The Wizard of OZ is able to enchant any audience from children to adults. One of the most important themes in the movie is the importance of origin. Watching the movie, one understands that there is no place “no place like home”.
The Kansas plains where Aunt Em lives does not provide inspiring environment given the absence of beauty and the cyclones. According to the film, the conditions that the movie portrays regarding the environment in the Kansas prairie are so tough that it makes Aunt Em look older than her actual age. On the other hand, the movie portrays the Oz as attractive. The movie achieves this by showing that the Oz is an amazing emerald municipality containing large productive farms, fields of that have flowers, and dense forests. Accordingly, most of the inhabitants in the Oz are virtuous, accommodating, and cheerful. It is strange that Dorothy or any person would be keen to leave the Oz for any other place. Despite all the nice things that the Oz presents to Dorothy, she is determined to leave for her native land.
Consequently, the manner in which Dorothy opts to leave the comfort of Oz and go home, without second thought is significant because it shows that home is the best place for anyone to be no matter how shabby the scenery. In this regard, the importance of origin prevails. Dorothy is aware that her guardians are living in a less comfortable environment and that she has responsibilities that she has to fulfill. She falls in love with Oz because of the nice life that the city provides but she is also aware that she does not belong there. As a child, it is hard to understand how one can leave such mesmerizing and exotic life for a familiar and boring place. However, even though the film portrays Dorothy as a young person, her decision to leave the more exciting life in Oz and relocate home is proof that one finds reassurance and satisfaction in a familiar setting, that is, one’s motherland.
The intention of the director of this movie seems to be a portrayal of the film as a fairytale while showing that origin determines the character of a person. Like Peter Pan, the director presents Dorothy as a girl throughout the film despite the fact that she has to endure so much in her journey. Her childhood is much like any other childhood experience. For instance, the movie portrays Dorothy’s home as dull but adventurous and welcoming. In this regard, the movie shows that the desire for any child is to return home because no place compares to home.
At first, it is apparent that Dorothy does not appreciate her motherland because she finds life in the Kansas Farm boring. However, after moving away from the farm she realizes that life away from home may be thrilling but it is rocky and terrifying. In the end, the ‘weird’ landscape of Dorothy’s homeland and the events that take place conveys a feeling of excellent and magical life. The whole experience shows that to a child and many people who are yet to experience the life away from their motherland believe that life away from home is more exciting. As such, they look for inspiration from outside not realizing that inspiration comes from within.
Accordingly, the movie reveals that if a person focuses too much on the external factors in a bid to build the image that they consider ideal, they are bound to fail because by focusing on the peripheral factors one ends up ignoring the most important resource, one’s background. As such, being able to understand one’s origin is the beginning of one’s prosperity. Take for instance, the tin man who desires a heart, the scarecrow that desires brains, and a lion that is in need of courage. The whole storyline is about getting the wizard help achieve these desires only to find out that everyone has what they are looking for in them. That one does not need magic to achieve what they believe they are lacking and that one only needs the satisfaction that comes within them and which comes from one’s surroundings. As such, the movie portrays a person’s motherland as the most important factor that influences self-sufficiency in person.
The fact that Glinda reveals to Dorothy that she has had the power to go back home all along is evidence that every person has the necessary facets to achieve what one desires. Many people focus on what is beyond their reach, an aspect that hinders them from realizing that they have much more to achieve things that they could not imagine. The ability to preserve one’s maidenhood tells a lot about the ability of a person to overcome wicked characters, whether such characters are real or imaginary. Although the film is a fantasy, it raises very pertinent issues. The question that arises from the movie is whether leaving maidenhood is productive.
References
Ebert R. (1996). "The Wizard of Oz (1939)". rogerebert.com. Retrieved From
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-wizard-of-oz-1939
Nugent, F. (1939). "The Wizard of Oz, Produced by the Wizards of Hollywood, Works Its Magic
on the Capitol's Screen". New York Times. Retrieved From
http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B07EEDD1138EE3BBC4052DFBE668382629EDE
Scarfone, J. (2004). The Wizardry of Oz: The Artistry and Magic of the 1939 MGM Classic
Revised and Expanded Edition. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books.
