Thinking the great wizard of oz can grant her wish, she sets out to meet him with her beloved dog, toto, joined by a scarecrow, a tin woodman and a lion. The wizard of oz as a parable, by lillian firestone parabola. Dorothy and the wizards head from the book, the wonderful wizard of oz. A great series of book but most remembered as the 1939 film. Even while he was alive, baum was styled as the royal historian of oz to emphasize the. The real story of dorothy and the wizard of oz youtube. Tin woodman, toto, dorothy gale, cowardly lion, and scarecrow. Christian sermons have discussed the wizard of ozs biblical meanings, comparing dorothys song. The real story of dorothy and the wizard of oz business insider. The wonderful wizard of oz is too long to be a parable and not quite didactic enough to be an allegory. Dorothy gale, the lead character of the wonderful wizard of oz, is an 11yearold orphan girl who resides in. In his reading of the wizard of oz, littlefield believed that dorothy was a standin for the average american, and that the magic silver shoes represented the late 1890s free silver movement. The wizard of oz and political symbolism sophies tale.
In the book and the play the shoes are silver, not ruby as they were famously depicted in the 1939 film. Frank baum and originally published in 1900, may have been inspired by the reallife economic struggles during the gold standard. The wizard of oz film study guide contains a biography of richard thorpe, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Toto may be only a dog, but he sets the whole book in motion. Frank baums book was penned in 1900 following unrest in the agriculture arena read. The majority of characters listed here unless noted otherwise have appeared in multiple books. As in all great stories, the characters and the symbols of the wizard of oz can be given a second layer of interpretation, which may vary depending on the readers perception. Both the book and the film the wizard of oz feature iconic scenes of dorothy, toto, and the cowardly lion the only flesh and blood members of the gang, lulled to sleep by a field of poisonous poppies. Frank baums the wizard of oz, also has a deeper meaning. Jack haley 1898 1979 as the tin man, bert lahr 1895 1967 as the cowardly lion, judy garland 1922 1969 as dorothy, ray bolger 1904 1987 as. W hat makes the wizard of oz an iconic american tale that has entered into the language. As well as being a wonderful and exciting adventure for children, the novel shows that each of the travelers already possessed what. But many may be surprised to learn that the most popular childrens fantasy of alltime, l.
For brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world. That you can get what you want, that dreams can come true is the theme of the wonderful wizard of oz. Penguin group dorothy was a simple and optimistic girl living with her adoptive parents. A deadly flower might seem curious at first, but poppies, of course, are no ordinary bloom. While every form of art is open to interpretation, it should go without saying that an. According to author steve adams in his searching new study the wizard of oz as a parable, it is an allegorical tale of the souls journey along. Scarecrow or ritch prince, fiyero is the cutest wickednerd. Some of the major characters from baums first book the wonderful wizard of oz from left to right. Over the years, both book and movie have fueled a number of elaborate theories as to the storys deeper meanings.
It will certainly be no surprise to anyone to hear that famous classic books such as 1984, the jungle, or brave new world have a much more serious purpose than just pure entertainment. Mark twain there are numerous interpretations of the wizard of oz or is it oz as in ounce. Some expressions are so well known they need no further explanation, as for example youre not in kansas anymore. Back in the 40s, grown ups would watch the movie just to get their minds of the war. Frank baum wrote 14 wizard of oz books, including 1900s the wonderful wizard of oz, which mgm turned into a wonderful wizard of oz. Its hard to believe, but the wizard of oz, one of the most beloved movies of all time, celebrates its 71st birthday next month.
In said book, dorothy represents traditional american values. Hes extremely funny and filled with personality, hes half. This is a list of characters in the original oz books by american author l. In the wizard of oz, the yellow brick road and dorothys slippers, which were silver in the book, referenced the eras debates over the gold standard and use of silver coin.
Quotes from the story such as toto, i have a feeling were not in kansas anymore, lions, and tigers, and bears. The wonderful wizard of oz character analysis course hero. What is the symbolic meaning of the wizard of oz answers. Baum published the book in 1900, just after the us emerged from a period of deflation and depression. Frank baums childrens book, the wonderful wizard of oz. Frank baum wrote 14 wizard of oz books, but his biggest home run was 1900s the wonderful wizard of oz, which mgm turned into a wonderful wizard of oz movie. The oz books form a book series that begins with the wonderful wizard of oz 1900 and relate the fictional history of the land of oz. Yet the original oz book conceals an unsuspected depth. Judy garland as dorothy gale, in the 1939 film the wizard of oz. The wizard of oz follows the story of dorothy, a young farm girl from kansas. The wonderful wizard of oz 1939, like many fairy tales depicting a series of fantastic adventures, is really the story of an individuals inner journeya story of personality integration and coming of age. Still, the main characters dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin woodman, and the lion embody traditional american values.
What is the symbolism of each of the characters in the. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz include treatments of the modern fairy tale written by l. Toto is dorothys pet dog, and he appears in most of the same books as dorothy, beginning with the wonderful wizard of oz. And it is dorothys fearless independent character that compels her to question her. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz include treatments of the modern fairy. What is the function of the wizard of ozs poppy scene. The symbolic meaning of the wizard of oz depends upon the inclinations of the reader of the original 1900 book edition or the viewer of the beloved 1939 film version. Frank baum, ends in very much the same way that the movie starring judy garland ends. Learn all about how the characters in the wonderful wizard of oz such as dorothy and. The lead character, dorothy gale, symbolizes the average american. Its easier to fool people than convince them they have been fooled. It is filled with symbols and metaphors, all pointing to other things. Populism and the world of oz national museum of american. The book version of the wonderful wizard of oz, which was written by l.
In the book, the tin man, scarecrow and dorothy all saw the wizard quite differently. Although the wizard of oz is widely perceived as an innocent childrens fairy tale, it is almost impossible not to attribute symbolic meaning to dorothys quest. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz wikipedia. Oh, my, and theres no place like home, are ones that will always pop into our heads when someone. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz. Speculation of the parallels between the characters in the book and history of the united states began with a history teacher by the name of henry littlefield. Dorothy was a talkative child as she had a pet dog, toto, whose eye twinkled upon the world of dorothy. More than just a childrens story by lauren houlberg the wizard of oz is a classic, a legend, and a childrens story that will never grow old. In the wizard of oz, things arent always what they appear to be. If we walk far enough, says dorothy, we shall sometime come to someplace.
Carl jung and later joseph campbell described how certain symbols and motifs appear in mythology, fairy tales, stories, and religions throughout the world. The wonderful wizard of oz study guide contains a biography of l. This classic work of childrens fiction, which in the. The book, therefore, is supposedly an allegory of these historical events making the information easier to understand. Frank baum, who went on to write fourteen fulllength oz books. Specifically, the theme is epitomized in the characters of dorothy gale, the cowardly lion. Dorothy, fictional character, the youthful heroine of the wonderful wizard of oz 1900. What is the deeper meaning of the wonderful wizard of oz. Not unlike the way the characters in the wizard of oz correlate to important elements in the crusade.
Salman rushdie, a noted fan of the wizard of oz who wrote a pretty amazing bfi classics book on the film, believes that one of the things that makes oz so powerful is that it lays bare the. A modern fairy tale with a distinctly american setting, a delightfully levelheaded heroine, and engaging fantasy characters, the story was enormously popular and. The real meaning of these wizard of oz characters grunge. Dorothys downtoearth kansas upbringing serves her well in the fantastic land of oz, where she travels in the company of. Both versions tell the story of dorothy gale and her adorable dog toto getting stranded in a fantastical land by a tornado, and both include the iconic characters of the scarecrow, cowardly lion, tin man, glinda the good witch. A good witch, she dispenses wisdom to dorothy including advice about the ruby slippers, going to see the wizard of oz, even telling her to follow the yellow brick road.
Heres the real, forgotten meaning of the wizard of oz. Scholars have examined four quite different versions of oz. Notably, the wonderful wizard of oz offered a paean to strong women at a moment when suffragettes were agitating for the vote. Summary after being caught in a tornado,dorothy and. Top 10 characters from hit fantasy movie the wizard of oz.
This symbolizes the cynicism that exists in politics due to the fact that politicians tend to change face. Wizard of oz symbolism the wizard of oz is a nostalgic tale of dorothy, a young farm girl from kansas, who is swept away to a magical land by a tornado. Many people are not aware that the wonderful wizard of oz is suspected to have referenced several political issues of the late 1800s. Historical dictionary of the great depression, 1929 1940. Turns out the book and movie may be an economic fairy tale about america in the late 1800s. On a stormy and dark day she is swept away in a tornado and lands in a faraway land of the munchkins. Scholarly papers, booklength studies and biographies have all searched for its meanings. Hidden christian themes in the wizard of oz faith and. The wonderful wizard of oz, childrens book written by l. Even noted american author gore vidal was intrigued. The occult roots of the wizard of oz the vigilant citizen.
Frank baum and first published in 1900 as an allegory or metaphor for the political, economic, and social events of america in the 1890s. During her travels she encounters a number of characters, some good, some bad. The wizard of oz is now almost universally acknowledged to be the earliest truly feminist american childrens book, because of spunky and tenacious dorothy, wrote the american literary. The wizard of oz aired on national tv for the first time in november 1956, and beginning in 1959 was shown once a year until 1991. The wizard of oz film symbols, allegory and motifs. Historical dictionary of the great depression, 19291940. After a brief introduction, we will go over a summary of the plot and a list of the characters. All of the baum written books are in the public domain in the united states.