How does 'The Wizard of Oz' relate to the farmers' plight in the 19th century?

Answer 1

Any economic or political impact of 'The Wizard of Oz' on farmers in the American Midwest is unknown. But there may have been a psychological impact from the positive portrayal of Dorothy Gale and of her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. Indeed, both the original 1900 book edition and the beloved 1939 film version show the three characters to be resourceful, honest, hard working, and brave in the face of extreme weather, harsh conditions, and limited resources.

Answer 2

That the setting is a farm and that the main character is a little farm girl whose family struggles to survive are ways in which "The Wizard of Oz" relates to the farmers' plight during the nineteenth century.

Specifically, farmers struggled against the stress of natural forces that they did not have the technology to control or mitigate during the nineteenth century. That struggle is reflected in "The Wizard of Oz," which begins and ends on farm land in the vast, hostile, bleak Kansas prairies. It is found in the worried, gaunt, exhausted appearances and words of Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, guardians of the little farm girl Dorothy Gale. It is evident in the resigned reaction of Uncle Henry to having to check the cows and horses and the panic of Aunt Em to getting under cover before the full fury of the cyclone is felt.