The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz: The Populist Movement

The Wizard of Oz, perhaps America’s favorite children’s story, is also an informed remark on the late 1800’s Populist Movement. The movie, starring Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, and Ray Bolgr, is based on L. Frank Baum’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The novel tells the story of a young girl named Dorothy and her dog, who are whisked away in her house by a twister, to the magical Land of Oz. Determined to find a way back home, Dorothy travels along the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City to meet the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Along the way, Dorothy meets a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion. Additionally, she encounters with Glenda the Good Witch, the munchkins, and The Wicked Witch of the West, and her flying monkeys. This

Populism, the ideology or political movement that mobilizes the population against an institution, was called the Gilden Age during this time due to the monetary gold standard and the problems that surrounded it. With the gold standard, many businessmen stood to make a huge profit from the industrial workers and farmers. Bimetallism affected the way gold coins would be priced according to the prices of gold and silver. Furthermore, the election of 1896 was a controversial election at the time the movie was being produced. The dominant issue was concerning the monetary standard. William McKinley, a Republican, supported the gold stand, while William Jennings Bryan, a Democrat supported the unlimited coinage for silver and gold. The election resulted in McKinley winning, despite Bryan having the support from both the Democrats and Republicans. These events in America’s history served as a mere connection to the Wizard of Oz. The connection is noticed when Dorothy and the rest meet Oz, and Oz states to the

Therefore, they have no brains just like the Scarecrow. Additionally, theses events in America’s history are also symbolized through each of the characters. The Wicked Witch of the East represents the eastern industrialists and businessmen. Just like the Wicked Witch of the East imprisoned the munchkins, the eastern industrialists and businessmen imprisoned the common people by controlling the monetary system. The Scarecrow, whom is in search for a brain, was the symbol of the inexperienced western farmers. The Tin Man, who was in search for a heart, symbolizes the dehumanized industrial worker. The industrial workers suffered so much for a long time, they no longer cared about what was happening to them, and they felt powerless to stop it. The Cowardly Lion, who symbolized Williams Jennings Bryan, the presidential candidate who supported the silver movement, was in search for courage. Similar to the Cowardly Lion, Bryan needed to pursue his belief in supporting the common people. The Yellow Brick Road and its dangers stood for the gold standard. In contrast, the red slippers, originally sliver in the novel, symbolized the sliver movement. Silver stood as the answer to the Populists to help the common people. The Emerald City symbolized Washington D.C., with the Wizard as William