The Wizard and I

Yesterday I finished reading “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” I consider “The Wizard of Oz” to be one of my favorite movies, even though my love for its magic was somewhat diminished after having learned about the political allegory behind it last year in AP American History. It’s okay, because I’m over it now. I actually think it’s kind of fascinating. I wore my “Wizard of Oz” shirt today in celebration. I’m also a ridiculously big fan of “Wicked.” And I will forever stand by my love for Judy Garland, so don’t challenge me.

Anyway, even though I’ve seen the movie dozens of times, reading the book made me focus on what each of the four main characters desired and which gift I would like to receive.

Dorothy – I love her. She’s like a shot of sunshine in a blue gingham dress. I wish I could be more like her, and I think the world would benefit from having more people with an optimistic attitude like hers. (Also as a side note, I still cannot believe Judy Garland was only 16 when she played Dorothy, but that’s not really important.) But anyway – go home? To Kansas? I guess I get it. There are times when you really just want to be safe and at home. It’s a comfort thing. But in all honesty, If I were Dorothy, I could probably have gotten used to the merry ol’ land of Oz. It sure sounds charming enough. She probably could have found a way to send Auntie Em and Uncle Henry a postcard every now and then. And I’m sure that there would be times that Dorothy would much rather be in Oz than gray, dusty Kansas. I mean really – in the beginning she was ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’-ing it and then once she was in Oz, all she could do was cry about how much she wanted to get back to Kansas. Perhaps Dorothy would be better suited for a career in travel, since it seems she’s never quite happy with her location.

The Scarecrow – Brains. Sometimes it really is better to be a fool. Ignorance truly is bliss. If you know everything about everything, you’re bound to be disappointed. I think sometimes being intelligence just makes one infinitely more cynical. When you over-think things, it just eats away at you and makes you upset and bitter. When you sit around and ‘what if?’, you drive yourself crazy. So I think maybe the Scarecrow would be better off without having the smartest brain.

The Cowardly Lion – Dare to be different, baby. Just because you’re the King of Beasts doesn’t mean you have to be the bravest creature that ever lived. I think cowards are just safer people. I’m not a huge risk taker, I’m not much of an adventurer, and I’m okay with that. But I respect people who are, and I just wish that they could respect us scaredy cats, too. Not everyone wants to jump out of an airplane, okay? But if you do – great. Have fun. Be safe. I’ll pray that your parachute opens. I’ll watch from the ground, thank you very much.

The Tinman – I guess that leaves a heart – both the most practical and impractical gift of all. You cannot live without a heart, nor, I believe, can you live without love. But, I suppose, a heart is not synonymous with love, no matter how much we believe it to be. And a heart can so easily be shattered into thousands of pieces by imaginary fault lines. But think about it – besides the obvious ‘you absolutely cannot live without a beating heart’ biological stuff, would you ever want to live without a heart? Think about how much you would miss out on. And what, then, could you say has been broken in a moment of sadness?

I think we have a clear winner.

"I shall take the heart," returned the Tin Woodman; "for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world." -The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
(Favorite quote)