“I have been making believe”: religion in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”

There is no clear indication of the religion of the citizens of Oz, be it the Munchkins or Quaddlings or Winkies, but there are powerful figures that substitute gods. If there were a way to represent the state of religious rituality in Baum’s book, it would be polytheism. Multiple powers that take over the country comprise the Witches and Oz himself, who is the most god-like figure. They all are endowed with unusual abilities, and, though they do not have complete control either over their mortality or the fate of their subjects, they are separate from the rest of the creatures in the Land of Oz in an elevated way. Searchers for the hidden meanings might find both religious and antireligious undertones in the book. The yellow brick road might symbolize a religious path to God. The obstacles that travelers encounter on that road could represent the tests to prove the worthiness of all the company before the face of the higher power – Oz. Scholars indicate that the road could be seen akin to Buddhist way to enlightenment. And, indeed, it unites all quests - for home, courage, heart, brain. Another allusion to religion comes from the fact that Oz “the terrible” came from the sky: “I found myself in the midst of a strange people, who, seeing me come from the clouds, thought I was a great Wizard” (Baum, 187). It is interesting that Dorothy came from the sky as well together with the storm, and immediately she was given the title of a Witch. Because of the way she appeared in Oz, it could be assumed about her that it is she who owns the potential of becoming as imaginarily powerful as Oz, but only after completing the chain of obstacles – tests for approval. The final test before the desired outcome is achieved would be from the main figure – to kill the Witch of the West and thus to bring redemption for Dorothy and companions. All divine in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was revealed to be plain and deceptive. The godly figure – Wizard comes down to Earth with a confession “I am a humbug” (Baum, 184). A curious deprecation happens to the evil part of the polytheic pantheon. Wickedness of the Witch of the West is wiped by water as if in a ritual of baptism. The only divine part stays in Glinda, but still it is rather goodness than supernatural that upraises her. So what kind of a conclusion does the reader may come to? Knowing that Baum was a theosophist, it could be assumed that he applied this idea to the book as well, since Dorothy’s quest resembles a quest for “truth”. The details in the book, though, provide examples of self-reliance more than an appeal to God. The only might-be “candidate” for god, the Wizard, simply says: “I have been making believe” (Baum, 184).These words basically summarize the question of religion in the Land of Oz, just like the prejudices of companions about their own incapabilities to use brain, heart and courage. In the whole book, there is not a single mentioning of a word “god”. However, there is a church that is broken – in the china land, which is symbolic of the importance of religion. Literally, Dorothy does not find any damage in destroying a sacred place: I think we were lucky in not doing these people more harm than breaking a cow’s leg and a church” (Baum, 234). There is no god as an entity, but perhaps Baum meant that there is enough of godly power in the self – in Dorothy and her companions. Perhaps, it was all about stopping to turn the sights to the sky that keeps silent after the storm. The question of religion in Oz is open – should there be faith or must there be enough to hold on within the self? Unlike Baum, Gregory Maguire makes a significant accent on religion. The struggle between Pleasure Faith and Unionism poses a moral dilemma of extremes versus modesty. The importance of faith in “Wicked” makes the reader assume that the accent was intended by Maguire to oppose the absence of faith in Baum’s Oz. Thus, “Wicked” promises a clearly depicted faith theme and problem, though it seems like a lot of the questions will still be up to the reader to answer.