Frank baum was editor of the aberdeen saturday pioneer. The symbolism hidden within the wizard of oz jabajabba. In this short video james traverse shows how the main characters symbolize the four yogas of gnana, raja, bhakti and karma. 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. What is the meaning of the scarecrow in the wizard of oz. Political symbolism in the wonderful wizard of oz many people are not aware that the wonderful wizard of oz is suspected to have referenced several political issues of the late 1800s. A young illuminatis initiation ceremony consists of his natural parents. As the foregoing reconstruction shows, the evidence from the text is overwhelming, and, in light of baums political background, trickster personality, and subsequent work, it is all but conclusive. In the book, the tin man, scarecrow and dorothy all saw the wizard quite differently. We have all seen the film as a child and enjoy it equally as adults. Dorothys journey in the land of oz symbolized mans journey through the afterlife to rebirth. Dorothy gale, the lead character of the wonderful wizard. The wonderful wizard of oz is too long to be a parable and not quite didactic enough to be an allegory.
Prices had fallen by about 22% over the previous 16 years, causing huge debt. During her travels she encounters a number of characters, some good, some bad. In the story of the wizard of oz, dorothy, the tin man, the scarecrow and the lion defeat the wicked witch and return to the emerald city. The occult roots of the wizard of oz vigilant citizen. In the classic mgm film adaptation, the wizard of oz, the trees are portrayed to be apple trees who hate people picking off the attractive and ripe apples that grow and dangle on their branches. And the wizard of oz contained coded symbolism that supported populism. Scarecrow also managed to trick them into pelting him with apples in order to get food.
The secret political symbolism you never knew was hidden within. Frank baum and first published in 1900 as an allegory or metaphor for the political, economic, and social events of america in the 1890s. The wizard of oz is the story of dorothy, a young farm girl from kansas. But some scholars have found hidden criticisms of late. The whole problem in the movie is that dorothy followed it looking for the wizard of oz, instead of for oz. This popular and welldocumented reading sees the wizard of oz as. Upon crash landing in oz, dorothy was greeted by a party of jolly munchkins and glinda, the good witch of the north. The bad wizard of oz is a childrens novel written by l. This symbolizes the cynicism that exists in politics due to the fact that politicians tend to change face with different people. Follow the yellow brick road to find glittering rewards in wizard of oz.
The wonderful wizard of oz character analysis course hero. Littlefields interpretationthe wizard of oz turn me on, dead man. The tin man, scarecrow, and cowardly lion all seek to overcome. The cyclone that brought dorothy to the land of oz had a literal and symbolic meaning from his religion.
In 1890, baum wrote a series of articles regarding theosophy, including his views on the use of mystic symbolism in fiction, something he put into practice ten years later with the wizard of oz. Does the wonderful wizard of oz have a hidden message. The wizard of oz essays are academic essays for citation. The tinman, scarecrow and cowardly lion represent blavatskys mental, emotional, and physical bodies. I want songs, which have since become a staple of the genre. Wizard of oz symbolism gilded age politics flashcards. And it turns out that the wizard of oz is full of hidden political symbolism, which sometimes seems barely hidden at all. 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. The wizard of oz symbolism goes incredibly deep, from the main characters to the cyclone, those famous slippers, and even toto. It is a film we watch repeatedly to experience the wonders of our imaginations. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz include treatments of the modern fairy tale written by l. The cowardly lion can award you with great multipliers while scarecrow offers instant cash.
Ray bolger as the scarecrow, the wizard of oz 1939 the scarecrow represents those farmers. Released in 1939 and starring judy garland, the wizard of oz tells the story of dorothy and her trusty canine companion toto who, along with their house, were whisked away by a passing cyclone to the magical land of oz. The wonderful wizard of oz is a deliberate work of political symbolism. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Symbolism in the wonderful wizard of oz 842 words bartleby. 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. The founder of theosophy, helena blavatsky, told a reallife tale very similar to the whirlwind that brought dorothy to oz. The wizard of oz is a classic musical, beloved by children and their parents for generations. The wizard of oz starts and ends with the musical, and as you may have suspected, actually served as the inspiration for countless musicals to come. Help us conserve scarecrow s costume from the 1939 movie so that it can join the ruby slippers on display and help. As a theosophist, baum believed in a literal afterlife. I might use public domain images of each, or i might.
In buddhism and an important part of theosophical teachings the same concept is referred to as the golden path. Because baum was influenced by this time period, it is. Baum and denslow, like most writers, used the materials at hand that they knew best. The film is perennially popular because it explores many of the issues and fears that children ages 5 12 must confront as they mature. Frank baum claims that the book is simply an innocent childrens story. The symbolism hidden within the wizard of oz many people believe that the wizard of oz was and is an allegory for the radically new state of affairs that existed in america in the 1930s, following the stock market crash and the bankruptcy of the united states government which occurred immediately thereafter. The atheist approach to the wonderful wizard of oz. Frank baum uses his story the wonderful wizard of oz as a metaphor to compare william jennings bryan to the cowardly lion through his use of symbolism and the the striking parallel of events throughout his story to those in the populist era. According to wikipedia, this photo of the wizard of oz famous scarecrow is in the public domain.
Baum published the book in 1900, just after the us emerged from a period of deflation and depression. The wonderful wizard of oz is a childrens book written by l. Ray bolger as the scarecrow, the wizard of oz 1939. 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 wizard of oz the wizard of oz is a classic american film interpreted from l. Scholars have examined four quite different versions of oz. Exploring opium through the wizard of oz national museum of american history. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz wikipedia. The scarecrow represents the first stage of awakening a choice between illusion or wrong minded thinking and accepting reality or the right mind. Frank baum put hidden symbols in his book the wonderful wizard of oz. What is the deeper meaning of the wonderful wizard of oz. The wizard of oz is a classic, a legend, and a childrens story that. Learn wizard of oz symbolism with free interactive flashcards.
Still, the main characters dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin woodman, and the lion embody traditional american values. Theosophists wrote about a golden path that led through the blue sky to heaven. Choose from 500 different sets of wizard of oz symbolism flashcards on quizlet. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz include treatments of the modern fairy. 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. Personal symbolism the scarecrow is a goodnatured, but gullible chap thats always getting the stuffing knocked out of him. The symbolism of the wicked witch the wizard of oz turn me on, dead man. The wizard of oz and political symbolism in the wizard of oz, things arent always what they appear to be its fairly easy to see the parallels between the firebreathing huckster known as the great and powerful oz and the 45th president of the united states.
Populism and the world of oz national museum of american. Practically everyone has either seen or heard the wizard of oz and. 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 the power of the poppy. In addition, the film can be used in language arts classes. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the wizard of oz film by richard thorpe. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the wizard of oz by victor fleming. Start studying wizard of oz symbolism gilded age politics. In the late 1800s william jennings bryan, a politician. The entire story of the wizard of oz is an allegorical tale of the souls path to illumination the yellow brick road.
The objective of her travels is to wizard the wizard of oz in emerald city so that she can go home. The yellow brick road represents our spiritual path. The symbolism hidden within the wizard of oz many people believe that the wizard of oz was and is an allegory for the radically new state of affairs that existed in america in the 1930s, following the stock market crash and the bankruptcy of the united states. After helping the scarecrow down off the post she invites him along on her journey to oz so he can get a brain, or in other words find his mind. The scarecrow thinks he doesnt have a brain, which parallels the view that easterners in the country had of the farmers of the midwest region, as being generally irrational, uneducated, and ignorant. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz. 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 as satire a closer look to some extent, allegory and metaphor are always in the eye of the beholder, and unless an author has explicitly explained just exactly what he or she was trying to say in a particular work and baum never revealed his true intentions with respect to the wizard of oz to anyone there will. Travel alongside your famous companions as they guide you toward big prizes. The real meaning of these wizard of oz characters grunge.
Scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion together, make up the american. The wizard represents those humans who sip the nectar of their own illusion and become drunk with greed, power, and control. Although the wizard of oz might be most famous today for the 1939 movie, starring judy garland, the book was originally written in the 1890s by author l. Frank baum wrote 14 wizard of oz books, including 1900s the wonderful. Judy garland as dorothy gale, in the 1939 film the wizard of oz. The occult symbolism of the wizard of oz a positive.
Dorothy, the kansas innocent, represents the nobility of middle and midwestern america. The scarecrow, like other characters and elements in the wonderful wizard of oz, was a common theme found in editorial cartoons of the previous decade. Over the decades, the wizard of oz has been seen by many christians and used often in sermons see here for one example as an allegory of faith. Suppose i used the scarecrow as a symbol of farmers in a book, with the tin man serving as a symbol of workers.
Wonderful wizard of oz at face value, then searching for symbolism is just like. In addition the tin man represent an experienced illuminati member. In his introduction to the wonderful wizard of oz, l. The wizard of oz symbols, allegory and motifs gradesaver. The political and economic symbols hidden inside the. Learn all about how the characters in the wonderful wizard of oz such as dorothy and scarecrow contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. The great wizard has promised to grant their wishes if. The secret political symbolism you never knew was hidden. Baum and first published in 1900 as an allegory or metaphor for the political, economic, and. The wizard of oz film essays are academic essays for citation. The wizard of oz film symbols, allegory and motifs. On a stormy day she was swept away, farmhouse and all, in a tornado from her beloved home, family and friends, and she was setdown in the faraway land of the munchkins. The lead character, dorothy gale, symbolizes the average american. The wizard of oz and political symbolism sophies tale.
What is the symbolic meaning of the wizard of oz answers. Baums scarecrow is a response to the prejudicial notion that farmers were not smart enough to recognize their own interests. Asked in wizard of oz in the wizard of oz is the scarecrow also hickory. 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. Thanks to you, our kickstarter campaign to keep them ruby was a success and we have the support we need to conserve and display dorothys ruby slippers from the wizard of oz. The political and economic symbols hidden inside the wizard of oz. But our journey on the yellow brick road isnt over yet. 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. 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. And the central message in the book is all about the rise of populism and the debate over gold versus silver. Hill company in chicago on may 17, 1900, and has since been reprinted countless times, most often under the name the wizard of oz, which is the name of both the 1902 stage play and the extremely popular, highly acclaimed. Theres actually a term to describe the pattern perfected by dorothys over the rainbow. Here are 16 hidden symbols and messages that you might never have noticed before in l.