by Robert Willey, Th.D.
The Wizard of Oz is a perennial favorite, sentimental,
inspiring, and cherished for its simple truths. Going a little deeper,
others have uncovered themes in the story revealing a political allegory. What interests me
is what happened after the movie ended, following the clues that the story was
not going to end happily ever after. On the surface the moral is that "there's no place like home." This is Dorothy's realization, which allows her to return to Kansas, where she vows to stay forever. Things do change, however, not always for the best, and more swiftly than she could have imagined. |
After the farm was taken away and her Aunt and Uncle departed, Dorothy moved to California. She found the west coast as colorful as Oz and was glad to be away from the sepia tones of Kansas. She was continuously taken advantage of until she developed street smarts. People who knew her through her adolescence say that they never heard her laugh. Over time she developed a wry, ironic sense of humor. |
There are unlikely winners.
The only ones who really came out well were the Munchkins. They continued to live, laugh, and love happily in Dorothy's dreams. |
Dorothy never found any friends in real life like she had in her dreams.
She could never get back that feeling of first opening the door on Oz.
©2001 Robert Willey
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