest religions in the United States, although relatively unknown in Europe. There are many "conventions" as they are called, of Baptists in the United States, for example the Southern Baptists which are the largest Baptist convention, and the largest Protestant church in the United States. Others include the American Baptists, the National Baptists and many, many others. Through Roger Williams' founding of Providence Plantation (now the state of Rhode Island) Baptists have a claim on contributing the idea of religious freedom to the tradition of the United States. They are one of the most important religious groups in the United States, both in history and today.
The Ku Klux Klan, on the other hand, is a notorious racist secret society, that also opposed Catholics and Jews as well as blacks. It took its name from a similar secret society formed after the American Civil War, but which did not oppose Catholics or Jews. The Klan was founded in 1915, grew until the middle of the 1920s, split into several groups, and declined after that. They organized violence against not only Blacks, Catholics and Jews but against anyone who opposed them, and engaged in much violence against the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Small groups still exist around the United States. I think that the parallelism of daylight Baptism and nighttime Klan meeting was intended by the Coen Brothers to signify good and evil.
The confrontation of good and evil, and the problem of defining good and evil, is a constant theme throughout this film. The law is chasing the three escapees, but is the law good? Who is good and who is evil in this film? It's a question to think about.
The Blues musician Tommy Johnson sold his soul to the Devil for his skill. This is a reference to the story of the real life Blues musician, Robert Johnson, who is alleged to have sold his soul to the Devil for his skill. Like Tommy Johnson, Robert Johnson forgot to negotiate a time period the way Doctor Faustus did in the Faust story. Robert Johnson is today known as "The King of the Delta Blues Singers" and is one of the most influential, possibly the greatest, Blues musician who ever lived. However, he didn't live to enjoy his success or see his fame.
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician, among the most famous of Delta blues musicians. His landmark recordings from 1936–1937 display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given rise to much legend, including a Faust myth.
Johnson's songs, vocal phrasing and guitar style have influenced a broad range of musicians; Eric Clapton has called Johnson "the most important blues singer that ever lived". Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an "Early Influence" in their first induction ceremony in 1986. He was ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Notice how the way Tommy Johnson describes the Devil fits the description of the policeman who is following the three escaped convicts around throughout the film. Was that the same Devil to whom Tommy sold his soul? I don't know. I do know that the Faust story is very influential not only in world literature but in African American folklore. Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" was the most popular stage play among African Americans in the late 19th century, and certainly influenced Robert Johnson, whether or not he actually sold his soul to the Devil. The Faust legend is certainly a major influence on the story of this film.
More influential than the Faust legend, though, is Homer's Odyssey. This is the story of the Trojan War hero, Odysseus, or Ulysses, who wandered all over the Mediterranean Sea searching for his home where his wife, Penelope, was waiting for him. This is the story of the movie, with the action moved from the ancient Mediterranean to 1930s Mississippi. I immediately recognized the characters of the Cyclops (John Goodman), the Sirens, and others, even though I hadn't read the book since I was a child. It's one of the greatest adventure stories of world literature. I hope you get the chance to read it some day.
2 comments:
I like your essay very much, sir (that's what I call my profs (^^) ) but there's one thing that I've noticed about human nature that should also be considered in this movie.
Regarding good and evil, could there be a possiblity that the characters are a combination of the both? I think this is more likely than anything else. I mean, if you look at Clooney's character, he's a convict trying to find the money he stole, which could be considered an inherent evil act in itself; taking something that is not yours is almost always considered wrong. Then there is Pete's cousin, who, under the pretence of helping the group, takes off their chains, only to turn them into the police for the reward money. How would you argue this? Betraying Pete, who is family, for the money that he needs could be considered an evil deed. But then again, turning over Pete to the authorities could be considered a good deed simply because Pete is a convict who broke out of prison.
Those are only two examples of what I'm trying to get across, and my point isn't terribly well argued, but I still think it's something worth considering.
The only elements that I would consider as being perfectly good or evil respectively, even if only in representation, are the baptism scene and the scene involving the Ku Klux Klan. They are obvious polar opposites in their rhyme and reason, and therefor should be considered the only perfect examples of right and wrong, light and dark, good and evil.
The rest of the characters, well, I think putting a definitive "good" or "bad" label on them is very hard indeed. Except for maybe the cop, I didn't like him at all. :P
Yeah, you're right, the characters are all pretty complex, with the possible exception you noted, the policeman chasing them, who fits the description that Tommy gave of the Devil.
Oh, and Clooney's character Ulysses didn't really steal any money. It was in a a throw-away line where he admitted it, so you might have missed it, but he was sent up for practicing medicine without a license. He had to break out to stop his wife from getting married. He was chained to the two others so he lied to them.
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