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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
An Examination of the Underlying Political Allegory
By Grant Wang '01 and Dan Jacobs '01
Send comments to Grant and Dan
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Contents...
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Introduction
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The Yellow Brick Road
Silver Shoes
Dorothy
The Cowardly Lion
The Tin Woodman
The Scarecrow
The Wizard
The Witch of the East
The Witch of the West
The Winged Monkeys
The Cat and Mouse
Geography of Oz
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Taking a Stand
The Century Since
L. Frank Baum
Sources
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College Essay
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Introduction -- Taking a Stand for the Powerless Majority...
It is often said that art can function as a commentary on the times; jazz
reflected the "roaring twenties," and the peace-loving tunes of the 1970s
supported the desire of America's youth to end the Vietnam War. However, some
pieces of art are not so conspicuous in revealing their observations. One
such piece of art is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum
just after the climax of the Populist movement.
The idea for the analysis of this author and his work was derived from "The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Parable on Populism," by Henry M. Littlefield. His
essay focused on the numerous similarities between Baum's work and the United
States during the late 1800s. We share his point of view that The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz was written as a children's story first and an allegory second.
Specifically, Littlefield theorized that Baum concentrated on the development
of the Populist movement and the pecuniary motives of the silverites.
Littlefield opened the doorway to the symbolism of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
for us. From this point, we began research on L. Frank Baum and his career,
important figures in the Populist movement, silver versus gold, the election
of 1896, the state of affairs in and around the Unites States in the 1890s,
and the influence of the book on the twentieth century.
After giving ourselves an understanding of the information involved in these
topics, we began to analyze The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and look for symbolism
within the text. We attempted to relate the characters of The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz to prominent figures during the 1890s. In this process, we
identified similar characteristics between Oz characters and historical
figures. After this, we chose quotations from the text that supported our
theories for Baum's symbolism. We also searched the text for a single theme
that commonly appeared in each of his historical symbols. We found this theme
to be Baum's personal belief that the powerless majority, although evidently
suffering, was not really powerless; they had the ability to free themselves
from the rule of the rich minority.
This topic addresses this year's theme, "Taking a Stand," by showing how L.
Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as an allegory to convey his
stand for the powerless majority during the late 1800s. Baum, like many other
artists, used his writing to communicate his opinions of the world around
him. However, this presentation was unconventional relative to the methods
that other artists have used. The convention would be to write or produce
artwork that focuses on the opinion at hand. Baum chose to focus on the
children's story and made his opinions a secondary and latent issue. It was
in this way that Baum took a stand for what he believed in.
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The Gold Standard as the Yellow Brick Road...
"After a few hours the road began to be rough, and the walking grew so
difficult that the Scarecrow often stumbled over the yellow brick, which were
here very uneven. Sometimes, indeed, they were broken or missing altogether,
leaving holes that Toto jumped across and Dorothy walked around. As for the
Scarecrow, having no brains he walked straight ahead, and so stepped into the
holes and fell full length on the hard bricks."
In the late 1890s, a major issue was the currency of the United States. The
gold standard was perceived as insufficient and was already almost cornered
by Jim Fisk and Jay Gould. Baum, like many others, favored bimetallism. Here,
he reveals his opinion that although the gold standard had holes and
obstacles, it could still last through the long haul.
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Silver Coinage as the Silver Shoes...
"'The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes,' said one of the
Munchkins; 'and there is some charm connected with them; but what it is we
never knew.'"
"At that moment Dorothy saw lying on the table the silver shoes that had
belonged to the Witch of the East. 'I wonder if they will fit me,' she said
to Toto. 'They would be just the thing to take a long walk in, for they could
not wear out.'"
Supporters of the silver movement argued that it had the elasticity and
abundance to last for a long time. Dorothy likewise felt the silver shoes to
"be just the thing to take a long walk in, for they could not wear out."
Additionally, the Wicked Witch of the East was proud of the silver shoes
because "there is some charm connected with them." The banker bosses during
that time had the power to control money but the addition of silver to the
gold standard would dampen their ability to hold power by money.
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Uncle Sam as Dorothy
"She (the Witch of the West) looked down at Dorothy's feet, and seeing the
Silver Shoes, began to tremble with fear, for she knew what a powerful charm
belonged to them. At first the Witch was tempted to run away from Dorothy;
but she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul
behind them was, and that the little girl did not know of the wonderful power
the Silver Shoes gave her."
In Baum's mind, the nation was unknowing and innocent. They always had the
chance to implement silver, but they were too "simple" to realize its power.
Dorothy owned the power of the silver shoes but was too innocent to recognize
it. In this passage, Baum reveals his opinion that the railroad barons and
banker bosses fed off of the innocence of the nation (Dorothy).
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William Jennings Bryan as the Cowardly Lion...
"I learned that if I roared very loudly every living thing was frightened and
got out of my way. Whenever I've met a man I've been awfully scared; but I
just roared at him, and he has always run away as fast as he could go."
Bryan, who never actually won a presidential election, ran many times,
including the 1896 election against William McKinley. In speeches such as the
Cross of Gold, Bryan was known for his tremendous oratory skills. Baum
symbolized his strong words but less powerful actions in the ways of the
cowardly lion, who roared loudly but tightened with fear.
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An Eastern Worker as the Tin Woodman...
"He (the Cowardly Lion) struck at the Tin Woodman with his sharp claws. But,
to the Lion's surprise, he could make no impression on the tin, although the
Woodman fell over in the road and lay still."
The eastern laborers of Baum's era were often cruelly subjected to long
hours, low pay, and an inability to argue for themselves because labor unions
were prohibited and the ones that existed were powerless. Baum noted in this
passage how William Jennings Bryan could not get the vote of the worker
during his election. Baum was taking a stand against the approach of the
Populists and Bryan. He contended that the worker could find his own solution
just as the Tin Woodman, in accepting his fake heart, found his own emotions.
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A Midwestern Farmer as the Scarecrow
"As for the Scarecrow, having no brains he walked straight ahead, and so
stepped into the holes and fell at full length on the hard bricks. It never
hurt him, however, and Dorothy would pick him up and set him upon his feet
again, while he joined her in laughing merrily at his own mishap."
Baum's experiences during the droughts that he observed in Aberdeen, SD made
him sympathize for the farmer. He took a stand in favor of the motives of the
common farmer as represented by the Scarecrow. For this character, Baum
contradicted his theme, which pointed out that the individual could find the
solution to his dilemma. Baum suggested for the Scarecrow that farmers do
need some aid.
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William McKinley and Mark Hanna as the Wizard of Oz...
"'No; you are all wrong,' said the little man, meekly. 'I have been making
believe.'
'Making believe!' cried Dorothy. 'Are you not a great Wizard?'
'Hush, my dear,' he said; 'don't speak so loud, or you will be overheard--and
I should be ruined. I'm supposed to be a Great Wizard.'
'And aren't you?' she asked.
'Not a bit of it, my dear; I'm just a common man.'
'You're more than that,' said the Scarecrow, in a grieved tone; 'you're a
humbug.'"
"'What is that (a balloonist)?' asked Dorothy.
'A man who goes up in a balloon on circus day, so as to draw a crowd of
people together and get them to pay to see the circus,' he explained."
Mark Hanna presented William McKinley, who won the election of 1896, as a
great man and coerced the people into electing him, even though he was simply
a common man. The Wizard of Oz was "supposed to be a Great Wizard," but was
in reality just an ordinary man. Baum supported the common man and objected
to Mark Hanna's dominance.
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A Banker Boss as the Wicked Witch of the East
"'She was the wicked Witch of the East, as I said,' answered the little
woman. 'She has held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them
slave for her night and day. Now they, are all set free, and are grateful to
you for the favour.'"
The banker bosses during the late 1800s easily controlled manufacturing and
business in the east using such methods as trusts and interlocking
directorates. The common worker, especially the child worker, suffered at the
expense of the profits of these banker bosses. In Oz, the Wicked Witch of the
East held the Munchkins in bondage, who were forced to "slave for her night
and day."
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A Railroad Baron as the Wicked Witch of the West
"She (the Witch of the West) looked down at Dorothy's feet, and seeing the
Silver Shoes, began to tremble with fear, for she knew what a powerful charm
belonged to them. At first the Witch was tempted to run away from Dorothy;
but she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul
behind them was, and that the little girl did not know of the wonderful power
the Silver Shoes gave her. So the Wicked Witch laughed to herself, and
thought, 'I can still make her my slave, for she does not know how to use her
power.' Then she said to Dorothy, harshly and severely, 'Come with me; and
see that you mind everything that I tell you, for if you do not I will make
an end to you, as I did of the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow.'"
The monopolistic railroad barons of the late 1800s ruled over the common
workers and farmers, controlling the farmers shipping expenses and
manipulating the earnings of railroad workers. In the same way, the Wicked
Witch of the West made an end to the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow. Many
people, including Baum, feared that the population of the US (Dorothy) would
be the next victim.
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The Plains Indians as the Winged Monkeys...
"'Once,' began the leader, 'we were a free people, living happily in the
great forest, flying from tree to tree, eating nuts and fruit, and doing just
as we pleased without calling anybody master. Perhaps some of us were rather
too full of mischief at times, flying down to pull the tails of the animals
that had no wings, chasing birds, and throwing nuts at the people who walked
in the forest. But we were careless and happy and full of fun, and enjoyed
every minute of the day. This was many years ago, long before Oz came out of
the clouds to rule over this land.'"
The Plains Indians, in the 1890s, were unable to find a home anywhere in
America. At this time, the frontier was dying out, and the US government was
unable to send them west again. Baum explains the very similar situation the
Winged Monkeys endured through in this passage.
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Imperialism Represents the Cat and the Mouse...
"He (the Tin Woodman) saw a strange beast come bounding over the grass
towards them. It was, indeed, a great, yellow wildcat, and the Woodman
thought it must be chasing something, for its ears were lying close to its
head and its mouth was wide open, showing two rows of ugly teeth, while its
red eyes glowed like balls of fire. As it came nearer the Tin Woodman saw
that running before the beast was a little gray field-mouse, and although he
had no heart he knew it was wrong for the wildcat to harm such a pretty,
harmless creature.
So the Woodman raised his axe, and as the wildcat ran by he gave it a quick
blow that cut the beast's head clean off from its body, and it rolled over at
his feet in two pieces."
America was entering the arena of worldwide imperialism in the 1890s. Baum
was not a supporter of this movement. To support his stand against American
imperialism, he incorporated this passage into the story. The passage
illustrates the Tin Woodman's heart for the weaker creature as well as Baum's
sympathies for the weaker country, which could have easily been the
Philippines.
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Geography of Oz...
East The eastern region of the land of Oz, the blue land of the Munchkins,
paralleled the United States east coast. There was a distinctive slave-master
relationship between the Munchkins and the Wicked Witch of the East that
symbolized the mistreatment of eastern workers in factories, at banks, and at
the voting booths.
West The west in Oz was inhabited by the Winged Monkeys and the Winkies.
The Winged Monkeys were symbols of the plains Indians and the Winkies
represented frontiersmen. Baum described the land with the words, "as they
advanced the ground became rougher and hillier, for there were no farms nor
houses in this country of the West, and the ground was untilled." These words
could describe the terrain of Baum's South Dakota perfectly.
North Although, the travelers never encounter the land of the Gillikans
during the first book, its purple color and mountainous terrain that are
incorporated in later editions of the Oz collection suggest the areas of
northern Michigan and Minnesota.
South The best connection between Baum's life and the southern land of the
Quadlings was that Baum travelled through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri
selling china and he included a country of china 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."
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Taking a Stand...
At first, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz seems to be the average, simple
children's novel. However, further investigation of the plot and the
political aspects of the author, L. Frank Baum, reveals an allegory that
takes a stand for the powerless majority. Written in 1900, Oz symbolically
portrays such figures as the eastern worker and the midwestern farmer as
somewhat powerless; Baum believed that although these people suffered
greatly, they also were able to solve their own problems. In this way, L.
Frank Baum took a stand for this poweless majority, but in a unique fashion.
Like other reformist writers of that period, such as Upton Sinclair, who
wrote The Jungle, and Frank Norris, writer of The Octopus, Baum took a stand
for what he felt was right. Unlike those writers, he did not directly voice
his opnion; instead, he symbolically represented the significant aspects of
the late 1800s and thus revealed his take on America. It is in this way that
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz takes a stand for the powerless majority.
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The Century Since...
1901 The original story is turned into a play by Baum.
1910s The first motion picture of the story is produced.
1939 The most famous of the movies is made starring Judy Garland.
1964 Henry M. Littlefield and his high school students in Mount Vernon, NY
create the first theory suggesting that Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
primarily as an allegory about the last decade of the 19th century.
1973 Ray Bradbury notes that Oz appears often in his works. The
Illustrated Man ends with the fall of the Emerald City and The Exiles ends
when Baum's works are burned as the hope for a better world is demolished.
1977 Gore Vidal writes, "though Baum was not political in the usual sense,
he had very definite ideas about the way the world should be."
1980 Brian Attebery writes, "The perfections of Oz would not be so
poignant if they did not so strongly suggest qualities of American life at
its rare best."
1980-Present The theory that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is an allegory is
taught across the nation at colleges, universities, and high schools, such as
Columbus College (Georgia), Duke University, University of California at
Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, and De Witt Clinton High School (New
York).
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L. Frank Baum...
15 May 1856 L. Frank Baum is born in Chittenango, New York.
1868-69 Baum goes to the Peekskill Military Academy, but leaves quickly. His
lifelong hatred of the military is traced here.
1870 At home, Baum publishes the "Rose Lawn Home Journal," his first
publication.
1873 He begins to publish "The Empire," a local newspaper.
1880s Baum loses his passion for the press and turns to theater.
1890 Baum accepts a new position in Aberdeen, South Dakota as the editor
of the "Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer." This job would last for sixteen months.
1897 Baum publishes Mother Goose in Prose, his first collection of fairy
tales.
1899 Mother Goose is followed by Father Goose in Prose.
1900 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is published for the first time.
1900-19 Baum writes a series of Oz stories as well as dozens of other works
under such pseudonyms as Schuyler Staunton, Suzanne Metcalf, and Captain Hugh
Fitzgerald.
1902 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is made into a play.
1919 Baum dies at age 62 at Ozcot, his estate in Hollywood, California.
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Sources...
Primary Sources:
Baum, L. Frank. American Fairy Tales. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1978.
We used these fairy tales to provide evidence for or against Baum's use of
literature to symbolize history. We did find any connections between these
stories and the historical period that Baum lived through, but it was
important to determine the significance of other publications of L. Frank
Baum. These stories were too obscure to find evidence provided in interviews
and other authors' analyses, so the only direction to go was at the source.
---. "Our Landlady." The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer 24 May 1890, no pag.
"Our Landlady" is a series of political criticisms in which Mrs. Bilkin, our
landlady, acts out or speaks about all of the views that Baum has, either on
the town (Aberdeen), state (South Dakota), or national level. This article is
one of many that described how the town of Aberdeen grew through varied
political and social events between January 1890 and April 1891, the period
in which The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer was published.
---. "A Semi-Cyclone." The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer 24 May 1890, no pag.
In this article, Baum described a mild cyclone that passed through Aberdeen
on May 23, 1890. We observed this fact as an ironic coincidence to the
cyclone that struck Kansas in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
---. The Wizard of Oz. Canada: Ottenheimer Publishers, Inc., 1979.
Since our project was to determine the stand that Baum took in his The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz, we used the book to analyze the allegorical nature of
the book. We also used it to take quotations to prove our analysis and the
analysis of other critics.
"A New Book for Children." Rev. of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank
Baum. The New York Times Saturday Review of Books and Art 8 September 1900:
605.
We used this review to understand the opinion of Baum's contemporaries and to
try to find a publication from the same year as Oz that supported the
theories for the allegory.
Secondary Sources:
Attebery, Brian. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature. Bloomington:
Indiana University Press, 1980. 83-90.
This non-fiction book, which analyzes many fantasy and science fiction
American novels, includes a chapter solely about Oz. We used the chapter to
analyze the geographical significance of Oz.
Bailey, Thomas A., and David M. Kennedy. The American Pageant. 9th ed.
Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1991. 540-671.
This history textbook gave general information about the Populist Era, as
well as information about all of the people, groups, and ideas that were
included in the project. It provided pictures of William Jennings Bryan and
other people involved in the Populist party.
Bradbury, Ray. "Because, Because, Because, Because of the Wonderful Things He
Does." Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Vol. 7. Detroit, Michigan: Gale
Research Company, 1982. 20-21.
Bradbury provided information about the significance of the book in
Bradbury's works. His opinions of Oz are reflected in the article.
The Cuttenclips. The International Wizard of Oz Club Inc. Homepage. [Online]
Available http://www.neosoft.com/~iwoc/, 15 April 1996.
This World Wide Web site gave us the telephone number of Susan Hall, who is
the manager of the 1996 Quadling Convention and information about the "Baum
Bugle," the quarterly magazine put out by the club.
Fite, Gilbert C. "Election of 1896." History of American Presidential
Elections 1848-1896. Ed. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Vol. 2. New York: Chelsea
House Publishers, 1971. 1787-1874.
This resource described the Presidential Election of 1896 in detail. It
organized the major issues involved, the beliefs of each partisan group, and
the platforms of each candidate. It gave information about William Jennings
Bryan, the Populist and Republican candidate for that election.
Gessel, Michael. Letter to the author. 16 April 1996.
Michael Gessel e-mailed us back after we requested information about the
allegory. He added that he publishes a booklet containing Littlefield's
article and related articles from the "Baum Bugle."
---. Letter to the author. 17 April 1996.
After requesting information about the whereabouts of Henry M. Littlefield,
Gessel informed us that five years ago, Littlefield was working as an adjunct
professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California.
---. "Tale of a Parable." The Baum Bugle Spring 1992: 19-23.
This article provided a neutral point of view between the arguments between
Littlefield's theorists and those that believe that the book is only a
children's story. We used it to get more insight upon the different
relationships between Oz and our history. Gessel especially noted that many
colleges, universities, and high schools, including Columbus College
(Georgia), Duke University, University of California at Berkeley, University
of Pennsylvania, and De Witt Clinton High School (New York) teach the
Populist era through the theory that Oz is an allegory.
Hall, Susan. Telephone Interview. 15 April 1996.
Susan Hall is the chairperson of the Quadling Convention , a meeting of
International Wizard of Oz Club Members. She gave her own opinion of the
allegorical nature of the book and gave us the telephone numbers of Jim
Vander Noot and Stephen Keller. She also informed us of several articles from
the "Baum Bugle," the quarterly publication of the International Wizard of Oz
Club that mention the symbolism in Oz.
Hearn, Michael Patrick. The Annotated Wizard of Oz. New York: Clarkson N.
Potter, Inc./Publisher, 1973. 1-384.
This source included the text of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in its entirety,
but it also included a detailed introduction and annotations of many ideas,
objects, characters, and places in the book. Its appendixes provided a
bibliography, and information about the illustrator, W. W. Denslow. Also,
there was more information about the history of Oz after the first book.
Throughout the annotated version, there were pictures that were pertinent to
the project.
---. "L. Frank Baum." Dictionary of Literary Biographies. Ed. John Cech. Vol.
22. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company, 1983. 13-36.
We found biographical information about L. Frank Baum in this reference. The
dictionary also provided pictures which we used in illustrating Baum's life.
Hicks, John D. The Populist Revolt. USA: University of Nebraska Press, 1981.
This non-fiction book described all of the events involved in the Populist
movement, which lasted from the mid-1880s to 1896, when the Populist party
was absorbed into the Republican party as a result of William Jennings
Bryan's nominations from both parties. It described in detail the major
component of the Populist complaint, the need to inflated the currency in
order to lower the cost of the repayment of debts. This book described the
development of the theories in silver coinage, and the birth of the
silverites.
Keller, Stephen. Telephone Interview. 17 April 1996.
Stephen Keller, an English professor circulating around various public
universities in Kansas, was able to provide his opinion of the articles
written in the "Baum Bugle" on the allegorical nature of the book. He also
gave his opinion on Henry M. Littlefield's theory.
Koupal, Nancy Tystad. "From the Land of Oz: L. Frank Baum's Satirical View of
South Dakota's First Year of Statehood." Montana: The Magazine of Western
History Spring 1990: 46-57.
In this article, Nancy Tystad Koupal discussed the level of political
involvement that Baum maintained while he was the editor of the Aberdeen
Saturday Pioneer. The article featured discussions of Baum's views for
women's suffrage, the South Dakota state capital debate, and prohibition. The
primary piece of information derived from this artice was the fact that Baum
championed the rights of third party activists (the Populists) to form their
own party to take political action.
---. Telephone Interview. 19 April 1996.
Nancy Tystad Koupal published magazine articles on L. Frank Baum in the
"Montana: The Magazine of Western History" in Spring 1990, the "Great Plains
Quarterly" in Fall 1989, and annotated Baum's Our Landlady, which was
published in the last two months. She is considered to be an expert on L.
Frank Baum and works at the South Dakota State Historical Society. She gave
us information about Baum's life in the decade prior to the publication of
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and about his political views in conjunction to
the project. She added that Baum is considered to be anti-imperialist,
anti-militarist, and against the Standard Oil company because of evidence
from the series of Oz books that followed the wonderful wizard.
Littlefield, Henry M. Telephone Interview. 11 May 1996.
Henry Littlefield was the author of the first editorial suggesting that Oz
was an allegory. In this interview, he added to his original theories about
Oz and clarified his stand on the allegory. Addtionally, we informed him of
our new theories, which he critiqued. Specifically, he contributed to our
idea that Baum saw William McKinley as a powerful man controlled and thus
hidden by the infamous banker boss, Mark Hanna.
---. "The Wizard of Oz: A Parable on Populism." American Quarterly Spring
1964: 47-58.
Littlefield was the source of our topic and the basis for many of our
theories. In the article, he provided information about characters, places
and groups in the original Oz novel and discussed their relative meaning to
the history that Baum had known before writing Oz and the views of L. Frank
Baum himself.
---. "The Wizard of Allegory." The Baum Bugle Spring 1992: 24-25.
Littlefield described in detail the methods by which he and his students
created the theory. He also described how the Oz books are excellent tools by
which to teach students about the Populist Era.
South Dakota Government. South Dakota Regional Agency Phone Listing A.
[Online] Available http://www.state.sd.us/state/phone/region-a.htm, 16 April
1996.
>From this World Wide Web site, we found the phone number for the South Dakota
Historical Society. Here we found Nancy Koupal, an expert on L. Frank Baum
and conducted a telephone interview with her.
Vander Noot, Jim. Telephone Interview. 15 April 1996.
Jim Vander Noot is currently the president of The International Wizard of Oz
Club. He gave us the e-mail address of Michael Gessel, an expert on the
Littlefield theory and a distributor of a booklet of magazine articles that
support and reject this theory.
Vidal, Gore. "The Wizard of the 'Wizard.'" Twentieth-Century Literary
Criticism. Vol. 7. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company, 1982. 21-23.
We used the article to gather Vidal's personal reflections on the Oz book.
The text provided quotations and political arguments about Baum.
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College Essay...
Even though I plan on majoring in engineering, my most interesting
intellectual venture and one of my greatest accomplishments was a history
project that I created with another student named Grant Wang. We developed a
project for History Day, a regional competition in which students create
projects, make videos, write papers, or produce performances to fit a certain
theme. The projects are then judged, and the top three entries in each
category qualify for the state competition. From this competition, two
entries in each category can qualify for National History Day in Maryland.
Grant and I created a project entitled "The Historical Significance of the
Wizard of Oz." We studied the allegorical nature of the story in the context
of the history of America in the thirty years prior to 1900, when the book
was published. This project was interesting because it was unique. Most
projects were based upon historical facts that the judges had studied before.
In contrast, most judges had never heard of the theory that the Wizard of Oz
could be allegorical. Our project attracted many spectators and judges at the
state competition because most people had heard of the story and its literary
significance but wondered how it was significant in history. The fact that we
were studying something completely new about a children's story was the
reason that we were so interested in the project.
Grant and I theorized that L. Frank Baum had two intentions when he wrote the
story. The commonly understood reason was that it was written as a story for
children. Our new idea was that the characters and events in the story were
symbols of the history that Baum had first-hand contact with in the late
1800s. We also sought the reason that Baum wrote an allegory. Our theory was
Baum was saying that the powerful should not abuse the weak. He lashed out at
the railroad barons and the banker bosses, represented in the novel by the
wicked witches of the west and east, because they were abusing their power to
suppress the poor farmers and the eastern workers. The Tin Woodman and the
Scarecrow, respectively, were symbols of these beleaguered people. Baum also
disagreed with the imperialist motives of the United States government. In
the story, a mouse was being chased by a wildcat. The Tin Woodman beheaded
the cat and said that the cat should not pick on the weaker mouse. This event
seemed to symbolize the way that the United States was abusing the
Philippines and the Latin American countries in the Caribbean.
There were also domestic motives for the allegory. The Wizard of Oz was based
upon Dorothy's quest home to Kansas. During this journey, she wore magical
silver shoes and traveled on the yellow brick road. Grant and I compared
these facts with the silver movement under the direction of William Jennings
Bryan in 1896 and the gold standard that the United States followed at that
time. Another domestic problem that Baum brought to light was the persecution
of the native Indians. In the Wizard of Oz, the king of the Winged Monkeys
described how his people had lived happily until the Wizard of Oz had come
down from the clouds. This interlude acted as a symbol of the appearance of
Europeans in the Americas and the persecution that followed.
When I was involved in the Wizard of Oz project, I gained a greater interest
in analyzing material from many subjects to synthesize one idea, more
experience in doing extensive research, and more experience as part of a
team. The project involved the analysis of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L.
Frank Baum, and the synthesis of this examination with the historical
evidence that was relevant to the story. When I did research for the project,
I often communicated with many people across the country. I contacted Nancy
Tystad Koupal, an expert on the life of L. Frank Baum and I also talked with
Henry M. Littlefield, the originator of the allegory theory, who was teaching
in California at the time. The teamwork, research, and creativity that I put
into the project were rewarded when the project won first place at Connec
ticut History Day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Dan Jacobs '01 (Last Update: 1/24/97)
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