In the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou? ”, issues that pertain to racial supremacy such as the existence of the Klu Klux Klan are fleetingly exposed whereas the larger theme that revolve around racial issues lay hidden in the context of the adventures of the three main characters throughout the story. The recurring attempts of the characters in exploring a relatively unknown environment in pursuit of their desires in life pertain to the seemingly unending quest of the Americans in meeting their dreams amidst looming issues of racial differences and insecurities.The presence of the Klu Klux Klan (KKK) in the movie does not only signify the fact that racial issues have played a central role in the lives of Americans both black and white that still beset contemporary America though in a wider variety of means. I
...t also inaccurately displays the racial issue that is part of the whole American reality. Apart from the fact that the movie has been designed to portray the plot of the story in a humorous fashion, the humorous depiction of KKK apparently brings one to falsely realize that the racial context of KKK is far detached from its serious directives.While the movie showed folly scenes between the KKK and the three convicts, the reality is that the KKK is, in reality, a serious racial organization that oftentimes resorts to violent means in achieving their purposes.
Nevertheless, the scenes whereby the three main actors come across KKK primarily create the picture that whites may either go with the principles of the KKK or go against its central precepts. Part of the reason behind this observation is that those scenes
depict not only the mere existence of a racist organization but also the corresponding consequences of its existence to the society in general.In the history of the United States, KKK refers to the past and current fraternal organizations that have consistently maintained and advocated the concepts of racism such as the supremacy of the whites over the blacks, anti-Semitism, homophobia, nativism, and anti-Catholicism (John Whiteclay). The very means whereby these organizations have achieved their ends usually include violent acts as well as acts of intimidation in the form of cross burning in order to put greater oppression on the part of the African Americans and related groups, and terrorism (MacLean).While the movie shows scenes where the main characters thwart the KKK as well as the part of the movie in which Waldrip leads the boys to a Klan rally, the context of these scenes imitate to a certain degree the real life ploys that arise from time to time.
The Klan rally as it was shown in the movie corresponds to the actual rally of the organization among various points in the United States. This rally signifies not only the explicit precept of the organization in quelling the doctrines of the Catholic Church but also the individuals behind the continued existence of the church with an ever-expanding rate.This signification is crucial in looking at the connection between the course of the movie and the issues that revolve around claims to racism. In general, the issue of racism in the context of the society shares a fraction of the course of the movie’s plot (Perlmutter).
Far more importantly, the stretch of the course of the adventure
of the main characters signifies as well the continuing quest of the Americans, perhaps during the Great Depression as depicted in the movie, of the “American dream” as they learn through others and in themselves vital lessons along the way.Looking back at the story of the movie and the significance of the plot in connection to racial issues that beset modern America, one can find the strands of connections among the exploits of the three main characters. They journey together in an unfamiliar terrain within a familiar territory filled with both familiar and the not-so-familiar aspects of the American dream and racial concerns, part of which is the inaccurate depiction of the KKK. In general, the movie itself accords the attentive mind with an affirmation of the observation that racial issues do exist and have been existing throughout American history.
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