Underlying Themes In L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz
Believe: A Detailed Look at Underlying Themes
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a novel published originally in 1900, and written by L. Frank Baum, who also wrote thirteen to seventeen other books centering around the magical land of Oz. This children’s book spawned a Broadway Musical in 1902 and a film adaptation in 1939. It has also been the basic building block for plenty of other films, musicals and novels having to do with this imaginative world, such as Wicked; Oz the Great and Powerful; and The Wiz. These spin-offs and adaptations, however, simply cannot match the intricate details and underlying themes that play throughout this entire novel. In L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, three elements -- symbolism, characterization, and imagery -- are used to better get the underlying theme of believing across to the reader. …show more content…
The first element of fiction that Baum uses is symbolism.
When underlining the grayness of Kansas, Dorothy’s home, Baum is symbolizing the dullness of reality and Dorothy’s feelings toward this reality. Dorothy believes nothing in the world is special, and that there is no magic because her Aunt Em told her so: “‘But,’ said Dorothy, after a moment’s thought, ‘Aunt Em has told me that the witches were all dead -- years and years ago’” (14). This gives Dorothy blinders to the beauty of reality, and everything is gray and barren. Once she sees the beauty of Oz Dorothy’s growth begins, and she is better able to believe in herself, her friends, the magic and beauty in the world around her and back home, in
Kansas.
The second element of fiction that Baum incorporates into his story is characterization. Throughout the story, we watch Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Cowardly Lion travel through the land of Oz. During their adventures, each of them evolves and develops as a character and is better able to believe in themselves.
Dorothy, for example, gains many leadership qualities while she is in Oz. At first she is very cautious; she views herself as only “an innocent, harmless little girl,” (11). Dorothy feels as though she is not to be taken seriously, and she certainly believes she cannot to lead. As the story progresses, however, the reader can watch her grow: “‘We must cross this strange place in order to get to the other side,’ said Dorothy; ‘for it would be unwise for us to go any other way except due South,’” (195). She understands that, if their group is to get to Glinda’s castle, they must continue down their path. So Dorothy spouts the order to keep moving, and her friends obey without question. This shows the leadership qualities that Dorothy has gained over her journey through Oz, and the theme of believing -- especially in oneself -- comes into play again.
The third element of fiction implemented in Baum’s story is imagery. At first, Dorothy is living in Kansas with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. This place is dull, grey, and quite boring: “When Dorothy ... looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of the flat country,” (2). Everything is very sad (except for Dorothy’s dog Toto, of course) and this is shown in Baum’s imagery. This changed dramatically when Dorothy enters Oz, however: “There were lovely patches of green sward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits. Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes” (10). The wording used here contrasts starkly with the drab surroundings of Kansas, and adds a lot of depth and detail into the story. Baum uses this element in many scenes in the novel, such as this one: “Before them was a great stretch of country having a floor as smooth and shining and white as the bottom of a big platter. Scattered around were many houses made entirely of china and painted in the brightest colours” (192). Here the reader can imagine the troupe’s surroundings because of the vivid detail the author put into the scenery. Even when the Wicked Witch of the West is killed by Dorothy, Baum uses plenty of imagery to capture her death: “With these words the Witch fell down in a brown, melted, shapeless mass and began to spread over the clean boards of the kitchen floor” (129). This allows the reader to better grasp what is happening and can reinforce the theme of belief; even though Dorothy didn’t believe herself capable of killing the Wicked Witch of the West, she did it anyway: “‘I’ve never killed anything, willingly,’ she sobbed; ‘and even if I wanted to, how could I kill the Wicked Witch’” (104). That teaches the reader than even if you think you can not, you are capable of anything. Killing the Witch is a bit of a dark way of showing it, though.
In conclusion, Baum portrays the underlying theme of believing throughout his novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by using such literary elements as symbolism, through the use of color and lessons from Aunt Em; characterization, using Dorothy’s growth as a leader; and imagery, through beautifully placed wording.
Works Cited
Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. New York: New American Library, 2006.
Print.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a novel published originally in 1900, and written by L. Frank Baum, who also wrote thirteen to seventeen other books centering around the magical land of Oz. This children’s book spawned a Broadway Musical in 1902 and a film adaptation in 1939. It has also been the basic building block for plenty of other films, musicals and novels having to do with this imaginative world, such as Wicked; Oz the Great and Powerful; and The Wiz. These spin-offs and adaptations, however, simply cannot match the intricate details and underlying themes that play throughout this entire novel. In L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, three elements -- symbolism, characterization, and imagery -- are used to better get the underlying theme of believing across to the reader. …show more content…
The first element of fiction that Baum uses is symbolism.
When underlining the grayness of Kansas, Dorothy’s home, Baum is symbolizing the dullness of reality and Dorothy’s feelings toward this reality. Dorothy believes nothing in the world is special, and that there is no magic because her Aunt Em told her so: “‘But,’ said Dorothy, after a moment’s thought, ‘Aunt Em has told me that the witches were all dead -- years and years ago’” (14). This gives Dorothy blinders to the beauty of reality, and everything is gray and barren. Once she sees the beauty of Oz Dorothy’s growth begins, and she is better able to believe in herself, her friends, the magic and beauty in the world around her and back home, in
Kansas.
The second element of fiction that Baum incorporates into his story is characterization. Throughout the story, we watch Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Cowardly Lion travel through the land of Oz. During their adventures, each of them evolves and develops as a character and is better able to believe in themselves.
Dorothy, for example, gains many leadership qualities while she is in Oz. At first she is very cautious; she views herself as only “an innocent, harmless little girl,” (11). Dorothy feels as though she is not to be taken seriously, and she certainly believes she cannot to lead. As the story progresses, however, the reader can watch her grow: “‘We must cross this strange place in order to get to the other side,’ said Dorothy; ‘for it would be unwise for us to go any other way except due South,’” (195). She understands that, if their group is to get to Glinda’s castle, they must continue down their path. So Dorothy spouts the order to keep moving, and her friends obey without question. This shows the leadership qualities that Dorothy has gained over her journey through Oz, and the theme of believing -- especially in oneself -- comes into play again.
The third element of fiction implemented in Baum’s story is imagery. At first, Dorothy is living in Kansas with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. This place is dull, grey, and quite boring: “When Dorothy ... looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of the flat country,” (2). Everything is very sad (except for Dorothy’s dog Toto, of course) and this is shown in Baum’s imagery. This changed dramatically when Dorothy enters Oz, however: “There were lovely patches of green sward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits. Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes” (10). The wording used here contrasts starkly with the drab surroundings of Kansas, and adds a lot of depth and detail into the story. Baum uses this element in many scenes in the novel, such as this one: “Before them was a great stretch of country having a floor as smooth and shining and white as the bottom of a big platter. Scattered around were many houses made entirely of china and painted in the brightest colours” (192). Here the reader can imagine the troupe’s surroundings because of the vivid detail the author put into the scenery. Even when the Wicked Witch of the West is killed by Dorothy, Baum uses plenty of imagery to capture her death: “With these words the Witch fell down in a brown, melted, shapeless mass and began to spread over the clean boards of the kitchen floor” (129). This allows the reader to better grasp what is happening and can reinforce the theme of belief; even though Dorothy didn’t believe herself capable of killing the Wicked Witch of the West, she did it anyway: “‘I’ve never killed anything, willingly,’ she sobbed; ‘and even if I wanted to, how could I kill the Wicked Witch’” (104). That teaches the reader than even if you think you can not, you are capable of anything. Killing the Witch is a bit of a dark way of showing it, though.
In conclusion, Baum portrays the underlying theme of believing throughout his novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by using such literary elements as symbolism, through the use of color and lessons from Aunt Em; characterization, using Dorothy’s growth as a leader; and imagery, through beautifully placed wording.
Works Cited
Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. New York: New American Library, 2006.
Print.