Symbolism In The Wizard Of Oz By Lyman Frank Baum

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum has been an excessively popular fairy tale among the kids and adults. It has provided us with great plays and musical comedies. As most of us do not tend to relate a fairy tale with the political movements happening around us, Henry Littlefield was the first to write an outstanding article “The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism” in which he made a bold inference that the Wizard of Oz was a book that portrayed the United States of America as it entered the twentieth century. He argued that the story was perhaps a metaphor for the Populist movement. After doing much research on both the Wizard of Oz and Littlefield’s article I can say that the children’s fairy tale by Baum was indeed a parable on Populism.

The first and most obvious symbol in the story is the lion, or more specifically, the secret lion. It is not a literal lion. The lion of the story represents things that are big and the secret of it is that it is unexplained, or even ignored. It suggests change, and it is a change that is big and confusing. The secret lion is a symbol of coming of age and understanding that with change there is loss, and to hold onto something, it must be secret. The narrator

During the late 1800’s, a pervasive sense of melancholy permeated throughout the forgotten, dreary Midwestern United States. While the industrial revolution boosted the economy on the coasts, Midwestern farmers were victims of deflationary debt increases, exorbitant shipping and railroad rates, a high protective tariff, and a government that for the most part ignored them.1 Desperate circumstances moved the everyday American farmers to join together and voice their grievances. Instead of seeking federal aid or economic relief, they attempted to use the power of the ballot to achieve their goals.1 The united group of farmers used the Populist Party as a springboard to launch their complaints and eventually got their candidate, William Jennings Bryan, nominated for the presidential election of 1896 by the Democratic Party. L. Frank Baum, a newspaper writer who lived in a small prairie town in South Dakota, experienced the populist wave firsthand, attending Bryan’s famous “Cross of Gold” speech in Chicago, and subtly incorporated many aspects of Bryan’s campaign into his children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.2 Despite his own claim that “this novel was written solely for the entertainment of the children of today”, several historians have discovered that the book clearly reflects the culture of the time period in which it was written.3 By symbolically representing the struggles of the everyday working man, Bryan’s political enemies, and the campaign for free silver, Baum

In the nineteenth century, mockingbirds were kept in cages so they could sing their beautiful music. Because of this, mockingbirds were nearly almost wiped out of parts of the East Coast. All Mockingbirds do is bring beauty to the world. Mockingbirds symbolize innocence and do not deserve to be wounded by the cruelness of the world. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Dill, Mayella Ewell, Mr. Dolphus Raymond, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are all mockingbirds. They are innocent people that have been harmed or injured in the past and have learned the misery of the world.

The book I read was the wizard of Oz, written by Frank Baum. This classic novel contains several major themes, self sufficiency, the importance of life’s journey and friendship.

“One never learns how the witch became wicked, nor whether that was the right choice for her, is it ever the right choice? Does the devil ever struggle to be good again, or if so is he not a devil?” Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West tells the story of the green girl named Elphaba who grew up to become one of the most iconic evil characters in history. While telling her story, Maguire incorporates symbolism and similar senses of style, genre, and theme to give his words deeper meaning and to capture the essence of his characters.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a multi-faceted novel which explores the principles and morals of people in the South during the 1930s. Mockingbirds are symbolic of the people that society abuse. Lee narrates the events of the novel using Scout’s voice and uses this technique to add emotional context and develop themes. Themes of racial and classist prejudice are developed by Lee to challenge the reader. These techniques are all powerful ways to alter the views of the reader.

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us that is why it is a sin to kill a Mockingbird” -Harper Lee Mockingbirds are only here to sing their songs and to bring us joy. A Blue Jay is someone or something that preys on the week. Mockingbirds have to be shielded from the Blue Jays. Although Mockingbirds don't always need to be protected they do have to be protected from Blue Jays because they are gentle creatures whereas the Blue Jay is territorial and corrupt.

The African Americans and Arthur “Boo” Radley were harshly put down for their differences from others.Tom Robinson was one of the main characters recognized as a mockingbird because he was killed by a blue jay “Mr.Underwood.”Mockingbirds deserve to be protected representing the background of why Atticus took on the Tom Robinson case.Anyone who tries to hurt them is committing a sin because these kind-hearted people have done nothing but make the world a better place for those around them.

Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with sardonic references to acknowledge the errors in his society. During Twain’s time period, the U.S. government and the media slowly began to convince their citizens that they were veracious, however he sought to reveal that they were actually deceptive. Twain was determined to inform the American people about how apathetic the government leaders were, how the judicial system served injustice and how the media would indoctrinate anyone that listened to them.

In Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, a group of boys from ages 6 to 14 became stranded on an island in a plane crash. They do not know how long they are going to be there or who is going to rescue them. The boys have to figure out a way to survive until they are rescued. Symbolism is used many different times throughout the novel. Symbolism is something that has a way to present something else shown in either text or image. It fits into literature by giving symbols to show a story. Throughout the story, the author mentions symbols such as the conch and the painted faces. The reader can figure out what these symbols represent from clues given in the text.

The 1920s were the beginning of remarkable social and political changes. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and the economic growth drew many Americans into a prosperous but unfamiliar “consumer society.” With the rise in nationwide advertising, and the start of chain stores, people everywhere where buying the same clothes, shoes, listened to the same music danced the same and even used the same slang. Due to the sometimes racy “mass culture”, many Americans were uncomfortable. In United States, the 1920s brought more confrontation than happiness.

All characters represents an actual person in American society during the 1930s. The linking between the book, characters and The Great

What most individuals can 't seem to decipher is that The Wizard of Oz referenced several late 1800’s political issues and ideas. Whether these references are true or not is difficult to say.

Throughout the book Black Boy by Richard Wright sheds light on the interesting life of the writers personal memories. Richard is living in a community coming out of slavery as a first generation feeling freedom. His life starts off at a young age and spans through till his days as a successful writer. Many motifs throughout his life repeats in his writing topics. During his years fire is a common perspection expressed in many metaphorical ways and physical, this expression extends to his educational, religious, and psychological mindsets.