Underlying Themes In L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz
Believe: A Detailed Look at Underlying Themes
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a novel published originally in 1900, and written by L. Frank Baum, who also wrote thirteen to seventeen other books centering around the magical land of Oz. This children’s book spawned a Broadway Musical in 1902 and a film adaptation in 1939. It has also been the basic building block for plenty of other films, musicals and novels having to do with this imaginative world, such as Wicked; Oz the Great and Powerful; and The Wiz. These spin-offs and adaptations, however, simply cannot match the intricate details and underlying themes that play throughout this entire novel. In L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, three elements -- symbolism, characterization, and imagery -- are used to better get the underlying theme of believing across to the reader. …show more content…
When underlining the grayness of Kansas, Dorothy’s home, Baum is symbolizing the dullness of reality and Dorothy’s feelings toward this reality. Dorothy believes nothing in the world is special, and that there is no magic because her Aunt Em told her so: “‘But,’ said Dorothy, after a moment’s thought, ‘Aunt Em has told me that the witches were all dead -- years and years ago’” (14). This gives Dorothy blinders to the beauty of reality, and everything is gray and barren. Once she sees the beauty of Oz Dorothy’s growth begins, and she is better able to believe in herself, her friends, the magic and beauty in the world around her and back home, in
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a novel published originally in 1900, and written by L. Frank Baum, who also wrote thirteen to seventeen other books centering around the magical land of Oz. This children’s book spawned a Broadway Musical in 1902 and a film adaptation in 1939. It has also been the basic building block for plenty of other films, musicals and novels having to do with this imaginative world, such as Wicked; Oz the Great and Powerful; and The Wiz. These spin-offs and adaptations, however, simply cannot match the intricate details and underlying themes that play throughout this entire novel. In L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, three elements -- symbolism, characterization, and imagery -- are used to better get the underlying theme of believing across to the reader. …show more content…
When underlining the grayness of Kansas, Dorothy’s home, Baum is symbolizing the dullness of reality and Dorothy’s feelings toward this reality. Dorothy believes nothing in the world is special, and that there is no magic because her Aunt Em told her so: “‘But,’ said Dorothy, after a moment’s thought, ‘Aunt Em has told me that the witches were all dead -- years and years ago’” (14). This gives Dorothy blinders to the beauty of reality, and everything is gray and barren. Once she sees the beauty of Oz Dorothy’s growth begins, and she is better able to believe in herself, her friends, the magic and beauty in the world around her and back home, in