O Brother Where Art Thou - Character Development

Written by: Red Williams

In O BROTHER, WHERE ARE THOU, writer Ethan Coen used stylized dialogue to promote character development. Each of the three main characters had their own distinct manner of conversation which helped the audience get to know them.

This biggest difference in style was between Ulysses Everett McGill and Delmar O'Donnell. Ulysses was an intelligent, attractive, smart-ass with a rapist's wit, while Delmar was a naive, but loveable buffoon. After they escaped from the chain gang, Pete asked who elected Ulysses the leader of their outfit, and Ulysses replied, "I figured it should be someone will the capacity for abstract thought … Let's put it to a vote." Then, after both Pete and Ulysses voted for themselves, Delmar said, "I'm with you fellas." Where the audience respected and enjoyed Ulysses's quick wit, they fell in love with Delmar's boyish charm. When he and Ulysses found Pete's clothes with nothing but a toad in them, Delmar, thinking it was Pete, put the toad in a shoebox and brought it along for the next leg of the journey.

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