Socio-Political Symbolism in Baum’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ Research Paper

Introduction

First published in 1900, at a time when economical factors as well as drought and brutal winters were devastating American society, The Wizard of Oz has always maintained a representation of imagination and fantasy. However, as this discussion will attempt to analyze, the social and political symbolism within the story goes far beyond the ostensibly entertaining witches and wizards as depicted in both the novel and the film. Through the symbolism they pertain to, both pieces of work are an undeniably true reflection of the socio-economic and political struggles in the turn of the 19^th century, as well as within the New Deal era of the 1930’s.

The Symbolism and Meaning of Oz

Distinctly, it would be important to note that in his parallel analysis of the populist movement in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, author Henry Littlefield fails to give any explanation of the name ‘Oz’.¹ However, in the 1971 text The Winning of the Midwest, Richard Jensen demonstrates that ‘OZ’ is actually a contraction of ‘ounce’ – a standard measurement of gold and silver. During the time that The Wizard of Oz was written and published, the United States was firm upon the gold standard. Nevertheless, there were populists who argued that the use of both silver and gold would be much more beneficial to the economy; and interestingly, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum), used extensive amounts of colour in his story – particularly with regards to currency. For example, the Emerald City was green, the yellow brick road was gold and, in the original story, Dorothy’s shoes were silver (rather than ruby as they are in the film version). Having said this, it could be concluded that perhaps the choice of the name ‘OZ’ strengthens the central notion that Baum intentionally wrote a political allegory involving and relating to the current financial status of the era in which the novel was published.

A further possibility exists for the origin of the name OZ; in Samuel Bousky’s text entitled The Wizard of Oz Revealed. Bousky notes the biblical image of the ‘Tree of Life,’ as discussed in Genesis and Revelation, which are both the first and last books within the Bible. As Bousky also states “the phonetic name of the symbol within ancient Biblical speak is Otz Chiim. The first word Otz means Tree, but it also means Plan. The final word, rather than Life, means Living, and thus spiritual Plan for Living – and the word Otz can also be articulated as OZ.”²

It’s also useful to recognize the geographical aspects of Oz, which are analogous of four areas, or territories: North, South, East and West. The antagonists (the Wicked Witches) canonise the East and the West, whilst the friendly witches rule over the North and Southern regions. Within the populist interpretation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the good witches rule over the parts of Oz that related to the agrarian sectors of the United States (these being the Midwest and Southern regions), while the evil witches rule over territories that correspond to the regions where the Populists had very little influence.³ Furthermore, each region of Oz is coupled with a colour as well as characters that emphasize these associations.

Political and Social Symbolism of the 19^th Century and New Deal Era

With regards to the situational aspects of the time period, Baum had been actively involved in politics during the 1890’s. He had never said that the original story was in fact an allegory for politics; however, he did not have a chance to deny this idea. In effect, Baum himself voices in his introduction to have written The Wonderful Wizard of Oz “solely to please the children of today”.⁴ Baum also notes in the introduction that he envisions his story as a “modernized fairy tale”. Interestingly though, with the exception of the references to the people from Kansas, there is absolutely nothing modern in the book whatsoever – except for the political references which are saturated throughout each and every chapter. European fairy tales of the past have depictions of political allegory, which were often disguised as myth or legend in times of autocracy when people were sometimes forbidden to speak out against the unfairly harsh treatment that they encountered.⁵

An abundance of scholarly sources within history⁶ and political science,⁷ have suggested that the imagery and characterisation used by Baum, resembled closely the political images that were significantly known to the 1890’s. These sources argue that Baum did not invent the Tin Man, Lion, Yellow Brick Road, Scarecrow, Emerald City, Witches or the Wizard – as they were all considered common themes and typecasts inspired from the editorial cartoons of the decade previous to that of the book being published. In contrast, Baum merely built a story around these characters, as well as the issues of the time, finally adding a mixture of positive thinking as well as issues involving ethics, morality, and the notion that everyone possesses everything they need – if only they have the self-confidence. For example, this self esteem and positivity is what ultimately gets Dorothy home at the end of the story.

The film version of The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939, was a product of the New Deal era in American society. The general story line was left as it was for the novel, and yet it still appears as a form of political and social satire. However, this time the focus was not on bimetallism concerns, of which were popular at the turn of the century. In this instance, the focal point of the work was on Franklin Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’, as well as the optimism which had recently hit the damaged American culture through means of the Great Depression.

Lynette Carpenter⁸ argues that the film version attempts to portray the influence of various world events at the time of its production. The conflict in Europe and the Pacific was escalating towards the late 1930’s; however, the majority of Americans were known to be in avoidance of the Second World War (at least until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour). The films message that “there’s no place like home”, doesn’t appear to be emphasized as strongly in the novel, and yet it reflects the feeling of the isolationism of the New Deal era. Carpenter also acknowledges the liberties in which the film took with the original story, inventing the confliction of Dorothy and Miss Gulch, and her decision to run away from home. This particular aspect allows the film to idealize the city of Kansas, as well as to highlight the virtues of maintaining the desire to remain at home. Carpenter also goes as far as to suggest that the politics in Oz are relatively simple – democracy is depicted by the Good Witch of the North, as well as the Wizard of Oz; while totalitarianism is represented by both the Wicked Witch of the West, and the Wicked Witch of the East⁹.

Francis MacDonnell¹⁰ also stipulates that the film is an allegory of the New Deal, as well as Roosevelt’s extensive social welfare program to counteract the widespread hardships facing those of the Great Depression era in the 1930’s. However, she also notes that the person who was chiefly accountable for injecting this symbolism into the film was E. “Yip” Harburg, a lyricist who was a socialist as well as a supporter of Roosevelt’s policies regarding the situation within the time period. Harburg had in fact written the lyrics to “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?” which had served as an appropriate anthem for the Great Depression.¹¹

Regardless of the fact that there were many other artists involved in the film, Harburg had extensive influence over the shaping of the story. During an interview in the Washington Post, just before his death, Harburg said, “the Emerald City was the New Deal.”¹² MacDonnell also notes the similarity between the Wizard and Roosevelt, demonstrating that the main achievement of the Wizard was the restoration of the confidence in Dorothy’s companions, of which is a similar likeness to that of the Roosevelt administration, who had been faced with the undeniable challenge of restoring buoyancy to a struggling and belligerent nation throughout the New Deal era.¹³

Comparative Conclusion

In conclusion, the contrast between the novel and the film contextualized within each of their eras is not all that dissimilar. Both are documented forms of artistic entertainment, and their purposes lay within the aspiration to assist in the lifting of social consciousness during times of immense despair that tends to replicate a feeling of sadness and societal distress. Equally, the turn of the 19^th century and the New Deal era were low points in American history, and those who assisted in these creations were undoubtedly socially aware of what was going on around them. Generally, it could be considered that the film and the novel were both of a great social and political importance. The type of symbolism depicted isn’t merely imperative to just one era; it remains forever – throughout history.

Annotated Bibliography

Baum, L.F. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Geo. Hill, 1^st ed, Chicago: New York, 1900.

Undeniably a true classic of American literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has stimulated and enlightened the imagination of many generations, and will do for many more to come. Perhaps considered as the very first genuine fairy tale, the novel represents a time in American history that is also synonymous to that of the era in which the film adaptation is situated.

Bousky, S. The Wizard of Oz Revealed, Weed, CA, Writers Consortium, 1994, p. 26.

Bousky discusses the hidden reasons behind the symbolism of the Wizard of Oz, chiefly the naming of the book as well as the characterisation of the structure and how it related to the contemporary world of its time. He reveals some very original assumptions and successfully backs them up with facts and detailed conclusions.

Carpenter, L. “‘There’s No Place Like Home’: The Wizard of Oz and American Isolationism,” Film and History 15, 1985, pp. 37-45.

This text encapsulates the influence of the film in relation to the Second World War and its themes associated with the Depression era of the 1930s. Carpenter analyzes both aptly and responsibly the different aspects that consider the film to be similar to the novel in terms of content, yet contextualized within an entirely different era. It is an important piece of analysis to compliment the rest of the sources used.

Dighe, R. The Historian’s Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baum’s Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory, 2002.

Dighe’s book is of a great interest to those who wish to comprehend Baum’s classic tale, as well as those who choose to use the story as a platform for analyzing perhaps the most vital period in American political and economic history. Written in an uncomplicated and engaging manner, the text is based upon a considerable understanding of both the primary and secondary sources. Amongst conflicting interpretations, Dighe developed original ones of his own, dealing with the various underlying issues within Baum’s work.

Littlefield, H “The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism,” American Quarterly 16 (Spring, 1964), p. 50.

Through his analysis, Littlefield was perhaps the first to distinguish the difference between the Wizard of Oz as being more than a mere fairy tale. He notes its fundamental aspects as being both socially and politically imperative within its era of being published. His interpretation set the benchmark for further academic study in this area, and has since spawned countless amounts of research and ideas.

MacDonnell, F. “‘The Emerald City Was the New Deal’: E.Y. Harburg and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” Journal of American Culture 13 (Winter 1990), pp. 71-75.

This text forms an understanding of the film and its contextualization within the cinema of its era. It also stipulates that the film is an allegory of the New Deal, and that Roosevelt’s presence during the time was comparable to that of the actual Wizard in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She also exhibits extensive knowledge about other issues that informed the film’s symbolism such as the lyricist who was also a major influence in the production of it.

Parker, D. “The Rise and Fall of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a ‘Parable on Populism’”, Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians, Vol. 15 (1994), Pp. 49-63.

The research conducted by Parker for his essay uses many scholarly sources to provide examples of the era in which the novel is written. His thesis indicates that the story is not merely a fairy tale, and backs up assumptions that the social and political turmoil of the turn of the 19^th century informed the story to make it something much more than it appears to be.

Ritter, G. “Silver slippers and a golden cap: L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and historical memory in American politics.” Journal of American Studies (August 1997) vol. 31, no. 2, 171-203.

It is Ritter’s attempt; to not only add to the body of work on the symbolism within The Wizard of Oz, but to also focus on the political aspects that inform the work. He also compares the novel the film, and endeavours to create an extensive analysis of the political infractions of the turn of the 19^th century.

Footnotes

1. Littlefield, H. “The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism,” American Quarterly 16 (1964), p. 50
2. Bousky, S The Wizard of Oz Revealed (Weed, CA: Writers Consortium, 1994), p. 26.
3. Littlefield, H. “The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism,” American Quarterly 16 (1964), p. 50
4. Baum, L.F. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Geo. Hill, 1^st ed, Chicago: New York, 1900.
5. Dighe, R. ed. The Historian’s Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baum’s Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory (2002)
6. Parker, D. “The Rise and Fall of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a ‘Parable on Populism’”, Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians, Vol. 15 (1994), Pp. 49-63.
7. Ritter, G. “Silver slippers and a golden cap: L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and historical memory in American politics.” Journal of American Studies (1997) vol. 31, no. 2, 171-203.
8. Carpenter, L. “‘There’s No Place Like Home’: The Wizard of Oz and American Isolationism,” Film and History 15 (1985), pp. 37-45.
9. Ibid
10. MacDonnell, F. “‘The Emerald City Was the New Deal’: E.Y. Harburg and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” Journal of American Culture (1990), pp. 71-75.
11. Ibid
12. Ibid
13. Ibid