There are certain characteristics that are typical among characters in a fairy tale . Every fairy tale has a hero who attempts to achieve a noble goal, and a villain, who is the obstacle to the hero’s goal. The hero usually has romantic characteristics that are associated with goodness, honesty, and bravery. These overall “good” characteristics are what help the hero achieve his goal, win the girl, and overcome his obstacles. However, through simply changing the hero to a heroine, the conventional heroic characteristics instantly change.
A heroine instead is self-reliant and is not dependent on a male figure. She, like the hero, is courageous, selfless, and honest. Although, unlike the hero, achieving the noble goal is not intertwined with also winning the love of a prince. L. Frank Baum made a deliberate decision in choosing a specific main character. Unlike other fairy tales common at time, Baum created a relatable heroine that seemed like an average little girl from Kansas. Dorothy’s character is complex in that her age and gender give the reader a preconceived idea that she is dependent and childish. Though, within the story she encounters and overcomes many obstacles.
Contrastingly so, it can also be seen that Dorothy received a lot of help from magical gifts and other characters to overcome her obstacles. Does Dorothy have and apply the characteristics of a true heroine? What kind of a heroine was Baum attempting to portray? Baum’s purpose for the Wonderful Wizard of Oz had been to create a “modern fairy tale”. His choice in creating the innovative character of Dorothy makes the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz a more relatable story and gives it a more interesting character dynamic.
Works Cited
Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Dover Publications: New York, 1960.
Gokturk, V. "The Elements of a Fairy Tale." Valerie Gokturk's English. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2011.
“Dorothy Saving Toto” Ilustration.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dLSVgS5AxBI/TPDyZ3wDWnI/AAAAAAAA4HM/QrnL- 0mzR84/s1600/Toto_Denslow.jpg
“Dorothy killing the Wicked Witch” Illustration
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Wicked_Witch2.jpg/250px- Wicked_Witch2.jpg
"Dorothy and the Flying Monkeys” Illustration
http://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/the2funadguyz/Ebay1107/MinisForOz/1529ebayMini.jpg
"Qualities of a Hero." Mesa Community College. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2011.
I agree that Baum probably felt that Dorothy was a very innovative and progressive character to pick as the heroine of his story. She is related to a broad audience of readers while she also reflects that industrial and working class hardy character that was acknowledged well by American society at the time. The fact that Dorothy can still be viewed as a "modern" girl in the ideals and progressive traits that she exhibits shows that Baum's heroine is truly long lasting considering that he wrote the novel more than one hundred years ago.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I wrote my blog about. When I was thinking about how Dorothy really is through out the novel, she is completely selfish. When something happens to one of her companions, like the scarecrow for instance, she is like oh well I wish there was something we could do but we cannot so let's go. She does this again with the lion, she would like for him to not get caught in the poppy fields but if he does there is nothing she can do to help and is not going to take the time to try yet the scarecrow and the tin man are so willing to carry her through the field and will not leave her behind. Since she set foot in Oz her main goal has been to get home, back to kansas. She will allow her companions to come along as long as they do not interfere or get in the way of what she is doing. They will do anything for her and help her however they can but yet she willingly does not do the same. Her only focus is on herself and finding her way home.
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting point of view to Dorothy, Ariana. In relation to heroine characteristics, Dorothy does not seem to portray all of the aspects. It is true that she seems to be selfish in her goal to get home, however I think that by the end of novel this drive is changed. As the story progresses she grows and changes into a considerate person and truly cares for her new friends. Though the change in her consideration does make me question if she really is a true hero?
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