What Does The Color Symbolize In The Wizard Of Oz

One interesting aspect of the use of color in Frank L. Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is that it doesn’t only symbolize one category of things or situations. Instead, Baum uses color to symbolize many different things ranging from a character’s state-of-mind to personality traits or emotions, and even whether something could possibly be a dream. By the end of the book, the reader realizes that even though home is not the most colorful place, it may be the best place after all.

In the beginning of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is living in Kansas with her Aunt and Uncle, and her small dog, Toto. Everything is described in shades of black and white and very gray and boring, stretching as far as she can see with no trees or other houses. Even her Aunt and Uncle are described as if they’ve lost their color and are gray. This literal description of the

Also like some people, the green all around is not necessarily genuine, because when they get to Oz they’re given glasses to protect their eyes from the bright green, but in reality it’s the glasses themselves that make everything appear green. This is a hint that something is phony there, and in this case green may symbolize the false lure of power, riches or money.

When Dorothy meets the Wizard he is just a giant powerful head. He tells her he’ll help her get home in exchange for a favor. He wants her to kill another bad witch, the Wicked Witch of the West. She and her friends agree to try and the color green shows up again in the face of the witch. She’s literally green with envy when she sees Dorothy approaching in her crystal ball, because she knows the silver shoes have power and she wants them. Red shows up as well in the witch’s hourglass, and this symbolizes her anger toward