O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The film is set in the segregated 1930s South and clearly depicts the systemic racism of the era through the presence of the Ku Klux Klan and a corrupt political system. White male characters who hold political power are depicted as incompetent, evil, or easily swayed by mob mentality. The Black character, Tommy Johnson, is portrayed as intelligent and talented, a figure of respect, while the main white protagonists are depicted as bumbling fools who owe their success (The Soggy Bottom Boys) to their accidental collaboration with him. The narrative does not explicitly lecture on intersectional hierarchy, but it consistently vilifies the privileged white power structures of the setting while elevating the marginalized. However, the three main protagonists are judged on their foolish merits rather than their race, tempering the overall score.

The culture of the American South is satirized and presented as being filled with buffoonish politicians, violence, and hypocrisy. Institutions like the police and the government are shown as corrupt or actively malevolent. Despite the heavy critique of the corrupt elements of Southern society, the film simultaneously celebrates the folk culture, music, and shared heritage of the region, emphasizing its richness and vitality as a source of transcendence and connection for all characters, regardless of race or class. The critique is of the system's failings, not a universal condemnation of the home culture itself.

Women in the film exist primarily as sirens, obstacles, or prizes for the male protagonists. Ulysses Everett McGill’s estranged wife, Penny, is the 'Penelope' figure who has taken his children and is moving on with a more 'stable' man, explicitly citing Everett's character flaws. She is a woman who unilaterally decides the fate of the family and refuses to return until he can produce an appropriate 'wedding ring,' treating his return as a transaction. This portrays a female figure who is a gatekeeper to family life due to the incompetence of the male lead, resulting in a score higher than average due to the emasculation of the male quest and the depiction of the male family head as a failure who must beg for his place.

The movie is set in the 1930s and contains no visible elements of sexual or gender ideology. The narrative is exclusively focused on the escapades of three male figures and their interactions with a traditional world. There is no deconstruction of the nuclear family outside of the main protagonist's marriage troubles, and no centering of alternative sexualities. The structure remains strictly normative for its historical setting.

The film offers a mixed view of religion. On one hand, it features the most corrupt and violent figures, such as Big Dan Teague, as a Bible salesman, and political figures who exploit religious sentiment for political gain. This clearly satirizes and vilifies a 'cosmetic Christianity.' On the other hand, it portrays the genuine, spontaneous river baptism scene as a moment of sincere spiritual purification and acceptance for two of the protagonists. A mysterious Blind Prophet gives genuine, accurate spiritual guidance. The skeptic protagonist, Everett, is ultimately shown to be wrong about the universe operating purely on reason, indicating a reality governed by spiritual or transcendental forces, which keeps the score from reaching the '10' for absolute hostility.