Wizard of Oz Symbolism

Symbolism:

1. Dorothy--she is resourceful, determined, honest, loyal and kind-hearted--she is what each of the other characters in the novel strive to be, or to have what she has.

-Each of the other characters feel like their missing something (e.g. scarecrow - brains, tin man - heart, lion - courage). They strive to be like her/ to have what she has.--pg.63

She could represent the average American who can do anything if he puts his heart into it

- Hailing from Kansas, could represent the commoner

- In her innocence and purity she is all powerful and personally kills two witches because even if she doesn't believe it she does have the power to do anything she wants as do the American citizens

-Although she didn't realize it until the end, only her silver slippers could take her home to Kansas. Similarly, "the westerners" never realized they already had a viable currency of the people

2. Tin Woodsman - He used to be human, but was turned into a tin man by the Wicked Witch of the East. His desire is to be given a heart by the Wizard of Oz because he believes that having a heart is the most valuable possession that a person can have, but he is already tender and kind-hearted in nature even going so far as to weep over the fact that he squashed a bug.

Could represent the factory workers of the industrialized North, whom the Populists saw as being so hard-pressed to work grueling hours for little money that the workers had lost their human hearts and become mechanized themselves

-The Tin Man was immobile and rusted, which is something many factory workers felt when many businesses began to shut down due to a national depression. They felt helpless after they lost their jobs.

-The Woodman is rusted and helpless--ineffective until he starts to work together with the Scarecrow (the farmer)--this could represent joining of

3. Scarecrow-- he's described as lacking a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely ignorant. Throughout the course of the novel, he demonstrates that he already has the brains he's looking for and that he's the most adept problem solver among the four travelers

 Could represent farmer who apparently doesn't have the wit to understand his situation or his political interests

-Although he has been persuaded that he is only a dumb hick, he possesses a strong common sense, remarkable insight and quick-wittedness that needs only to be reinforced by self-confidence.

4. Cowardly Lion-- Since lions are supposed to be "The Kings of Beasts," the Cowardly Lion believes that his fear makes him inadequate. He buckled under and whimpered when anyone of any size or stature challenged him, like Dorothy. But when push came to shove, he showed himself to be brave (ex: jumping over lake, saving jungle from giant spider, etc.)

 Could represent William J. Bryan: In the late 1800s politician William Jennings Bryan was a supporter of the free silver movement.

-Bryan had a load roar (take his cross of gold speech for example), but no power or bite (McKinley beat him in the presidential campaign by a landslide).

- Bryan was a Democratic presidential candidate who supported the silver cause. But he failed to win votes from eastern workers and lost the 1896 election. In the same way, the Lion's claws are nearly blunted by the Woodman's metallic shell when he first meets up with Dorothy and her other friends.

5. Wicked Witch of the East--the local banks and/or the railroad industry, both of which drove small farmers out of business; eastern business

6. Wicked Witch of the West

Could represent the trusts; one popular solution to the trust problem was to dissolve them, as Dorothy does with water. Or she could represent railroad barons who controlled/enslaved railroad workers (flying monkeys), who were feared by oz (McKinley) and who wanted to control the monetary policy in order to make it gold standard and (witch wanted the power that the silver shoes held)

Or it could represent the drought that the farmers faced in the west which could end with water

7. Good Witch of the North--described as an extremely kind and gentle character who stood against the oppression and subjugation of people. Although she wasn't as powerful as the Wicked Witch of the East