Meaning Behind the Wizard of Oz

1. Meaning Behind the Wizard of Oz Adult Populism or Children’s 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 rainbow“…her adventure is to find her "American dream"

6. Silver Slippers • Dorothy’s 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. Dorothy’s 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 bondage…making them slave for her night and day“ • The Munchkins are the little people, ordinary citizens on the losing side of an election

13. Dorothy’s 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 forest…before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land

15. Uncle Henry • “Uncle Henry never laughed…he 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