Hero\'s Journey in O, Brother! Where Art

¶ … Hero's Journey in O, Brother! Where Art Thou? And The Lion King

The journey home may, at times, be complicated and met with obstacles that must be overcome. O, Brother! Where Art Thou?, the 2000 film directed by Joel Cohen, depicts one man's journey to get back to his family after being made part of a chain gang in rural Mississippi during the 1930s . Similarly, the animated Disney picture, The Lion King, released in 1994, depicts a young Simba's quest to return to his home and restore order, eventually regaining his rightful place as king. O, Brother! Where Art Thou? And The Lion King explore the protagonist's journey home and the obstacles that must be overcome in order for them to achieve their goals.

The hero's journey is often characterized by a series of steps that must be completed in order to attain a goal and aid the transformation of an individual from everyman to hero. Usually divided into three distinct stages, including the departure, initiation, and return, the hero's journey is complex and forces the hero to face, and overcome, several trials that will determine if he is worthy of the journey. The departure occurs when the hero receives information that sets him on his journey, the initiation are the trials he must endure and overcome, and the return begins once he has attained his goal ("The Heroic Monomyth).

O, Brother! Where Art Thou? follows Ulysses Everett McGill, Pete Hogwallop, and Delmar O'Donnell, played by George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson respectively, after they escape from a chain gang at Parchman Farm. McGill springs into action upon receiving news that his wife is to be married to another man within four days. McGill escapes from the chain gang, along with Hogwallop and O'Donnell who are tethered to him, and sets out on his journey. Though their initial escape is successful and they manage to get away from the rest of the chain gang, they miss an opportunity to hitch a ride on a train only to be aided by a blind man, who appears to have some insight into the future. This man provides them with the initial guidance they need to continue with their journey. Because a hero's journey cannot be completed without the hero first proving that they are worthy, the group must overcome trials and tribulations. The most important trial they must endure is to avoid capture since they are on the run from the law. This theme is carried throughout the film and is interwoven with other trials. For example, the group must escape after being cornered in a burning barn, attain supplies to aid them on their way, save their friend Tommy Johnson from the KKK who is going to lynch him, and clear their names so that they are no longer pursued by the law. They must also avoid distractions, such as the three women who seduce them, a common mythological trope, and though they are led astray by greed and curiosity, they regain focus and return to their journey. Though McGill's initial quest is to return to his family before his wife marries another man, his wife, Penny, is reluctant to accept him back and sends him on a quest of her own, a mission to retrieve her wedding ring. He must fulfill this additional quest in order to fully complete his mission. Once again, McGill and his crew set out to find Penny's wedding ring. Once he has completed this task, McGill is allowed to return to his family and claim his rightful place as patriarch of his family.

Similarly, Simba, in The Lion King, must also complete a hero's journey in order to reclaim what is rightfully his and restore order to a fallen kingdom. Though Simba is initially guilted into leaving the Pride Land, with the aid of his friends, Timon, Pumbaa, and Nala, he sets off on his journey home. Nala informs Simba of how the Pride Lands have suffered since his uncle, Scar, took the throne. Simba, like McGill, must endure trials that will aid him and allow him to garner the strength and courage to reclaim the throne. The most difficult trial Simba must overcome is coming to terms with his father's death. Scar had convinced Simba that he was responsible for his father's death and that he would be punished if the truth were revealed. The spirit of his father aids Simba and he learns to overcome the psychological obstacles that have prohibited him from returning to the Pride Lands. With the aid of his friends, Simba sets out to the Pride Lands so that he may restore order in the kingdom. Once back in the Pride Lands, Simba and his friends must overtake the hyenas which have taken over the Pride Lands and driven out the other animals that used to inhabit the kingdom. Motivated by the devastation that has occurred, Simba springs into action and confronts his uncle, ready to reclaim the throne. Though Simba has reached his goal of returning to the Pride Lands, his uncle Scar makes it difficult for him to ascend to the throne. Though Scar is "willing" to give up the throne, he taunts Simba and ultimately engages in a battle to the death. With Scar dead, and the threat to the Pride Lands quelled, Simba takes his rightful place on the throne and allows him to begin reconstruction on his kingdom which will restore it to its former glory. It is implied that Simba will pass on his wisdom to future generations as his progeny is presented to the kingdom, much like Simba, himself, was presented to the kingdom at the time of his birth at the beginning of the film.