What is the meaning of the title The Wizard of Oz?

Answer 1

That it is America's first fairy tale is the significance of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Specifically, author and Oz series originator Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 - May 6, 1919) described his story in an introductory page to the original 1900 book edition of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." He indicated that it was time for the children of the United States of America to have their own homegrown fairy tale. He said that he sought to increase the delight of children by minimizing nightmare-causing characters and events in Fairy Tales from other countries.

Answer 2

The symbolic meaning of 'The Wizard of Oz' depends upon the inclinations of the reader of the original 1900 book edition or the viewer of the beloved 1939 film version. Author and Oz series originator Frank Lyman Baum [May 15, 1856-May 6, 1919] isn't known to have left any indication of a symbolic meaning to his story or its characters. In fact, the main information about the author's intent is included in the book's introduction. In that introduction, Baum says that his book is intended for enjoyment, as an American fairy tale, for children everywhere.

But there are those who give symbolic meaning to the Oz story and the Oz characters. One such meaning is the Populist interpretation. According to that interpretation, the different characters represent different real life people and sogial segments from the 19th century United States of America. For example, the Tin Woodman represents the urban working class.

Another related interpretation deals with the silver standard. For example, the Yellow Brick Road is seen as a symbolic representation of the U.S. adherence to a gold based money standard. The silver slippers are seen as a symbolic representation of the attempt by William Jennings Bryan [March 19, 1860-July 26, 1925], whom Populists supported, to switch over to a silver based standard.

Yet another interpretation deals with the theme of home. In that interpretation, 'The Wizard of Oz' becomes the modern equivalent of 'The Odyssey' by Homer [flourished 850 B.C.E.?]. Like Odysseus, Dorothy Gale leaves home against her will, gets lost, finds many obstacles, and eventually achieves her goal of reaching her homeland.

Answer 3

Not everything is made clear in The Wizard of Oz, which is the first of the royal histories by author and Oz series originator Lyman Frank Baum [May 15, 1856-May 5, 1919]. From the other 13 books, the reader learns that the word Oz has one meaning for the Wizard, and another for the residents of the beautiful, enchanted, magical world over which the Wizard becomes the Supreme Ruler. For the Wizard, Oz refers to the initials of his first two names: Oscar Zoroaster. For the residents, Oz is the name of their traditional, hereditary, absolute monarch if a male, Ozma if a female. For the residents, Oz also is the name of the country in which are located the Emerald City and the lands of the Gillikins in the North, the Munchkins in the East, the Quadlings in the South, and the Winkies in the West. Clearly, the title The Wizard of Oz refers to the third use of the name, in the context of the country, not as the initials of the Wizard or as the name of the native rulers. But why does the title refer to an individual who appears, and leaves, about halfway through the story? Generally, an individual who uses special powers for good is ka a wizard, and one whose purposes are evil is ka a warlock. The Wizard is not good enough to be either. For he is a humbug. As he says in the book, how can he be otherwise when people ask him to do things that aren't possible? For Dorothy Gale, her pet dog Toto, and their friends the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion each want something that they consider themselves to be incapable of getting on their own. And so they spend the first half of the story trying to see the Wizard, as the supposed solver of all problems and granter of all requests. The Wizard agrees to help upon the successful completion, by the five friends, of a distasteful mission. Mission accomplished, the Wizard purports to give to the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion what each one already has: heart, brains, and courage, respectively. As a a humbug who's honest with himself, the Wizard realizes that he's going to have to solve Dorothy's problem, really and truly. For Dorothy sees him for what he is, and calls a humbug a humbug. And so the Wizard tries to get Dorothy and Toto back to Kansas by way of a hot air balloon ride with him. But Toto jumps out of the basket at the last minute, Dorothy follows, and neither one gets back into the basket before the balloon takes off. So why does the title refer to an individual who doesn't give something for nothing, and who really doesn't give the five friends what they want? The five friends are advised to seek the help of Glinda the Good Witch. At her Red Castle of the South in Quadling Country, Glinda says that Dorothy has the means - within herself, and from day one - to get back home. For Dorothy is the wearer of the Slippers of the Wicked Witch of the East. And those slippers hold the secret power to grant what the wearer requests. So why isn't the title instead something on the order of Dorothy in Oz, or Glinda of Oz [the actual name of a later book in the series]? The reason may be the middle ground between extreme self-reliance and extreme dependency, which is all part of seeking answers, growing up, and finding one's place in the world. For the Wizard may represent the times when an individual looks just to an outside source to solve problems. But that outside source may have ulterior motives and hidden agendas, as does the Wizard, who just wants to get back home before his subjects find out what a humbug he is. In the first half of the story, the five friends solve, on their own, all of the obstacles that may have kept less intelligent, less courageous, less compassionate individuals from reaching the Wizard of Oz. And in the second half of the story, they do likewise in reaching Glinda the Good. But in both cases, the five are motivated by a lack of self-knowledge and self-worth. And so the title emphasizes the critical, formative role that the Wizard plays in the voyage of self-discovery and of team membership that is life. For life is a balancingact between extreme independence and extreme dependence, between isolation and the company of family and of tried and true friends, between ignorance and knowledge of oneself and of others, between painful disappointments and realistic dreams.

Answer 4

That it is the first American fairy tale as the book and that it is a pioneer in color filming and special effects as the film are reasons why "The Wizard of Oz" is important.

Specifically, author and Oz series originator Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 - May 6, 1919) described his first installment in the royal histories of Oz series as the first American fairy tale. The first book included the fairy tale characteristics of a happy ending after the sorting out of enchantments and magic. But at the same time, it lacked the hallmark presence of fairies, who nevertheless are important in Oz's history and do show up in subsequent titles.

In contrast, the beloved 1939 film is important not only for action, character and plot but also for technological achievements. It offered an early example of filming in lush, vibrant Technicolor. Its special effects were so high quality that they continue to impress to this day.

Answer 5

The Wizard of Oz is a story representing the state of the United States monetary system. The three major characters besides dorothy represent constituents of the US; the brainless scarecrow (farmers), the heartless and soulless tin man (or Taxpayer Identification Number man) (represents industrial workers who are too worn to work together), and the cowardly lion (politicians who have the power to change banking system through Congress and Constitution but are too cowardly to do so). Various symbols represent the stranglehold very few people (the wizard of oz, one man) have on the masses. The yellow brick road is the gold standard, oz = ounce (gold is measured in ounces), in the original book Dorothy's shoes are made of silver (not ruby), which can be backed up by the bank, that's why she was able to get back all along. Delve deeper into this analysis, it's very revealing.

Answer 6

That it was the first American fairy tale and that it followed the worst of the Depression are the respective reasons why the book and the movie "The Wizard of Oz" are famous.

Specifically, the original 1900 book edition generated a lot of interest with its self-description as entertainment oriented exclusively for children. In a way, this first book and its sequels operated as the "Harry Potter" equivalents of the early twentieth century. Additionally, it served as entertainment that the whole family could enjoy, and even more so with the release of the beloved 1939 movie version after the economic depths and psychological despair of the Great Depression of the 1930s in the United States of America.

Answer 7

Belief in homegrown ideals and hope in the futurerepresent the importance of "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939.

Specifically, the film release date coincides with the U.S. emergence from the Great Depression of the 1930s. It also occurs less than a month before the start of the Second World War in Europe, on September 1, 1939. It offers a validation of American commitments to family, friends, and home and a hope for the survival of the United States of America as a nation in a world of troubled nations fighting and invading each other.

Answer 8

the wizard of oz represents the populist party around the turn of the century. each character represents something in real life