The other night I went to the Fox theatre with my family and friends and watched the Wizard of Oz. The projectionist wasn't on his game, but it was still a great time at the movies. I really love those flying monkeys and the end when the all powerful Oz is just another bureaucrat who can't really help people as much as he can run his mouth, cut ribbons and give people meaningless awards. And the only one that really needed help was Dorothy and she could help herself all along.
After the movie we started talking about the fact that the book is actually a political allegory of some sorts. Someone said, "Oh yeah the tinman is like a factory worker, right?" Someone else chimed in about the scarecrow being the farmers and that the slippers were silver in the book and someone joked that the Lion represents the zookeepers of America that had major problems at that time. When I got home later I did a little research to find out what the deal really is and really, no one knows for sure. Or i should say there is debate on the subject.
The book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written by L. Frank Baum who prefaced the book by saying that it was just a story for children and until the 1960's no one said anything different. L. Frank Baum never admitted it to be an allegory, but Henry M. Littlefield came up with the theory in '64 that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a monetary allegory for bimetallism in the 1890's.
from wikipedia:
From 1880 to 1896, the price level in the U.S. economy fell by 23% (deflation). Most farmers of the west during that time were debtors, making their interest owed to the banks worth more than expected due to the deflation. According to the Populists' beliefs of the time, the solution to the farmers' problem was free coinage of silver (the U.S. was operating under a gold standard at that time). Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan supported the free silver requisition, summarized in his Cross of Gold speech. However, Republican William McKinley won the presidency and the gold standard remained.
So our man Littlefield's theory was used to teach what is described as "often the dullest episodes in money and banking"
So to get students interested in what the symbols could represent one has to learn the history behind the monetary allegory. Well, it worked on me. Here is a list of some of the symbols from the film and with the list some of the references by Bradley A Hansen, a former professor of economics at Mary Washington College. He wrote a paper that can be downloaded HERE about how the facts just don't add up to an allegory in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. There is another argument that Oz is China
Dorothy: traditional American values-she is dressed in red, white and blue in the film- but in the book she has a pink bonnet (symbolic meaning? I dunno)
Toto: Prohibitionist party (also called Teetotalers who were populist supporters)
Scarecrow: western farmers
Tin Woodsman: industrial workers but also Baum worked as
Cowardly Lion: William Jennings Bryan (who was said to be all roar, no bite)
Munchkins: citizens of the East
Wicked Witch of the East: Eastern business and financial interests
Wicked Witch of the West: William McKinley
or the drought that plauged the farmers of the west- since all that was needed to destroy her was a little water
Good Witches of the North and South: the southern and northern electoral mandate; that is, to see the agrarian south and the industrial north vote in harmony
Wizard: Mark Hanna (chairman of the Republican party)
Oz: abbreviation for ounce of gold (Oz)
Yellow Brick Road: gold standard
Cyclone: the free silver movement also a common symbol for political change
Emerald City: It is "emerald" only because those in it wear green glasses and hence think it is made of a green jewel; just as paper greenbacks have value only because people pretend that it has value. It is also a nice comment on people forced to see everything the same, no difference in opinion.
Silver Slippers: the free coinage of silver
Uncle Henry: In 1900 by far the most famous farmer in America was Henry Cantwell Wallace, editor of the leading farm magazine. Everyone called him "Uncle Henry
Flying Monkeys: Native Americans. the Winged monkeys in the West, whose leader tells Dorothy, "Once..we were a free people, living happily in the great forest, flying from tree to tree, eating nuts and fruit and doing just as we pleased without calling anybody master... This was many years ago, before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land."
Dainty China Country: Only exists in the book . in the China Country there is a Great Wall… And once Dorothy has climbed over it, its China people resent the intrusion of the foreigners, there is violence and they are forced to leave. People claim this section of the book is representative of the Boxer Rebellion in China.
I think it is really interesting all these different things people have projected on the story. I bet you could make Bush the Wizard and the characters are all factions of Americans looking for answers in tough times, which he doesn't provide. Modernize it a bit.
Tinman: He is technology. He wants a heart so he can care about the world around him, not just profits.He could stop deforestation and cut his dependence on oil.
Scarecrow: America's youth, so stoned (straw = weed, he's full of weed) he can't stand up straight. He's also disenfranchised to the point claiming to not have a brain, to avoid responsibility or having to take part in the ruined system. He's the kid that says voting doesn't matter.
Cowardly Lion: Al Gore, he should of put up a fight when they took his presidency
Flying Monkeys: 2008 Presidential candidates
Muchkins: Al Queda
Yellow Brick Road: Haliburton
ToTo: Michael Moore
Cyclone: 9/11
Emerald City: Iran
Actually that's just a bunch of nonsense but I bet someone could take that idea and run with it and write a magnificent pile of shit out of it. I personally would love to hear an argument that links the lollipop guild to Islamic Extremists.
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