Hugh Rockoff suggested in 1990 that the novel was an allegory about the demonetization of silver in 1873, whereby "the cyclone that carried Dorothy to the Land of Oz represents the economic and political upheaval, the yellow brick road stands for the gold standard, and the silver shoes Dorothy inherits from the Wicked ...
Frank Baum had a deeper, and more political meaning behind Wizard of Oz. Some people with a PhD believe that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was an allegory of society in the United States in around 1890. Cyclone = Quick cultural (political) change. Wicked Witch of the West = The American frontier.
What is the secret meaning behind The Wizard of Oz?
Henry Littlefield argues that The Wizard of Oz is a story representing Populism- a philosophy that supports the rights of the people, and the 1896 presidential election between William Jennings Bryan and William McKinley.
Because everybody knows that this is the moral of The Wizard of Oz. “There's no place like home” neatly sums up the moral of the story, even people who say that “home” refers to people.
The Wizard wanted to appear to be a powerful and ruthless tyrant, even though he was actually a weak and unassuming little man. So, he hid behind a curtain, amplified his voice and projected a scary image onto the far wall when Dorothy and her friends entered the Wizard's castle.
Does "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" have a hidden message? - David B. Parker
What does the yellow brick road represent?
Littlefield interpreted the yellow brick road as representing gold and Dorothy's silver slippers (which were changed in the movie to ruby slippers) as representing the Populist call for backing the dollar with silver. Oz was the abbreviation for ounces, a reference to the Populist call for the government to coin.
The “yellow brick road” is the map in your heart that plots out your spiritual and human tendencies. Follow the map and you will transform as you meet the needs of your Soul and are guided to the choices that you need to make.
What do the flying monkeys represent in The Wizard of Oz?
According to some writers, the Winged Monkeys of Oz represent Native Americans in the West in the late 1800s. Baum himself had clear attitudes toward American Indians and some of his earlier writings about Indians are very similar to his descriptions of the Winged Monkeys found in Oz.
What is the lesson at the end of The Wizard of Oz?
By the end of the film, it's revealed that all of the events which took place in the land of Oz were actually just Dorothy's dream. Because the dream was so treacherous, she learned to appreciate what she had, which wasn't anything like the horror she experienced at the hands of the Wicked Witch in Oz.
What do the ruby slippers represent in The Wizard of Oz?
In the movie, the slippers represent the little guy's ability to triumph over powerful forces. As the item that she – a simple teenage farm girl from Kansas – steals from the dictatorial Wicked Witch and ultimately uses to liberate the oppressed people of Oz, they're nothing less than a symbol of revolution.
Baum characterized Oz as a real place, unlike MGM's 1939 musical movie adaptation, which presents it as a dream of lead character Dorothy Gale. According to the Oz books, it is a hidden fairyland cut off from the rest of the world by the Deadly Desert. A shorthand reference for a person living in Oz is "Ozite".
Originally, Walsh is from Kansas, but finds himself in the Land of Oz. Giving himself the name "Oz the Great and Terrible", he masquerades as an all-knowing wizard. This hoax upsets Glinda the Witch of the South, as she knows he only gives false hope to those who seek out his help.
What reveals the true identity of The Wizard of Oz?
Answer and Explanation: Toto reveals the true identity of the Wizard of Oz by knocking over a screen that is supposed to hide the man from his subjects. The Wizard of Oz is actually an ordinary human with no magical powers to speak of.
On the long journey to the Emerald City, Dorothy and Toto are joined by the Scarecrow, who wishes he had brains; the Tin Woodman, who longs for a heart; and the Cowardly Lion, who seeks courage.
Personal Symbolism – The Cowardly Lion represents the inner child or self. The courage seeking Cowardly Lion is the character that most closely represents Baum in the book.
It's epic and sprawling, but economical. It's silly, but also smart and self-aware. It's heart-warming and light, but also creepy and surreal. It's the kind of movie that people forget also deserves the label “masterpiece” because it's fun.
Dorothy searches for the ability to follow her own heart and to learn how to stand up for what she believes is right with authority figures like the Wicked Witch and the Wizard himself. All of the characters find their confidence along the journey, and they become more alive and more themselves as they do.
She is killed when Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her, in attempt to put out a fire the witch bestowed on the Scarecrow. In the novel, Dorothy simply throws it on her in a fit of anger.
After Dorothy and her companions reach Emerald City, the Wizard sends them to kill the wicked Witch of the West. This Witch is also a cruel enslaver, and she appears to represent a composite of the malign forces of nature that plagued farmers in the Midwest and the power brokers of that region.
What does Emerald City represent in The Wizard of Oz?
Scholars who interpret The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a political allegory see the Emerald City as a metaphor for Washington, D.C., and unsecured "greenback" paper money.
But overall it is Elton's intense, frequently moving vocals, Davey Johnstone's guitar, Nigel Olsson's virulent drums, and above all the lyrics that create the greatest impression.”
What do the silver slippers represent in The Wizard of Oz?
In his reading of The Wizard of Oz, Littlefield believed that Dorothy was a stand-in for the average American, and that the magic silver shoes represented the late 1890s free silver movement.
The discovery was little less than astonishing: Baum's children's story was in fact a full-blown “parable on populism,” a “vibrant and ironic portrait” of America on the eve of the new century (Littlefield 1964, 50). In supporting this thesis, Littlefield drew on Baum's experience as a journalist before he wrote Oz.
