The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Dorothy is shocked awake with a jolt as the house lands on the ground. She opens the door and is amazed to see a beautiful countryside, including fruit-bearing trees, banks of flowers, a sparkling brook, and colorful birds singing in trees.

The house is approached by a woman in white, who introduces herself as the Witch of the North. She is accompanied by three small men, dressed in blue clothing, hats, and boots. Dorothy learns that her house has landed in the land of the Munchkins, the name for these diminutive people. Dorothy is shocked to discover that her house killed the Wicked Witch of the East when it landed on her and crushed her. The remains of this witch (two legs and feet sticking out from under Dorothy’s house) disappear, leaving only her silver shoes, which the Witch of the North gifts to Dorothy.

The witch and the Munchkins have not heard of Kansas, so they cannot direct Dorothy home. When Dorothy begins to cry, the witch summons a slate on which is written, “Let Dorothy Go to the City of Emeralds” (14). She infers that the Wizard of Oz will be able to help Dorothy. She instructs Dorothy to follow the road paved with yellow brick, which leads to the City of Emeralds, and then to explain her situation to the Wizard. The witch kisses Dorothy on the forehead for protection, which leaves a shining, round mark in its wake. The Witch of the North disappears, and the Munchkins walk away.

Dorothy gathers fruit from the nearby trees, drinks from the brook, washes herself, and prepares a basket for her journey. She changes into her blue-and-white gingham dress and puts the witch’s silver shoes on. She locks up her house and sets off, accompanied by Toto. They find the yellow-brick road. Dorothy admires the beauty of the countryside and the blue, dome-shaped houses of the Munchkins as they walk past.

Dorothy and Toto are invited to a feast with the Munchkins and stay the night with Boq, a wealthy and hospitable Munchkin. The Munchkins believe that Dorothy is a powerful and kind sorceress.

The next morning, Dorothy and Toto resume their journey. Dorothy is surprised when a scarecrow on a pole winks at her. She approaches it and is shocked when it speaks to her, asking her to help him down from the pole he is stuck on. She does so. The Scarecrow explains that he has no brain; his head is stuffed with straw. He resents being called stupid. Dorothy suggests that he should accompany her to Oz; the Wizard might be able to help him. The Scarecrow happily agrees.

The road becomes uneven and the land less pleasant. Dorothy and the Scarecrow stop to rest. They discuss Kansas; the Scarecrow wonders why people would want to live in such a bleak and desolate place. Dorothy explains that “there is no place like home” (27).

The Scarecrow tells Dorothy about being made the previous day by a Munchkin farmer. He was disappointed when the crows worked out that he wasn’t a real man and started to eat the corn; it made him feel like a failure. A crow told him that having a brain is the most important thing, and the Scarecrow began to wish that he had brains.

The Scarecrow and Dorothy continue to follow the road and enter a dark forest. The Scarecrow sees an empty cottage ahead. Dorothy and Toto sleep in a corner.

Dorothy drinks, bathes, and eats. The Scarecrow considers that being made of flesh creates many necessities, like eating, drinking, and sleeping. He still considers the tradeoff worthwhile, as Dorothy has a brain. They hear a groaning noise and go to investigate.

They find a tin man who is frozen in position holding an ax. The Tin Woodman explains sadly that he has been there for a year, and that his joints need to be oiled. Dorothy returns to the cottage to retrieve an oil can and oils the Woodman’s joints so that he can move again. He is extremely grateful. He asks where they are traveling to. They explain their mission, and the Woodman decides to join them on their journey, hoping that the Wizard of Oz can give him a heart.

The Woodman must chop a lot of dead wood that has fallen across the path to allow them to continue through the woods. As they talk, the Woodman explains his belief that it is better to have a heart than a brain. He used to be a man with both, and he was in love with a beautiful Munchkin woman whom he wanted to marry. The Wicked Witch of the East enchanted his ax as he was trying to build a bigger house for them to live in; the ax cut off one of his legs. He had it replaced with a tin leg, but the next time, the ax slipped and cut off his other leg—then his arms, then his head, and finally his body. At this point, his body had been entirely replaced with tin. He no longer had a heart to love the Munchkin woman and felt indifferent about marrying her. He misses being happy and in love and therefore hopes that he can be given a heart.

Dorothy worries about her dwindling supply of bread.

The group hears a terrifying roar from within the forest. A lion springs from the trees and knocks the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman over. The lion moves to bite Toto, who runs at him, barking fiercely. Dorothy jumps between them and slaps the lion on his nose, condemning him for his cowardice at knocking over a straw man and trying to bite such a small dog. The lion is ashamed; he agrees that he is a coward. The Cowardly Lion wipes tears from his face with his tail as he explains that he roars loudly in the hope that he will never have to face a terrifying creature; fortunately, everyone who hears his roar runs away.

The Lion joins them on their journey, intending to ask the Wizard of Oz for courage. The Woodman cries when he accidentally steps on a beetle; his tears rust his mouth shut. The Scarecrow figures out why he can no longer talk and oils the joints in his jaw.

The group camps out; the Tin Woodman cuts down wood, and Dorothy builds a warming fire. The next day, the travelers reach an enormous ditch with sharp rocks at the bottom. The yellow-brick road continues on the other side. They are unsure what to do until the Lion suggests that he thinks he can leap across it. He takes each traveler in turn and leaps across the ditch.

The Lion cautions them that they are in Kalidah country. Two Kalidahs, vicious beasts with the heads of tigers and the bodies of bears, begin to chase the group. The Kalidahs are briefly put off by the Lion’s ferocious roar but then continue pursuing them.

The group reaches another ditch. The Scarecrow suggests that the Woodman chop down a nearby tree so that it falls across the ditch, creating a bridge. The group crosses. The Scarecrow tells the Woodman to chop the tree apart, and the pursuing Kalidahs fall into the water.

The yellow-brick road is intersected by a river. The Scarecrow suggests that the Woodman craft them a raft to float across on. Dorothy finds fresh fruit to eat, and the group sleeps under trees as the Woodman finishes his work on the raft.

The group sets off in the raft; the Woodman and the Scarecrow use long poles at either end to push it along the bottom. However, in the middle of the river, the water is deep and the current is swift. The raft is swept downriver, away from the yellow-brick road. Determined to stop the raft, the Scarecrow sticks his pole into the mud at the bottom of the river. It sticks, and the Scarecrow stays with it; he is left hanging onto the pole in the middle of the river.

Lion jumps out and swims, with Dorothy holding onto his tail. The group retraces their steps along the riverbank toward the yellow-brick road. A stork stops to talk to them along the way, and they ask if she can retrieve the Scarecrow from his pole in the middle of the river. She does so, and the Scarecrow is delighted to be reunited with the group.

The group comes across a field of scarlet poppies. Dorothy wants to sit down to rest, but the Woodman explains that she cannot: The poppies make people so sleepy that they sleep until they die. The Woodman advises that the Lion run as fast as he can to the yellow-brick road while he and the Scarecrow carry Dorothy and Toto, who have both fallen asleep (the Woodman and the Scarecrow are not made of flesh and therefore are not affected by the poppies).

The Scarecrow and the Woodman come across the Lion, who has fallen asleep at the edge of the poppy field, overcome by the sleep-inducing scent. They cannot move him, so they sadly leave him.