A Literary Analysis Of The Wizard Of

A Literary Analysis Of The Wizard Of Oz Essay, Research Paper Survival of the Fittest Fairy tales, such as Mervyn Leroy?s 1939 production of The Wizard of Oz, follow children throughout the ages because each child contains a wholesome instinctive desire for fantastic stories and manifest reality. Characters like the munchkins and fairies of Grimm and Anderson have brought more joy to young hearts than from all other human inventions. The Wizard of Oz has served for generations and is now considered a ?historical? tale in the children?s library. Contemporary child ventures solely in entertainment in a fairy tale but it is essential that in modern education the story includes morality; Fleming?s production easily dispenses both entertainment and morality to please educators and

children of the world. The Wizard of Oz survives today because it speaks the truth, demonstrates ?affirimitiveness?, and contains beauty. The movie revolves around the central character Dorothy Gale, who is a twelve-year-old girl from Kansas who loves her dog Toto. She lives an unhappy lifestyle on her Aunt Em?s and Uncle Henry?s farm; therefore, she embarks on a journey for a better life with Toto as her only companion. She yearns to travel ?somewhere where there isn?t any trouble? and escape from the clutches of dog-hating Elvira Guilch. Before long, Dorothy and Toto are whisked away by a swirling tornado and thrown into a Technicolor world. They arrive in munchkin land atop the wicked witch of the East. Dorothy and Toto meet the inhabitants of Munchkin City and Glinda, the

good witch of the North. The wicked witch of the West then threatens Dorothy. As a result, Dorothy and Toto travel down the yellow brick road in search of the Emerald City to ask The Wizard of Oz to send them home. During their long walk, three new friends accompany them: the scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion. The new companions desire a gift from the wizard, a gift that each individual lacks within his or her soul. The scarecrow opts for a brain; the tin man would like a heart; the cowardly lion longs for courage. Along the yellow brick road, the five characters are challenged by encounters with the wicked witch who wants her sister?s ruby slippers back from Dorothy. At one point, the witch induces sleep using a sleeping spell in a poppy seed field. This spell is

only broken by snow sent by Glinda, the good witch. The five partners arrive in Emerald City where the Wizard promises to fulfill their wishes when they can retrieve the wicked witch?s broomstick. The witch?s gang of flying winged monkey?s capture Dorothy in pursuit of the broomstick, but good manages to prevail over evil. The companions return to the wizard and discover that he is a charlatan. He claims to be ?A Kansas Man? himself. He eventually provides Dorothy?s new friends with satiating tokens and tells Dorothy he will return her and Toto to Kansas on a hot-air balloon. The wizard loses control of the balloon placing Dorothy in a stranded foreign land once again. Glinda informs Dorothy that she possesses the power to return herself by using the magical ruby slippers. To

show for her trip Dorothy ?returns? to Kansas merely with memories and a bump on her head, but with an epiphany repeating ?there?s no place like home?. The truth in the movie pertains to society as a whole. The Wizard of Oz is a reflection of society?s struggle to maintain pace with drastic changes that occur around it. The bright, colorful world of Oz represents the new century; where as, Dorothy illustrates every man that relies on brains, a heart, and courage to survive the New World. Glinda and the Wizard guide Dorothy along her journey, only to help her envision her full potential. Over time Dorothy becomes accustomed to the new environment and becomes able to embrace her surroundings. Furthermore, in several ways, civilization is currently in Oz. People are caught in the