The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a Political and Economic Allegory (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, University of Cologne, language: English, abstract: When Lyman Frank Baum wrote and published his fairy tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, he might not have known this would be the start of several books about the marvellous world of OZ. However, the story about the little girl named Dorothy, who accidentally lands in Oz and tries to return to Kansas, is the most popular of the Oz books. Nevertheless, by focussing on the land of Oz and its analysis it is indispensable to concentrate on The Wonderful Land of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz and other books, as well.

L. Frank Baum always disclaimed that there is a deeper meaning behind The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and declared: "The story was written solely to pleasure children of today." (Littlefield 1964: 58). Moreover, L. Frank Baum "never allowed the consistency of the allegory to take precedence over the theme of youthful entertainment" (Littlefield 1964: 58). Thus maybe, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is well known all over the world and in every age as one of the most famous American folklore.
Nonetheless, there are some allegories that can be seen and interpreted by reading the Oz books. At first, there is a political aspect including the time in which L. Frank Baum grew up, the places where he lived and the political view he had, even though he had never declared his political attitude. In addition, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz can be interpreted in an economic way, connected to L. Frank Baum's history, as well. Hugh Rockoff, Professor of Economics at Rutgers University, (1990: 739) claims that the book is "a sophisticated commentary on the political and economic debates of the Populist Era." However, some people, for example Bradley A. Hansen, (2002: 257ff.) disagree with the position that there are any allegories in Baum's Oz books. Nevertheless, these interpretations are just a few options of analysing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz but they form the most important aspects to have a focus on.