The classic fantasy The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a story written by L. Frank Baum, who suffered from a heart condition. Since he was unable to do many things as a teen he resulted in writing, allowing him to escape the real world and live through his fantasies. Starting in Kansas and moving into the Land of Oz it is the reoccurring patterns of symbolic and situational archetypes that bring the story to life. Although originally written as a piece of children's literature, it is a story that people of all ages love. “If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities” says Maya Angelou a poet, author and playwright. Literature has the ability to take readers to another place better than the real world. Expressive …show more content…
use of vivid colours throughout the Land of Oz, unfortunate situations that lead to newfound friendships and Dorothy's purposeful journey allows readers to visualize how life would be living in a childhood fantasy. Firstly, the symbolism of colour plays a big role in expressing various emotions throughout the story. In the beginning, Dorothy sees “nothing but the great grey prairie on every side” (Baum 3); surround by grey Dorothy feels drained and unhappy. Kandinsky a Russian painter and art theorist sates “it is soundless and motionless… grey expresses a hopeless stillness” the greyness of her home life emphasizes how boring the real world can seem at times. In contrast, the Land of Oz is filled with bright vivid colours and “beautiful sights” (Baum 7) representing a dream world full of adventure and excitement. As Dorothy arrives in Oz she is blown away by the blue sky and immediately knows she is not in Kansas anymore. In addition the yellow brick road is mentioned throughout the story it is the path Dorothy must follow to reach Oz in order to get back home. Yellow is symbolic of happiness. Dorothy is constantly happy while on the yellow brick road but as she veers off the path dark obstacles come her way. Dorothy encounters the witch clothed in black. In the story black is symbolic of evil and darkness greatly contrasting all the bright exciting colours of Oz. Also, Frank Baum colour codes each country in Oz in order to differentiate one from the other. Blue represents the munchkins the kind people that praise Dorothy for killing the wicked witch as she arrives. Blue is a colour associated with positivity explaining the munchkin’s cheery personality. The Winkies were associated with yellow representing their enlightenment and escape when Dorothy saves them from the wicked witch of the west. Likewise, green represents hope. This is the colour of the emerald city which is shining bright for all to see. Dorothy sees the emerald city as her hope in getting back to Kansas. Therefore, colour is very symbolic to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz each colour represents something different and it makes the story more exciting. Readers of all ages can visualize the assortment of vivid colours allowing readers see their individual version of the Land of Oz. Subsequently, Dorothy faces a few unfortunate situations that ultimately lead to new found friendships.
In time, Dorothy’s dull life in Kansas gets interrupted as a cyclone hits her home. This unexpected whirlpool of wind caused Aunt Em to seek shelter but Dorothy gets thrown off course as Toto runs off and they end up stuck in the house. As stated by H. Blavatsky another author “least possible evil motive” representing that the cyclone although initially bad was not added in for evil intentions but to add some adventure. Dorothy describes the cyclone to be “…very dark, and the wind howled horribly … being rocked gently, like a baby in a cradle” (Baum, 5) representing it had been initially scary but then calmed down. Baum shows that although nature can be destructive it can have a bright side. As a result, Dorothy ends up in the colourful, magical Land of Oz, a place she always dreamed of. Readers can relate as often bad things happen in life but ultimately better things could arise from it. Dorothy meets new friends she would have never met if it was not for the cyclone such as the munchkins, good witch, scarecrow, tin woodman and the lion. In addition, the red poppy field gets in the way of Dorothy and her friends path just as they’re about to reach the emerald city. The poppies are described as “great clusters of scarlet poppies, which were so brilliant in colour they almost dazzled Dorothy’s eyes” (Baum 50) representing the hypnosis effect they had on Dorothy. …show more content…
Poppies can be symbolic of real life distractions and temptation and without the help of her friends she would have never reached her goal. With the help of the field mice who later became new friends to Dorothy, Dorothy and her friends were able to reach the yellow brick road again and continue on their adventure. Overall, Baum uses nature to emphasize that although nature can be a bad thing and is something no one is able to control it does not always have to lead to a disastrous ending. Lastly, Dorothy’s journey throughout the novel teaches her many lessons, and her experiences are ones that everyone can connect to.
At the start of her journey Dorothy meets the scarecrow and helps him down allowing him to “feel like a new man” (Baum 20). She meets the tin woodman to whom she provided “great comfort” (Baum 29) when she put oil on his joints. In contrast meeting the lion did not go as smoothly when she meets the lion, Dorothy is afraid but as soon as the lion runs after Toto Dorothy immediately sticks up for her small dog. Dorothy exclaims “don’t you dare to bit Toto! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, a big beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!” (Baum 35) showing the change in Dorothy from a small scared girl into brave girl who knows she must protect what she loves. They all have the goal to reach Oz to ask the Wizard for a brain, a heart, courage and a way to get back home. Dorothy made friends that she will never forget about even as she goes back to Kansas. Throughout the journey it is evident that her three friends already have the traits they desire but do not realise it. Since Dorothy is an orphan and lives with her aunt and uncle with no other children around to play with accept her dog Toto. She is grateful for the new friends she acquired because without them she would not have been able to find her way home. Similarly Dorothy shows her bravery when the Wicked Witch takes away her shoe Dorothy refuses to let her take something that is hers
away. Dorothy’s actions are described as “made Dorothy so very angry that she picked up the bucket of water that stood near and dashed it over the Witch” (Baum 90) showing that her bravery was able to free everyone from the Witches clutches. After Dorothy melts the witch upon Oz’s request, Dorothy and her friends continue on their journey back to emerald city to get their wishes granted from Oz. When they arrive they find out that Oz is not a wizard but just a humbug. Oz knows the scarecrow, tin woodman and lion already have the qualities they desire but gives them a physical reminder so they feel more real. Dorothy did not get her wish to go back home as Oz does not have any magical powers, instead he sends to the land of the good witch. When Dorothy realises that all she has to do is say “take me home to aunt Em” (Baum 150) she immediately says goodbye and the silver shoes take her home. Throughout her journey Dorothy realises her true desire is to go back home only because her aunt and uncle are there and she truly loves them more than Oz even though Oz is her dream world. As she returns home she could not be more relived as she states “Aunt Em! I’m so glad to be home again!”(Baum 151) showing how happy she is to be home. Overall the journey of Dorothy was one of growth. She was a little girl but grew into a wiser child who was able to overcome her fear and gain bravery as well as make new friends. As Thomas Fox Averill a writer, novelist, and academic from Topeka, Kansas states Dorothy’s journey is “…about finding home … to be some place that you can call home.” Although she is able to escape from her grey world in the end she knows that there is “no place like home”, a saying that many are able to agree with. All in all, the well-loved fantasy The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a novel that allows readers to escape the real world and go on an adventure. The novel includes many obstacles and situations that readers can relate to in their own lives. Looking at the novel through an archetypal critical theory allows one to see how the patterns of symbolic and situational archetypes help tell the story in a new perspective. Baum’s expressive use of vivid colours, unfortunate situations that lead to newfound friendships and Dorothy's purposeful journey allows readers to visualize how life would be living in a childhood fantasy. This fantasy tale is truly one of a kind as stated in The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature “previously established patterns of realism and presentation of everyday folk were evident: yet the author stretched the readers’ minds with his “other world” fantasy of Oz”. Baum created a story similar to real life in the beginning but through his creative writing brought the story to life in a totally new way.
The narrative begins with Dorothy, who lives on a farm in a black and white setting presuming the absence of vitality and the insufficiency of a place that was in poverty at the time. However, when Dorothy is picked up by a twister and wakes up in the Land of Oz, she finds herself in a completely opposite environment full of life, beauty, and color filled with new found opportunities. On her quest to Emerald City, Dorothy is presented with a few characters who are The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, and The Scarecrow who all feel like they need something more to complete them and they all seek out the “all powerful” wizard to obtain the things they want. The items they yearn for were a brain, a heart, and courage. Three things that we learn to utilize with experiences we go through. The characters eventually realize that they have always had what they have been longing for after the many obstacles they came through on their journey. In the end, Dorothy says, “If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't
Every story has characters with different roles, and each of them are important to make the story complete. Three characters, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Smaug represent three archetypal roles in this story. Their guide Gandalf, represents the mentor, Bilbo represents the hero, and Smaug represents the shadow. Smaug symbolizes fear to the characters, and the dragon represents one of the characters that are most often causing the most terror and trouble to the other characters in the story. The hobbit symbolizes the hero of the story, because he sacrifices himself throughout the book. Mr. Bilbo Baggins learns more and more each day, and he tries to always do the right thing. Gandalf symbolizes the guidance and help as a mentor, and he provides training and motivation to the characters. These three important characters greatly explain the
After the witch’s threats, the Scarecrow and Tin Man vow to stay with Dorothy. This is when Dorothy feels a familiarity with the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. They are not afraid of the wicket witch. They continue to walk, with the sound of the forest in the back ground, but Dorothy is afraid of meeting wild animals in the forest. Suddenly a lion appears, noisy and acting ferocious; he wants to fight them all. Initially, they are afraid, but Dorothy hits the lion and chastises him; the lion begins to cry and thinks his nose is bleeding. Dorothy calls him a big coward, he agrees and says he even scare himself. They suggest the Wizard of Oz could give the lion courage. He calls himself a dandelion. They head to the wizard to get a heart, a home, a brain, and coverage. The wicked witch of the west is behind the scene making a poison and puts it in the beautiful land scape of miles and mile of flowers. This is an area Dorothy must cross to get to the emerald city. Dorothy and company can now see The Emerald City in the distance. They began to walk across the colorful flowers towards the Emerald City and they can again see the yellow brick road. Dorothy suddenly becomes dizzy and sleepy, her and mentors and allies offers to pull her alone, but Dorothy and Toto and the lion falls asleep. The Tin Man and Scarecrow wants to carry Dorothy when realizing that
The first major connection in The Wizard of Oz was the Scarecrow. The scarecrow was used to symbolize the farmers and their struggles in America in the 18th century (Foner, Eric 636-640). The scarecrow made of straw was vulnerable with no brain. The scarecrow had little control over the circumstances he was facing just as the farmers did in the 18th century. The western farmers had issues with overproduction and when prices fell farmers suffered ended up losing their farms (Foner, Eric
To conclude, The Wizard of Oz is a lively story. L. Frank Baum was a success in bringing this story to life through the use of color. The many descriptions of the gray Kansas, yellow brick road, and Emerald City aid the readers to imagine the tale through a very unique way. Color overall is a huge contribute to the way readers feel and think. Color plays the role of imagination and creativity in this piece of
In conclusion, the protagonist of The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Gale, is initially unsatisfied with her life on her Aunt and Uncle’s farm and dreams of a foreign land over the rainbow, where there are no worries or disasters. Although as the story progresses, Victor Fleming incorporates a wide range of
In relation to occult symbolism, the above quotes have illustrated these features. Toto, the inner voice, led Dorothy along her trek . Glinda, the guide, gave Dorothy the resources to lead her in the direction to what she ultimately desires, a way to return to Kansas. Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion searched for a want or need, while supporting Dorothy. In whole, each of these characters displayed good behavior in assisting the young girl in her exploration to illumination and enlightenment. “Like Dorothy’s journey, ours lead to a better self-understanding and, hopefully, to wisdom. But what does “wisdom” mean? I suspect it consists precisely in having discovered the brightness, the enchantment inside everything we have encountered all our lives.”
Along the Yellow Brick Road, she meets the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. Each is searching for something to complete their quest for illumination, a brain; a heart; and courage, respectively. In occult symbolism, Mystery Schools teach students that one must rely on oneself to obtain salvation. Given this, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and even Dorothy, must rely on themselves to find what they desire. At the end of the movie, Dorothy defeats the Wicked Witch of the West, attaining illumination. Waking from her deep sleep at home, she has successfully combined her physical and spiritual life. Dorothy is now comfortable with herself again, as this quote
The Wizard of Oz the movie demonstrated all three stages Joseph Campbell's theory of the hero’s journey. The first stage or known as the departure of the hero. The hero in the movie is Dorothy. Dorothy’s call to depart is to run away from home to protect her dog Toto from being taken away from her inferior neighbor. While running away Dorothy comes upon Professor Marvel, a fortuneteller. Professor Marvel tells her that her Aunt Em is in danger and needs her assistance back on the farm. When returning to the house a twister hits the ground. As the winds started to get heavier the hero’s house moved across the air uncontrollably, but then she leaves home and enters a new world of talking animals and colorful objects. In the new world of the Oz
One of the great movies of all times “THE WIZZARD OF OZ” Dorothy is on a mission to find the Great Oz, who has powers that will help Dorothy and her friends in their time of need. Dorothy’s friends were a cast of strange characters who lacked a key thing necessary to their own lives. Scarecrow desired a Brain, Tin Man needed a heart and the Lion had no courage. They all went through scary dilemmas to find the wizard, only to realize he was a fraud.
...lf-confidence. The Scarecrow was the one who believed that he had no brain even with him coming up with brilliant and clever solutions to the many problems that they faced on their journey. The tin man believed that he didn’t have a heart, but cries when bad things are brought upon the creatures they come to encounter. The lion believed that he had no courage even though he was the one brave enough to continue the journey, he always stated how brave he was and pushed forward even when the others did not want to. A famous quote from Carl L. Bankston III of Salem Press stated that "These three characters embody the classical human virtues of intelligence, caring, and courage, but their self-doubts keep them from being reduced to mere symbols of these qualities” (). This is an important quote because it highlights the self-confidence that Baum explored in his story.
Scene: This scene in the film comes just after the house has been picked up in the twister. Dorothy's house has been lifted up into the sky and suddenly dropped back down to earth in the middle of the Land of Oz. In the scene itself, Dorothy leaves her home to see that she is "Not in Kansas anymore," and finds the new and amazing world of the munchkin city in front of her. She also meets Gwendela the good witch as her journey in Oz begins.
The role gender holds in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not one many were familiar with at the time it was written. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz reverses the accepted gender roles of its time, women taking control, even helping men in times of need. This idea is depicted throughout the entire novel, affecting almost every character introduced. This novel essentially questions and challenges the accepted beliefs on the roles of gender in the society at that time, showing how things would be if roles were different. With this, through a description of the characters, you can see who was empowered by Baum and who held an inferior role.
Adventure. Adventure is the word that sums this book up pretty well. In this book Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin man, cowardly lion and Todo go on an adventure to see the Wizard of Oz. On their little adventure they come across Winged Monkeys, bees, wolves and ravens and fight all of them off. When they finally get to see Oz he doesn’t grant them their wish until he figures out that they all defeated the Wicked Witch of the West.
The story starts off when a cyclone that hits the one bedroom farmhouse where Dorothy lives with Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. Dorothy and her dog Toto was carried away with the house by the cyclone. Then, the cyclone drops the house in the Land of Oz on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. The Munchkins give the Witch's Silver Shoes to Dorothy. The Good Witch of the North suggests that the Wizard of Oz may be of help to find her way back home. With the Good Witch's advice, Dorothy wears the Silver Shoes and start along the Yellow Brick Road that will take her to the Wizard in the Emerald City. On the way, she meets the Scarecrow perched on a pole and pulls him off. He tells her that he has no brains, but does not wish to be considered a fool. She persuades him to accompany her to the Emerald City, to see if the Wizard can give him a brain. The Yellow Brick Road takes Dorothy, Toto, and the Scarecrow into a large and dense forest. On the way, Dorothy finds out how the Scarecrow was made and how unsuccessful he was in scaring crows away from the cornfield. While walking, the travelers come across a Tin Woodman who has rusted and become immovable as a result of being caught in a rain storm. Dorothy finds an oil can to oil the Woodman's joints. She also finds that the Woodman had been human to...