History of the Wizard of Oz
Kate Schwenker
what was it?
The Wizard of Oz was one of the most successful movies made during the 1930's. It was made in the last year of the Great Depression. Not only was this a children's tale, but it was almost as if people during the 1930's thought of this movie as an escape from the disastrous Great Depression. This movie also shows many symbolic characters that represent people or symbolize events that happened during this time.
Ms. Gulch
Ms. Gulch, the woman that took Toto away from Dorothy, is symbolizing how Americans lost all of their personal belongings because of the loss of homes, job availability, etc.
Oz
Oz is a symbolic figure of President Hoover. Oz was giving the wrong impression to Dorothy and her friends in the movie by show himself as a wizard when he was really just a regular man. Hoover was similarly misleading the Americans by promoting volunteerism, when really at the time they needed a leader.
Dorothy
Dorothy is a symbolic figure of the Americans as a whole. Her prized possession was taken away from her, but that didn't stop her from retrieving that back, which sent her on an adventure to the Land of Oz. This was similar for the Americans because their prized possessions were taken from them when they couldn't afford things anymore because they lost their jobs, but this didn't stop them from fighting to make the best during the depression.