Baum obviously has something to say on gender when he chooses his main character to be a female. Instead of letting the main character of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz be the
princess as the other children stories like snow white and the seven dwarfs or the sleeping beauty, Baum let Dorthy to be a heroine. She helps the scarecrow get his brain, saves him from the farmer’s corn field; she helps the tin man get his heart and oils his joints and she also help the lion to find his courage. Notice how all the female characters in the story are all strong. The wicked witch of the west, the main threat of Dorothy’s way home, knows magic and has the capabilities to destroy her companions. The wicked witch of the west, although was destroyed by Dorothy’s house, is mentioned as evil and powerful as the wicked witch of the west. The witch of the North, who gives Dorothy the kiss that protects her from danger, is female. Lastly, the witch of the South, Galinda, is portrayed as a beautiful witch in the story and is the only person who points Dorothy her way home. In addition, Dorothy also encounters many characters on her road trip to Emerald City. Notice how the “helpful” character Dorothy encounters are all female. The stork helps scarecrow to cross the river and the queen of the field mice lead the field mice to help the lion roll out of the poppy bed to green field.
The witches, Queen of Field Mice and Dorothy are all examples of strong female figure. I realize now that they all exhibit characteristics of activists,
“a person who believes strongly that a problem needs to be remedied that she dedicates herself and other people to fix the problem.”
There’s more to be explored in this topic. I am curious if Baum intentionally matches up the female characters to
existing feminists?
Works Cited
Baum, Frank L. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1960.
Baum obviously has something to say on gender when he chooses his main character to be a female. Instead of letting the main character of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz be the princess as the other children stories like snow white and the seven dwarfs or the sleeping beauty, Baum let Dorthy to be a heroine. She helps the scarecrow get his brain, saves him from the farmer’s corn field; she helps the tin man get his heart and oils his joints and she also help the lion to find his courage. Notice how all the female characters in the story are all strong. The wicked witch of the west, the main threat of Dorothy’s way home, knows magic and has the capabilities to destroy her companions. The wicked witch of the west, although was destroyed by Dorothy’s house, is mentioned as evil and powerful as the wicked witch of the west. The witch of the North, who gives Dorothy the kiss that protects her from danger, is female. Lastly, the witch of the South, Galinda, is portrayed as a beautiful witch in the story and is the only person who points Dorothy her way home. In addition, Dorothy also encounters many characters on her road trip to Emerald City. Notice how the “helpful” character Dorothy encounters are all female. The stork helps scarecrow to cross the river and the queen of the field mice lead the field mice to help the lion roll out of the poppy bed to green field.
The witches, Queen of Field Mice and Dorothy are all examples of strong female figure. I realize now that they all exhibit characteristics of activists, “a person who believes strongly that a problem needs to be remedied that she dedicates herself and other people to fix the problem.”
There’s more to be explored in this topic. I am curious if Baum intentionally matches up the female characters to existing feminists?
Works Cited
Baum, Frank L. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1960.
I think it is also interesting to note the role male characters have in building up support for female characters. The Wizard really strikes me as an important male character in the novel. He is thought to be the most powerful person in all of Oz, and he happens to be a man. However as we learn later on he is simply a fraud. This is unlike the female characters who's powers are all real.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Laura. Women clearly play powerful roles in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I think this is also demonstrated by the Wizard of Oz; even though he gives the illusion of being a great wizard, in reality he is just a humbug. Whereas the magical female characters, as you stated, actually do have magical power. Moreover, in comparison to her companions (who have unfounded doubts about themselves), Dorothy is much more confident in herself. I believe all of these things, as well as the things you've stated, show that Baum was trying to portray women in a positive manner.
ReplyDeleteI think that Baum uses a female as his heroine because it creates an interesting dynamic between all the characters in the Wizard of Oz. The stereotypical female has two sides, the caring, motherly personality and the aggressive, competitive personality. I think that Baum portrays different characters as different sides of a woman. The Good Witch, the stork and the field mouse are portrayed as the compassionate and helpful side to a woman. While Dorothy and the Wicked Witch are portrayed as the forceful and independent side to a woman.
ReplyDeleteDorothy exhibits the spirit of existing feminist as she is indomitable and hard working. Like a feminist fighting for suffrage, Dorothy ventures to find a way home. Also in Wicked, the Emerald Citiy is taken over by female rules Ozma perhaps to show the impotent of male rulers.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say pretty much the same thing as Corinne. All of the strong roles really are females except for Oz. Oz is looked at to be the great and powerful wizard who rules over all but when we actually look at who he is, he is no more than a normal man who has no powers. I also think it is funny how Baum made such an important male character so powerless. In that era women were meant to stay home and cook for their husbands and the husbands would go out and work and support the family. They are the head of the family. Yet in this book the male character who is running things turns out that he really does not have the characteristics that he should.
ReplyDeleteI believe, Baum’s representation of strong female characters was a part of the change he wanted to bring to the evolution of the fairy tales, together with the presence of “accidental” violence only. Though Dorothy possesses the features that define her as a heroine – “Heart, mind and courage”, she is not capable of applying her strengths to solving the problems that she faces. It is other female characters, Stork, and Field Mice Queen, who, as you said, are helping Dorothy out. Without them and the help of companions, the adventures would not end up as successfully as they did. Also, I think that Dorothy, though having strong features, acts unconsciously, just as a child of her age would. Thus, because of this unconsciousness, the feminist undercurrent intended by Baum does not completely fit the book in a realistic way.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I haven't thought about male characters' role in building up the theme of female in the story. This is def. a very important angle to tackle the problem.
ReplyDelete