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The Four Paths Of Ancient Religions In The Wizard Of Oz

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In the 1939 film The Wizard Of Oz, Dorothy Gale is a farmer’s daughter living with her family and dog Toto in the plains of Kansas when suddenly a tornado strikes, sending her into an alternate reality from which she must figure out how to return home. The story proves itself to be pretty trippy like many epics and sacred texts of ancient religions, as it involves munchkins, haunted forests, flying monkeys, a tin man, and a yellow brick road. But imagine The Wizard Of Oz as having a religious twist--not hard to picture, as there are many parallels in the film that can easily relate to those found in ancient southeastern Asian religions. As she is a benevolent and careful girl who casts no ill intent toward anyone she meets, and eventually…show more content…
All measures are taken to avoid killing anything at all, including bugs outside at night, during which contemporary Jains try to stay indoors in order to see where they’re stepping. Jains primarily practice non-violence through their diet, eating only foods harvested or grown completely ethically, in that no animal or entire plant was killed in the process from farm to table. This means they do not consume roots or nightshades, and obviously no meat from any animal or insect of any kind. To further support the Jain-like qualities of Dorothy, it is important to note that every instance of violence involving Dorothy in the film stems from someone or something other than herself: Toto bit the neighbor, the water she was using to extinguish the fire burning the Scarecrow transitively killed the Wicked Witch of the West, and the house from which Dorothy exited into Oz which squashed the Wicked Witch of the East went flying dangerously in the first place only because of the tornado. She even preferred running away from home to prevent Toto from being put down! The second Great Vow, truth, is central to Dorothy’s entire story as the premise of her and her friends’ whole adventure was to discover their own truths--the Tin Man always had heart, the Scarecrow didn’t need a brain, the Lion was always capable of courage, and there is no place like home. Jains tend to collectively assert that truth requires solid morality and sincerity--no acts of greed, rage, or
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