“Antigone” by Sophocles and “The Long Walk Home”

In Sophocles’ inferential play, Antigone, the characters, and story line very much compare with the movie, “The Long Walk Home.” In the story, Antigone, a young girl named Antigone is stuck in the middle of a crisis in which she must make an important decision whereas in the movie “The long walk home” Odessa, a black maid, must fight off racism and raise the family of her own as well as her employers.

Both the play Antigone and the movie, “The long walk home” have many things in common. For example both of these tales have to do with moral and civil laws. In the play, Antigone, Antigone is finding it hard to distinguish between to follow her moral law or the civil law. Antigone doesn’t want to break the law but yet she wants to bury her brother Polynices and give him a proper burial. In the end however, she decides to follow through with what she believes is right, which is burying her brother Polynices. On the other hand, in the movie “The Long Walk Home,” Odessa is facing racism everywhere she steps. She wants blacks and whites to be treated as equals, not subordinate to whites. Odessa, is a nice yet hardworking individual who sacrificed her health for the well being to serve her employers without question or complaint. In these two tales both Odessa and Antigone represent moral rights.

Another way in, which these two tales compare, is when the characters change. In the play, Antigone, the sister of Antigone, Ismene, is against the decision of her sister to break the civil law. She thinks whatever Antigone is doing for the family is worthless and it would be better off if she followed the law. But in the end however, after she sees what Antigone is going through she changes and sides up with Antigone. The same thing happens in the movie, “The Long Walk Home,” Odessa’s employer Miriam is against the protests of the blacks and feels as if what they were doing is wrong just like her husband Norman thought. But after she sees and views what Odessa has to go through she joins the boycott but that brings out the racist feeling of Miriam’s husband, Norman, and his goonish brother Tucker who both join the White Citizens Council. As we can see the play “Antigone” and the movie “The long walk home” both have many similarities but yet have many differences yet to come.

Although these two tales may have many similarities they also have quite a few differences as well. The play, Antigone, takes place in Ancient Greece whereas the movie, “The long walk home,” takes place in Alabama in the 1960’s. Another difference that these two tales have is that the play consists of only one main person whereas the movie involves two clashing communities. The main person in the play is Antigone and the two communities in the movie are the blacks and whites. Another difference in these two tales is that Antigone’s end is tragic and Odessa’s is hopeful. Antigone’s end is tragic because her Uncle Creon puts her to death because she disobeyed the law. Odessa’s end is hopeful because the long lasting effects of racism are slowly fading away and the equality of blacks is slowly emerging as well.

As one can see, these two tales have very much a lot to relate to but yet also have many differences. Something one can learn from this is that the civil law may not always be the right one. One must follow his/her moral law and stick with it, if you believe in it. All in all I enjoyed both the play and the movie because they were both very interesting and a great educational and learning experience as well.