Odyssey vs. Rustling Rhapsody Comparison of the Role of Women "A woman is very unpredictable. She is romantic, sensitive and caring; however, underneath she is convoluted, deceptive and dangerous." -Erin Perrizn (1963 -) One would automatically assume that the female character in a heroic story takes the preconceived role of an object at the disposal of the male protagonist. The female character in a heroic story holds the stereotype that she is obtuse, and will repeatedly flock to the most handsome man. "Rustler's Rhapsody" is a sardonic parody of the western film stereotypes: the women play very small roles other than Rex O'Herolan's personal cheerleaders. However, in the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer gave souls and personalities to his female characters. Women are not in the story just to please Odysseus; they are important and independent characters that help him on his heroic journey. The women in The Odyssey are essential in Homer's poem: they not only act as a voice of reason and care, but are the deceptive and deceiving characters that add an intangible mystery.
Odysseus and Nausicaä by Charles Gleyre (19th cen...
Ulysses at the court of Alcinous
Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus. Oldham Art Gal...In "Rustler's Rhapsody", Miss Tracy and the C.B.'s daughter are the only female characters. They both portray the stereotype of incipit debutantes who are instantly attracted to the handsome hero. The C.B.'s daughter is an inept character who gets dragged across the desert by her horse "Wildfire", only to be saved by Rex O' Herolan. In that particular scene, she attempts to seduce Rex by flirting and engaging in small talk about a blanket. Miss Tracy, the town prostitute, is even more direct than the C.B.'s daughter. She comes in her underwear trying to persuade Rex to sleep with her. Although this may seem like some characters in The Odyssey, Miss Tracy has no other role in the plot...