Let’s talk about Penny. In O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Ulysses Everett McGill escapes from a chain gang, runs from the authorities, becomes a radio star, survives being attacked and mugged, saves a man from being lynched, and ruins a political campaign just to return to his wife. And her response to his labors? Only accept him once he finds her ring, which is now at the bottom of a very deep lake and thus sending him on another quest.
Penny is the type of woman who has all the control in the relationship. I mean, she counted to three. She makes her own decisions and bases them on what’s right for her and her children. While she does come off as aggravating in the film, I can’t say I wouldn’t make the same decisions if I were her. Up until he becomes a radio star, Everett is a lost cause. She’s got seven mouths to feed and as a woman in the 1930s, money is hard to come by. So, it makes sense that when he returns, she sticks with the “bona fide” suitor instead of instantly switching teams.
However, her “supposed” loyalty doesn’t last long. As soon as she discovers Everett is a star, she ditches her boo in favor of him (OR she realizes her boo no longer has a job and decides to switch but same idea). Then, she goes the extra mile of demanding that Everett be the one to prove his love by finding her ring. Nevermind the fact that is literally impossible for Everett to get that ring unless he invests in scuba diving lessons. She remains completely stubborn about the idea that she will not get with Everett until that ring is returned.
I think my main problem with Penny is that she is so obviously self serving and refuses to see logic. Actually, sidenote, it’s kind of funny how Everett is supposed to be this man of logic and reasoning but he’s married to a woman who sticks to her guns even if evidence to the contrary is presented (i.e. the ring and the lake). Similarly, unlike her book counterpart, she has no loyalty to her husband. From what I understand, it’s been one year since Everett left, and she already has a new man. While Penelope waited years for her husband to return, Penny doesn’t seem to spare a second thought for Everett.
I just get this sense at the end of the film that Everett’s reunion (and general relationship) with Penny can never be truly happy or as emotional as the one Odysseus has with the Penelope. While there are cons to Penelope’s character, her reunion with Odysseus fit the hero’s journey arc much better than Penny and Everett’s in that it’s clearly a happy ending. With Penny, things seem to always be up in the air.
There is a kind of symmetry in the way Waldrip is suddenly "out of a job," as Stokes's campaign goes down in flames, while Everett is both pardoned *and* promoted to Pappy O'Daniel's "brain trust." You're right that it's his sudden revelation that he's this big old-timey music star that first sways her, but also, he's become more "bona fide" as he almost literally displaced Waldrip from his job to become "the power behind the throne." Presumably, his prospects are now more attractive than they were previously.
ReplyDeleteGood post. I definitely felt like Penny was considerably more, I dunno what adjective I want to use, sketchy and/or superficial than Penelope from the Odyssey. Maybe it's just me but I got a bit of a gold digger vibe and found her quite intolerable to be honest. I can see where she's coming from, but there is a point where "strong-independent woman" crosses over to just plain recalcitrant. And a random note on their relationship, they say opposites attract right? Doesn't always turn out well though evidently.
ReplyDeleteI feel like after the movie ends Everett and Penny will always be in this continuous cycle of fighting and then a few seconds of no fighting. She's not happy with him for returning, but then upon finding out he's a "Soggy Bottom Boy," she likes him again. They have a few moments of non-fighting as they're walking out of the church hall which is disrupted when they get into an argument about the rings. They fall into and arguments so easily that it's hard to take them seriously as a couple.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was weird how Penny seemed so sensible as far as taking care of her kids initially (finding someone with $ to date when Everett left) and then making unreasonable demands of Everett once they'd agreed to get back together. It felt like she should know not to push him, given her betrayal in his eyes. Instead, she has no empathy at all to understand the situation from Everett's point of view, and she doesn't acknowledge that she hurt him (even if what she did was necessary she should apologize now that they're going to get married). It just felt like a disconnect in her logic. While being tough to impress, Penny isn't stupid, and it didn't feel right that she would demand unreasonable things.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw Penny in the film, she actually seemed to be extremely crafty (like Penelope), but with the advantage that the society didn't look down on her or push her back like Telemachus did to Penelope. But I agree that she seemed a lot less loyal than Penelope did in the Odyssey.
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