Does The Wizard of Oz have a deeper meaning?

Frank Baum's book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," upon which the movie is based, was a political allegory for American politics at the dawn of the 20th century. Dorothy, the Kansas innocent, represents the nobility of middle (and Midwestern) America; the Tin Man is industry, the Scarecrow is agriculture.

Does the Wizard of Oz have a hidden meaning?

According to rareozbooks.com, Dorothy represented the American ideals. The Scarecrow was the American farmer, the Tin Woodsman was the industrial worker and the Cowardly Lion was Bryan. Dorothy's silver slippers stood for the “free silver” movement, the yellow-brick road was the gold standard, John D.

What is the moral of the story of the Wizard of Oz?

“You have plenty of courage, I am sure,” answered Oz. “All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”

What is the spiritual meaning of The Wizard of Oz?

Dorothy's silver shoes are seen as Baum's version of a 'silver cord' that connects our physical bodies with our astral bodies, and the Wizard symbolises the God figure of organised religions, a charlatan keeping the masses in spiritual darkness.

What does the yellow brick road symbolize?

The Yellow Brick Road represents strategy—how you will get there; the path you identify as the best, smartest way to accomplish your goal. And each of the shiny yellow bricks in the road represents an action step—the smaller tactics that go into executing your strategy.

Does "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" have a hidden message? - David B. Parker

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 do the ruby slippers symbolize?

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.

What do the characters in The Wizard of Oz symbolize?

Frank Baum's book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," upon which the movie is based, was a political allegory for American politics at the dawn of the 20th century. Dorothy, the Kansas innocent, represents the nobility of middle (and Midwestern) America; the Tin Man is industry, the Scarecrow is agriculture.

What does the tornado symbolize in The Wizard of Oz?

In the story, a tornado takes Dorothy from the dreary, barren land of Kansas to the beautiful and abundant Oz. This symbolizes the wealth possible with the addition of silver to the gold standard.

Why did Dorothy click her heels?

According to the Library of Congress, "it is widely believed that they were used primarily for close-ups and possibly the climactic scene where Dorothy taps her heels together." Circular scuff marks on the soles support the theory that they were the ones Garland had on when she clicked her heels together.

Why did Dorothy splash water on the witch?

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.

Is The Wizard of Oz evil?

Considering the Wizard of Oz ultimately proves himself to be a generous, kindhearted man, it's safe to say he's far from a stereotypical, morally corrupt politician type. However, as he said himself, he's still a very bad wizard.

What does the Emerald City represent in The Wizard of Oz?

In L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, the Emerald City represents the place where dreams and hopes could be fulfilled....

What does the melting witch represent in The Wizard of Oz?

This represents, again, how the main focus of The Wizard of Oz is on the people of America. Further into this interpretation, according to Littlefield, The Wicked Witch of the West is a representation of the Great Plains, and how hard it was for Americans to make a living there.

Why did the Wicked Witch want Dorothy?

…the evil witch's sister, the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), vows to kill Dorothy in order to avenge her sister and retrieve the powerful ruby slippers.

Why are the ruby slippers so powerful?

The Ruby Slippers have more powers attributed to them than the silver shoes. In the 1939 film we learn that the pair cannot be taken off unless through death and were even able to send volts of electricity out to shock the Wicked Witch of the West's fingers before she was even able to touch them.

Why did the witch want the ruby slippers?

In the movie the Wicked witch says that with the ruby slippers her power would be the greatest in Oz. The witch can already teleport so she really wouldn't need the slippers for that purpose. So possibly the shoes grant the owner the power to do what they really desire.

Why does Dorothy slap the lion in the face?

So the great beast had opened his mouth to bite Toto. Dorothy, fearing her dog would be killed, and heedless of danger, rushed forward and slapped the Lion upon his nose as hard as she could, while she cried out: "Don't you dare bite Toto!

Why does Dorothy wear red shoes?

In the movie, Dorothy is gifted the slippers from Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, to keep them safe from the Wicked Witch of the West and to help her return home to Kansas. Over the years, they have become one of the most iconic parts of the film and of American culture.

What do the silver shoes symbolize in The Wizard of Oz?

In the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's shoes are red. But in Frank's 1900 novella, her shoes are silver. And they are silver, economic historians have suggested, because they represent half of the bimetal standard, and that when they walk on the road, The Yellow Brick Road, to Oz, they unify silver and gold.

Who stole Dorothy's red slippers?

Andy Morgan — who took over the case in 2009 and spent the next seven years chasing leads all over town and the country — was not at all surprised that questions remained even after the shoes' recovery. “The ruby slippers are an absolute mystery,” he says.

What does Dorothy say when she clicks her ruby slippers?

Dorothy.

One of the most famous lines from The Wizard of Oz is "Click your heels together three times and say 'There's no place like home' and you'll be there."

How much did Dorothy's red slippers sell for?

The $800,000 price tag is a bargain for Dorothy's slippers. Several years ago, another pair sold at auction for $2 million. Another pair, found at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, was the subject of a Kickstarter that raised $349,000 to conserve the shoes.

Why are the ruby slippers silver in Wicked?

3. Although most of us are familiar with the Wicked Witch of the East's Ruby Slippers from the movie "The Wizard of Oz," the jeweled shoes worn in "Wicked" by Elphaba's sister Nessarose are silver. This was done intentionally to match the silver shoes from L. Frank Baum's original books of the stories of Oz.

What is the Wicked Witch of the West's real name?

Elphaba Thropp is the green skinned protagonist in the popular book titled Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by author Gregory Maguire published in 1995.