The Meaning of the Wizard of Oz

20 January 2013 I recently learned the true meaning of one of my all time favorite childhood movies, The Wizard of Oz. The book turned screenplay originally written by L. Frank Baum is not a mere children’s story but a hidden tale of populism and government. The story is and its characters are packed with symbolism. The main character Dorothy Gale gets swept away in a twister along with her house, and lands in munchkin land. Dorothy’s last name “Gale” is supposed to represent her being the winds of change. She also is supposed to be the average person, not too rich and not poor just in the middle. When she comes out of her house for the first time after the twister she meets the munchkins who symbolize the “little people” in government. They praise her, for her house has landed on the wicked witch of the east who represents eastern financial interests. This is important because it shows how the ordinary American defeats the almighty and powerful Eastern money holders. For her to get home she must see the wizard. When she asks how to get there the munchkins reply, “Follow the yellow brick road!”(The Wizard of Oz). She then takes this road, which represent gold, to see the wizard of “Oz”, which is short for ounces and is the system of measurement for gold. The wizard lives in the emerald city, which is green for the color of money. On her way to the city she meets three characters: a scarecrow, tin man, and a lion. The brainless scarecrow represent farmers, the tin man factory workers, and the cowardly lion represents William Jennings Bryan. They all join Dorothy and continue to follow the yellow brick road. There are so many more symbols on the way to Oz like the poppy flowers representing cocaine and how the Chinese brought over opium to America. When they have to steal the witches broom for the wizard so they may be granted their wishes, they sneak into the witch’s castle. Outside of it there are guards singing a tune, “ Oh we oh, we oh oh”. What they are