THE WIZARD OF OZ

I said i was gonna post it...so here it is.....(yea i realize no one will REALLY read it, but thats okay!) :-D

Throughout human history, man has attempted to explain his role in the world, both as a part of society and as an individual, through mythology. Throughout many generations, these myths, their themes, ideas, and symbols have been passed down by oral tradition, and later, preserved by written stories and literature. Even in our modern age, the same mythological themes and symbols have survived. Whether consciously or subconsciously, film-makers and writers often use these mythological references, symbols, and themes in their productions, and it isn't until we observe the film carefully that we begin to notice that these are present.

One such film is the 1939 cinema classic, THE WIZARD OF OZ. This is a movie that virtually all American children and adults know and love. It is centered around the heroine Dorothy's quest to find her way back home to Kansas after being transported to the magical land of Oz by a tornado, all while being pursued by a wicked witch and accompanied by her three friends and her little dog, Toto. This movie makes extensive use of mythological themes and symbolism.

The most obvious mythological theme of the movie is that of the popular battle between the forces of good and evil- the Witch and Dorothy. But even before Dorothy enters the dreamland of Oz, she faces a parallel villain at her own home; the heartless Miss Gulch who is trying to have Toto destroyed for ruining her vegetable garden. Dorothy also faces her own personal dilemma; she feels ignored, misunderstood, and unappreciated at home. It is common for heroes and heroines to face some sort of internal conflict in themselves before setting off on their quests. At the end of the quest, the internal conflict has usually been resolved, as is true in Dorothy's case. Dorothy dreams of being "over the rainbow," in a beautiful place where there isn't any trouble. This another mythological theme- to set off in search for a better world, a paradise or Utopia, and improve one's life. In an attempt to escape her problems and find her heart's desire, Dorothy sets off on a journey. But on her way back, she is caught in a storm and struck on the head by a shattering window, beginning a detailed dream in which the people in her life are symbolized by various characters.

Upon entering Munchkinland, a happy, beautiful place of magical happenings, Dorothy's house lands upon the Wicked Witch of the East. In a mythological sense, Dorothy has slain a monster, and she receives praise and respect from the Munchkins, as well as gifts of lollipops, flowers, and songs- a common motif in mythology being that the hero is bestowed with gifts. But there is still evil lurking in the peaceful land- the sister of the slain witch comes to seek revenge on Dorothy. Revenge is a frequent motif in mythology. Glenda, the Good Witch of the North, becomes Dorothy's advisor and helper, as it is common for a hero to have assistance from a higher source. She tells Dorothy that she must travel to the Emerald City and ask the great Wizard of Oz for help in finding her way home. For the second time, Dorothy sets off on a journey. But before she leaves, Dorothy is given a pair of magical ruby slippers- the equivalent of the mythological hero's divine weapon. She is told to always keep the slippers on, as they will protect her.

In her dream, the threatening Miss Gulch is represented by the Wicked Witch of the West, her outwardly scatterbrained friend Hunk by the Scarecrow, her sentimental friend Zeke by the Tinman, and her seemingly craven friend Hickory by the Cowardly Lion. These three outcast companions join Dorothy on her quest to Oz. They all appear to be failures and have some defect, although this is not truly the case, as they discover eventually. The Scarecrow believes he has no brain and cannot think, the Tinman believes he can't feel emotion because he has no heart, and the Lion believes he is a coward because he has no courage. The idea of the hero picking up outcast friends along the journey is another mythological motif.

After Dorothy finds the Scarecrow, they enter into a forest, and dangerous things begin to happen. In mythology, forests are often used to symbolize the onset of evil occurrences, because of their darkness and mystery. First, when Dorothy sees large, tempting apples on nearby trees, she attempts to pick them. (The apple being the mythological symbol of something sacred or forbidden.) But the tree, which happens to be alive, slaps Dorothy and shouts at her. Suddenly the whole grove of living trees pelt the two with apples. Likewise, shortly after finding the Tinman and still in the forest, the Wicked Witch appears and warns the Scarecrow and Tinman to leave Dorothy alone or they will have trouble as well. When they refuse, the Scarecrow is threatened with fire.

Further into the journey, the danger-in -the-forest motif is used again. As they travel deeper into the woods, they begin to feel increasingly more nervous. Dorothy exclaims, "I don't like this forest- it's dark and creepy...Do you suppose we'll meet any wild animals?" To which the Tinman replies, "Mostly lions and tigers and bears." Right after they begin to panic, the Lion jumps out at them and presents a temporary threat.

Just at the border of entering Emerald City, the Witch puts a spell on the poppy field to cause the group to fall asleep. But Glenda, who is watching over them, counteracts the curse by causing a light snow to fall and wake them up. Again, she assists Dorothy in her time of need.

When Dorothy and her friends finally approach the Wizard and state their requests, they are asked to prove themselves worthy by obtaining the broomstick of the Wicked Witch. In mythology, a hero must often prove his worth by fulfilling certain tasks. They then travel back into the woods, this time an even more sinister woods, the Haunted Forest. Here, the Tinman professes that he does not believe in spooks, and calls them silly. Upon insulting a higher being, in mythology, the person is punished. The Tinman is levitated into the air and then thrown back down furiously.

When Dorothy is captured by the Witch and locked in her tower, she is shown an hourglass and told that when the sands run out, she will die. Fortunately, the mythological hero is always saved. Toto escapes and leads the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion to Dorothy, and they free her. In the tower, we see a brief picture of a single burning candle that has gotten progressively shorter. Candles are often used to represent a person's soul in mythology.

After the group of friends is cornered, with no way out, we see another shot of a group of candles burning on a chandelier. There are five candles, symbolically corresponding to the five souls that are about to perish, including Toto. When Dorothy throws a bucket of water on the Scarecrow to extinguish the flames, some water splashes onto the Wicked Witch and she instantly melts and disappears, leaving behind only her black cloak and hat, black being symbolic of darkness and evil. In mythology, even the most powerful adversary has a weakness.

When Dorothy completes her task, she comes to realize that she had the power to return home all along. The Scarecrow discovers that he has always had a brain, the Tinman that he has had a heart, and the lion that he has had courage. Dorothy is told to tap her heels together three times. It is also interesting to note that several other things came in threes- the number of Witches- the West, the East, and the North, the number of friends she had both in the dream and in reality, and also the number of advisors Dorothy had- Aunt Em, the Wizard, and Glenda.

Throughout the course of her dream, the outcome of Dorothy's future is revealed; she finds her way back home and is happy to discover that she always had the power within herself and her heart's desire was to be found at home all along. Here, once again there is the relationship to mythology, where dreams are often visions of the future.