Political Symbolism in the The Wizard of Oz Book & Movie

Lions and Tigers and Political Symbols - Oh My!

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).

Related information
It is said that Pink Floyd's album, Dark Side Of the Moon, flows right along with the movie.
 
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This explanation has Teddy Roosevelt killing president McKinley? Teddy ran on the same ticket as McKinley as Vice-President, so obviously this mskes no sense at all. Bryan was the wicked witch: Bryan lost the election so he's the the wicked witch who Dorothy kills for the wizard(McKinley). Bryan actually looked like the witch as well,and as a Kansan he was considered to be a western politician by the standards of the 1890s. Besides, the witch wants Dorothy's silver shoes and Bryan was a pro-silver populist candidate. For god's sake,think before you post!

Posted on 02/27/2009 at 8:02:28 PM

there are a few erros here. mark hanna and president mckinley are both represented by the wizard. the apparition the wizard puts forth to maintain his power is the president, and actual wizard who pulls the levers to controll the apparition is mark hanna.

Posted on 02/26/2009 at 9:02:30 PM

I've been studying this symbolism for my U.S. History class, it's very interesting. Thanks for this article, it reall helped me out :D

Posted on 01/15/2009 at 8:01:38 PM

it was a good book

Posted on 12/17/2008 at 9:12:46 AM

Be careful, the ones who think they know the most, know the least.

Posted on 12/11/2008 at 5:12:01 PM

The Wizard of Oz IS an allegory, whether you like it or not, even if you believe that it is "an innocent children's story. " It's like saying Animal Farm is just a story of farm animals. I hate dumb people...maybe they should go to the Wizard to see if he has any extras he could spare.

Posted on 11/29/2008 at 9:11:38 PM

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

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