The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum - Essay Example

Inquiry 2b The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was originally written and published in 1900 by L. Frank Baum. It was extremely popular among children and adults alike (Greydanus, n.pag.); so much that several Broadway plays were made on the book. In 1939, a film adaptation for the book arrived with a name of The Wizard of Oz taking Oz’s popularity to a new height. Several books forming an Oz series followed the initial book, however the first one is regarded as having some elements which others in the series do not. Although the main story for the MGM film adaptation of the book remained the same, some parts were altered for example the wicked witch of the east’s shoes (Rudolph, n.pag.). The film provided a graphical demonstration of the characters and the story which is why few years later, an article written by Henry Littlefield made it an allegory on populism (Littlefield, 47). The book and the film provide a rich cultural text to be analyzed for the presence of the economical and political parable many claim it to have. Littlefield was the first person to have interpreted The Wizard of Oz as having an economic parable after which many others also claimed the book and film to be riddled with political symbolism. Later Rockoff also made an effort to reveal the connections between the Populist movement, Baum’s views and the book as interpreted as an economic parable (1). Russel B. Nye and Martin Gardner also wrote a book in which they provided an appreciation for Baum’s writing (Winterich, 42) and uncovered how Baum incorporated hidden meanings to reflect the environment of the time. By effectively using symbolism, Baum represented Dorothy as the common American people (Taylor, 5) and the Witch of the East represented the monetary interest of the industrialist who were supported by their gold standard allies (Taylor, 6). Many other characters symbolize the various players and stakeholders involved in the Populist movement. Between 1897 and 1902, Baum had settled in South Dakota where he also started a journal called Saturday Pioneer (McGroarty, n.pag.). According to Littlefield, Baum noticed the hardships of the Western farmers who were now raising their voice against the hardships they were going through (48). As a result, Baum’s writing was influenced by the Populist movement that was started to protect the interests of the farmers. The Peoples Party or the Populist Party as it was more commonly known as was started by a group of farmers. Then in the 1930s America experienced the Great Depression which was the most severe and prolonged period of recession that damaged the economy. Followed by the great depression, World War II was approaching which meant that the government had to make an effort to improve the economy (Perseverance and Responsiveness: The Depression and War Years", 36). According to Littlefield’s interpretation, The Wizard of Oz has provided the younger generation with a benign analysis of the Populist movement (57). Hansen presents an argumentation in his article pointing out that the interpretations that link The Wizard of Oz and populism are flawed. The first reason he provides for his argument is the lack of an autonomous discovery of the allegorical interpretation of the book (Hansen, 257). The authors who have interpreted the story as an economical parable have not carried out any independent study. They have merely followed the lead of Henry Littlefield who first came up with the idea of the allegorical interpretation. Also, those who support the interpretation mention that Baum was a democrat. Often his support for women’s suffrage has been linked with his populist-democrat affinity. However, Hansen points out that Baum was a Republican who regarded his paper the Saturday Pioneer as a Republican paper. He also presents another interpretation of the book as all the characters were monarchists and not democrats. Hansen interprets the film as representing symbolism through its use of colors and hues (262). While the Populist interpretation of The Wizard of Oz was the most popular, it was rejected and some new interpretations were presented. David Parker suggested his own interpretation of The Wizard of Oz that links it with a theosophical bliss (Godwin, n.pag.). Baum was influenced by theosophy and this can be reflected from many of his works including the journal he produced when he lived in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Dorothy’s journey along the Yellow Brick road that leads to the Emerald city has been interpreted as a spiritual journey. Also, the theosophical interpretation takes Toto, Dorothy’s dog as symbolizing Anubis. While it is debatable what The Wizard of Oz represented in reality, several journal articles have been produced giving different interpretations about the book and film. The most famous one is the allegorical interpretation that has been used as an educational tool for explaining the historical economic events to students. When L. Frank Baum wrote the book, indeed the Populist movement was at peak during the time and may have influenced Baum’s work. However it is difficult to conclude it with surety because several other interpretations backed up by evidences have been presented and some of them seem to clash with others. Indeed, Baum’s own experiences while living in South Dakota and experiencing the lives of farmers must have impacted his writing as it does represent the political and economic trend of the time. Ignoring the interpretations, there is a very bleak chance that The Wizard of Oz represents a deep meaning. As Baum himself said, this book was meant to be only as a children’s story. It is accepted that The Wizard of Oz was a popular book among children, any attempts to interpret as freemasonry, theosophy, allegory, and so on, is misleading. Although Baum’s writing may have been influenced by various factors and experiences, there is no doubt that the work was famous among adults and children. No matter how one looks at the symbolism present in the film and book, it is certain that time and conditions do impact a piece of cultural text. Works Cited Godwin, David F. “Dorothy's Progress: The Wizard of Oz as Spiritual Allegory.” The Llewellyn Journal (n.d.). Web. 19 Oct. 2013. . Greydanus, Steven D. "The Wizard of Oz (1939)." Decent Films Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. . Hansen, Bradley A. “The Fable of the Allegory: The Wizard of Oz in Economics.” The Journal of Economic Education 33.3 (2002): 254-264. Littlefield, Henry M. “The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism.” American Quarterly 16.1 (1964): 47-58. McGroarty, John Steven. Los Angeles from the Mountains to the Sea: With Selected Biography of Actors and Witnesses to the Period of Growth and Achievement, Volume 3. Los Angeles, CA: American Historical Society, 1921. Print. "Perseverance and Responsiveness: The Depression and War Years." Irwin & Leighton. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. . Rockoff, Hugh. “The “Wizard of Oz” as a Monetary Allegory.” Journal of Political Economy 98 (1990): 739-760. Rudolph, Kalie. “The Golden Era of Hollywood: The Making of The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind.” Chapman University Historical Review 2.2 (2011). Web. 19 Oct. 2013. . Taylor, Quentin. “Money and Politics in the Land of Oz.” News, Commentary & Analysis (2005). Web. 19 Oct. 2013. . Winterich, John T. “The Wizard of Oz and Who He Was, by Martin Gardner, Russel B. Nye, L. Frank Baum.” The Saturday Review May 4, 1957. Print. Read More