I was only a kid , when I first watched a special presentation of The Wizard of Oz on T. V. the next day i went to the school library and picked up L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . Years later when i became a mother, I began reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to my two daughters Alexis and Neveah before bedtime. As i continued to read I was startled to find a new depth in the book which escaped me during childhood that I did not expect to find, Now all grown up i can finally grasp the underlinings and subplots scattered throughout the movie with Dorothy playing the role of the female heroine.
The Wizard of Oz is one of the most important films of the twentieth century. “MGM’s movie was an instant hit: and, afterward, thanks to prime time television, more people have seen it than any other motion picture ever made. The Library of Congress even included The Wizard of Oz with 24 other films that it declared to be “national treasures” Even with popularity, the film was not liked by everyone when it was first released many critics gave the film horrible reviews. Most people wouldn’t hesitate to call The Wizard of Oz a classic.
The cultural importance of The Wizard, its quality as literature remains somewhat in doubt. If we take a good look at some of the most popular children’s movies, we can quickly see that gender inequalities are represented there because our first experiences with gender roles come through the medium of children’s movies and they can have a powerful impact on how we conceptualize the world around us. While both the novel and the film have many of the same important female characters, the film portrays a more oppressive and sexist vision of women.
In the novel, Dorothy is portrayed as a very strong, brave, resourceful six-year-old girl. When she meets the wizard for the first time and hears the Wizard’s thundering world “I am Oz the Great and Terrible!!! ” she firmly replies, “I am Dorothy, the Small and Meek” but she is not really meek any more than the Wizard is really terrible. Faced with getting back home to Kansas, she sets about it with determination. And when the Wizard makes it a condition of his helping her that she destroy the second witch, she sets out immediately to do it, even though she does not want to destroy anyone or anything
Dorothy is also very independent. She meets adults like the Good Witch of the North and the Munchkins who cannot help her, but she continues on her journey. Dorothy serves as an Everyman for children to follow: She is sensible, friendly, helpful, brave without being foolish, deeply attached to her friends and family, and resolute in pursuing her goals. She does not change dramatically in the course of the journey, for this is not the course of someone who badly needs to change. The wizard of oz is a story of self discovery, in which Dorothy comes to realize her own potential by the journey’s end.
The characters she meets along the way, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion are not only her friends but all lack something that represent the qualities that Dorothy must to find within herself to complete her journey, courage Intelligence, and compassion!! Dorothy is the true heroine. She is the one who holds the band of travelers together. She is a very strong female character but can also have moments of weakness. she is motivated by her generosity to help everyone first before her little heart cries out for what she wants most of all …
HOME. Judy Garland’s portrayal of Dorothy In the film is spectacular. At one point in the movie Dorothy is held a helpless prisoner by the Wicked Witch of the West. She can do nothing for herself until her friends, the Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Woodman come to save her. When Dorothy finally defeats the witch, it is because she accidentally douses her with water while trying to splash the Scarecrow who is on fire. While Dorothy did not know this would kill the witch, her actions show her as a brave heroine.
Most of the movie is about the struggle over Dorothy’s ruby slippers, of which the wicked sorceress knows the worth while Dorothy does not. The words, “There’s no place like home,” is a phrase we all know and love. The reason that Glinda didn’t help Dorothy in the first place is because Dorothy didn’t yet understand that her place is in the home. The film sends the clear message that true happiness is found in family. This realness of Dorothy’s experience in a different world is what makes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz a great fantasy.
