Political Symbolism in the The Wizard of Oz Book & Movie

Lions and Tigers and Political Symbols - Oh My!

By Chelsi, published Sep 26, 2007
Published Content: 62  Total Views: 62,539  Favorited By: 3 CPs
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Nearly everyone has heard or seen the story of Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz. Over the years, The Wizard of Oz has become a classic movie among adults and children, alike. If you haven't seen the movie or read the book, I'm sure you've at least hear the phrase, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore" or heard of Dorothy's dog, Toto.

The story is of a young girl who gets picked up from her farm in Kansas and carried off to another land unlike any she's ever seen before. In Munchkin Land, after her house has fallen on, and killed, the Wicked Witch, the Munchkins welcome her to their land, and then the Glinda, the nice witch, explains to her that she must follow the yellow brick road to talk to the Wizard of Oz about getting home. Along the way, she meets new friends who all wish to ask something of the great wizard, themselves. However, once they've finally gotten to the wizard in Emerald City, they find that he is merely a fraud, and they all had what they were searching for within themselves.

Whatever it is you've heard or seen from this classic movie or book, many people don't know that The Wizard of Oz is suspected to have referenced several political issues of the late 1800's. Speculation of the parallels between the book and history in the United States began with a history teacher in the 1960's. Henry Littlefield used the film as part of his lecture, and he had his students help him pull out the parallels between the movie and real life. In 1964, these parallels were published in American Quarterly, sparking years of debate.

Whether or not any of the speculations are true, well, no one knows for sure, but here are some of the suggested symbols in The Wizard of Oz.

The Symbolism:

Dorothy:
Dorothy is thought to represent the American people or values. She proves herself to be determined, resourceful, and loyal. Another speculation is that she represents Theodore Roosevelt, the United States president. Some people believe this theory more than the other because of the similarities in the names. (Think: Dor-o-thy and The-o-dore).

Political Symbolism in the The Wizard of Oz Book & Movie

Scarecrow is the first friend Dorothy meets on the way to see the wizard.

Credit: Mario Gonzaga

Copyright: Mario Gonzaga

Did You Know?
It is said that Pink Floyd's album, Dark Side Of the Moon, flows right along with the movie.
Comments
Showing Comments 1 - 13 of 13
 
 
Wicked makes the political symbolism even more apparent. Interesting article!

Posted on 10/16/2007 at 6:10:00 AM

 
I love the Wizard of Oz. To me, it proves that if we can all work together for a common goal, we can do anything!

Posted on 10/15/2007 at 8:10:00 AM

 
Wow, Don't know how I ever missed all that symbolism before. I read the book a couple of times and seen the movie too many times. All I ever knew was that the poppies was due to the fact that Baum was an opiate addict. Very interesting article.

Posted on 10/12/2007 at 4:10:00 PM

 
Great article. Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies. Every time I watch it I find something new.

Posted on 10/11/2007 at 6:10:00 PM

 
I do not know about the political symbolism but I remember that the Wizard of Oz use to scare the crap out of me as a child. When the monkeys came it was time for me to go to bed. Someone should put the Wizard of Oz on their list of scariest movies for Halloween. But I am willing to believe that their is something subversive about the movie, there is a level of creepiness that I felt watching it as a child and real suffering and pathos by Dorothy, the Lion and Scare crow.

Posted on 10/11/2007 at 1:10:00 PM

 
Interesting concepts. Thank You fer sharin'. ;-}}>

Posted on 10/11/2007 at 1:10:00 PM

 
It's interesting to note that Baum wrote a few notorious editorials favoring annihilation of the Souix tribe prior to the battle of Wounded Knee. I'm not sure how that works with symbolism here, but still noteworthy.

Posted on 10/08/2007 at 10:10:00 AM

 
My 9th grade history teacher was real big on this. He had us watch the movie, and paused it every few minutes to explain the political symbolism. Pretty interesting stuff!

Posted on 10/07/2007 at 4:10:00 PM

 
Interesting. I never thought of Wizard of Oz like this.

Posted on 10/06/2007 at 8:10:00 PM

 
You want to know something? My American History teacher in 11th grade was a total TR fan... Teddy was his absolute favorite and he actually taught us exactly what your piece is about. He even had the "history" to back up this theory. Thanks for the flash back :)

Posted on 10/06/2007 at 4:10:00 PM

 
Interesting theory, but I like to believe that "The Wizard of Oz" is an innocent children's story.

Posted on 10/06/2007 at 4:10:00 PM

 
Wizard of Oz used to my favorite

Posted on 10/05/2007 at 6:10:00 PM

 
Wizard of Oz used to my favorite

Posted on 10/05/2007 at 6:10:00 PM

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