Irony In The Wizard Of Oz
In hopes that the Wizard will help her return to Kansas, Dorothy follows the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City. On her way there, we are introduced to a doubtful Scarecrow who claims to have “no brain at all”. The brainless Scarecrow represents the farmers, whose misfortune sunk their confidence leaving them in a constant state of depression. The Populists' ignorance along with their agenda and push nationalization of the railroads, income tax, and the abundance of silver. They found themselves bring laughed at by critics that rallied against their overblown rants and mocked their socialist rhetoric. Fortunately for the Scarecrow he discovered that he was not as dense as he perceived; along the journey he is profound for his common sense and
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The novel is consumed with implicit references of the colors: gold, silver and green The references to colored money regurgitate the prominence of monetary politics throughout the 1890’s, crusaded by Bryan and the Populist party. The Witch of the West beseeches her henchmen with the help of her silver whistle and golden cap, the Tin Man receives a new ax made of gold and silver and new oil. The pretext of Oz, to describe the Great Wizard of Oz, is a pun for ounces of gold and silver.
Green, in compilation with gold is repeated in the story, sprinkled with the irony that paper money is green. The Greenback Party, a forerunner of the Populist movement, urged the expansion of the money and circulation of “greenback” money. At the end of the story, the Scarecrow succeeds the Wizard as the ruler of Emerald City, the Tin Woodman is made master of the West, and the Lion is placed over the animals of the forest. Dorothy returns back to Kansas by clicking her silver shoes together three times. All this is attained with the help of Glinda, the good Witch of the South. Populism is triumphant over all, the power is given back to the people and political power is accomplished. The Tin Man, Scarecrow nor the Lion found what was “missing” and the Wizards’ powers were proved to be an illusion. And Dorothy had the power to get home all
The novel is consumed with implicit references of the colors: gold, silver and green The references to colored money regurgitate the prominence of monetary politics throughout the 1890’s, crusaded by Bryan and the Populist party. The Witch of the West beseeches her henchmen with the help of her silver whistle and golden cap, the Tin Man receives a new ax made of gold and silver and new oil. The pretext of Oz, to describe the Great Wizard of Oz, is a pun for ounces of gold and silver.
Green, in compilation with gold is repeated in the story, sprinkled with the irony that paper money is green. The Greenback Party, a forerunner of the Populist movement, urged the expansion of the money and circulation of “greenback” money. At the end of the story, the Scarecrow succeeds the Wizard as the ruler of Emerald City, the Tin Woodman is made master of the West, and the Lion is placed over the animals of the forest. Dorothy returns back to Kansas by clicking her silver shoes together three times. All this is attained with the help of Glinda, the good Witch of the South. Populism is triumphant over all, the power is given back to the people and political power is accomplished. The Tin Man, Scarecrow nor the Lion found what was “missing” and the Wizards’ powers were proved to be an illusion. And Dorothy had the power to get home all