What is "The Wizard of Oz" really about?

Question

I know the answer to this question, I just want to see how many people really know. Do you know what Wizard means? Do you know what Oz means? Ever thing in that move is a symbol for something. A hint is Dorothy's dog Toto. In French Toto means "every thing".

Answer 1

Some people say it's an allegory about the economic policies of the early 1900's.  The U.S. was converting off the gold standard (the yellow bricks in the road...) the scarecrow represents farming interests, the tin man is the working class (factory workers), the lion could be the perennail presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.

"Toto" was maybe short for "teetotaller", someone who was against demon alcohol.  The munchkins were the common people, and the Emerald City was Washington, DC with its green-paper money policies.

There's not too much evidence for this in L.Frank Baum's notes though.  It could just be one interpretation of the story, with as much validity as the Pink Floyd urban legend...

Answer 2

About the social relations among people in the 1900?

Answer 3

You know, sometimes a story is just a story. When Baum himself was asked whether his stories had hidden meanings, he always replied that they were written to please children and generate an income for his family.

However, if you insist on making something of it that Mr. Baum did not intend, perhaps you would be interested in the Wikipedia article below.

    Main article: Political interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Although numerous political references to the "Wizard" appeared early in the 20th century, it was in a scholarly article in 1964 (Littlefield 1964) that there appeared the first full-fledged interpretation of the novel as an extended political allegory of the politics and characters of the 1890s. Special attention was paid to the Populist metaphors and debates over silver and gold.[7] As a Republican and avid supporter of Women's Suffrage, it is thought that Baum personally did not support the political ideals of either the Populist movement of 1890-92 or the Bryanite-silver crusade of 1896-1900. He published a poem[1] in support of William McKinley.

Since 1964 many scholars, economists and historians have expanded on Littlefield's interpretation, pointing to multiple similarities between the characters (especially as depicted in Denslow's illustrations) and stock figures from editorial cartoons of the period. Littlefield himself wrote the New York Times letters to the editor section spelling out that his theory had no basis in fact, but was developed simply as a tool to help bored summer school students remember their history lesson.

Baum's newspaper had addressed politics in the 1890s, and Denslow was an editorial cartoonist as well as an illustrator of children's books. A series of political references are included in the 1902 stage version, such as references by name to the President and a powerful senator, and to John D. Rockefeller for providing the oil needed by the Tin Woodman. Scholars have found few political references in Baum's Oz books after 1902.

When Baum himself was asked whether his stories had hidden meanings, he always replied that they were written to please children and generate an income for his family.

Many fans of the Oz books prefer to dismiss any political interpretation, and argue that Baum and Denslow had no interest in promoting any kind of political agenda.

Answer 4

your a dumb ***

Answer 5

I know its about something in american history.

the scarecrow is the farmers and the tin man are the workers.

they revolt.

I just cant remember it.

haha I just went over this too in school >.<

Answer 6

I've always interpreted it as a death allegory. Well, the song, anyway. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" definitely is describing Heaven. And when Dorothy wakes from her dream it's like she's been dead and come back to life. But that's just my personal take.

"Tout" is French for all, and "Todo" is Spanish for all. Toto may be another language - Portuguese? In Italian it's "Tutti", I believe.

Frank Baum wrote a number of other books about Dorothy and her pals, BTW.