Meaning Behind the Wizard of Oz

1
Meaning Behind the Wizard of Oz

• Adult Populism or Childrens Fantasy

2
William Jennings Bryan

• During that campaign Bryan gave the speech that
  concluded "You shall not crucify mankind upon a
  cross of gold
• Thus, William Jennings Bryan became the basis for
  the Cowardly Lion character, who had a loud roar
  but little bite

3
The Working Class

• Unemployment caused havoc, desperation and union
  militancy among the urban working class
• Lacking another trade, he "worked harder than
  ever
• The worker becomes like a machine, incapable of
  love

4
The Populists

• The Populists wanted government ownership and
  operation of the railroads, a graduated income
  tax, and silver coinage
• Kansas was a leading Populist state
• Alliance between farmers and workers was no more
  powerful than a Scarecrow

5
Dorothy Gale

• Dorothy was an orphan who had been taken in by
  Uncle Henry
• She is good, not precious, and she thinks quite
  naturally about others
• Dorothy wishes for a better life "somewhere over
  the rainbowher adventure is to find her
  "American dream"

6
Silver Slippers

• Dorothys silver shoes were changed to ruby in
  the 1939 movie
• The original meaning was the gold standard versus
  the silver standard
• She was innocent enough to see the truth before
  the others

7
Witches of Oz

• The Wicked Witch of the East symbolizes the large
  industrial corporations and eastern finance
• Despite these forces, the mark of goodness,
  placed on Dorothy's forehead by the Witch of the
  North, serves as protection for Dorothy

8
Yellow Brick Road

• The alliance between the farmers (The Scarecrow)
  and the urban workers (the Tin-man) was a fantasy
• Along with Bryan (the Cowardly), Dorothy had been
  taken down the yellow brick road (the gold
  standard) that leads nowhere

9
Emerald City

• Our characters journeyed to the Emerald City (the
  Capitol) seeking favors from the government
• Those who enter the Emerald City must wear green
  glasses
• The Emerald City is a clear symbol for the White
  House

10
Wizard of Oz

• Like all good politicians, the Wizard can be all
  things to all people
• "They believe I am something terrible
• The powers-that-be can only remain at the throne
  through deception and allowing the powerful to
  manipulate them

11
Dorothys Cyclone

• Dorothy is whisked away by a cyclone which in the
  Greek translation represents a coil or snake or
  serpent. So, it is the serpent who takes Dorothy
  to Oz
• A fearsome cyclone that lifts Dorothy into "a
  country of marvelous beauty

12
Munchkins of Oz

• The Wicked Witch of the East kept the little
  Munchkin people "in bondagemaking them slave for
  her night and day
• The Munchkins are the little people, ordinary
  citizens on the losing side of an election

13
Dorothys Dog Toto

• Toto was a little black dog, with long silky
  hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily
  on either side of his funny nose
• In the first book, Toto never spoke, although
  other animals, native to Oz, did speak

14
Flying Monkeys

• Native Americans of the plains are symbolized in
  the Oz stories as the Winged Monkeys
• "Once we were a free people, living happily in
  the great forestbefore Oz came out of the clouds
  to rule over this land

15
Uncle Henry

• Uncle Henry never laughedhe was gray from his
  long beard to his boots, he looked stern and
  solemn, and rarely spoke
• Henry mortgaged his farm in order to rebuild
• This crisis took a toll on his health

16
Passenger Hot Air Balloon

• In the television program Lost, the character
  Benjamin Linus initially tells survivors his name
  is Henry Gale
• Passenger balloons are filled with hot air,
  symbolizing how dreams vanish

17
L. Frank Baum

• Baum was born near Syracuse, N.Y., in 1856 to a
  wealthy family and enjoyed success writing plays
• In 1887, he moved to Chicago, where he continued
  to write and where he authored The Wonderful
  Wizard of Oz in 1900