This essay was written for my ENG 102 class. It is is a synthesis of children's literature, personal evaluation, and literary analysis.
“There were patches of greensward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits. Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes. A little way off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along between green banks…” such was the Land of Oz (Baum 19). After the swirling of the cyclone had stopped, Dorothy, a small orphan child, found that she had landed in this place of exquisite beauty. Such a vibrant environmental magnificence was a true polar to the familiar sights of Dorothy’s home in Kansas. From the front step of her usual dwelling on the Kansas plains, “[Dorothy] could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side…the grass was not green, for the sun had burned the tops of the long blades until they were the same gray color to be seen everywhere. Once [her] house had been painted, but the sun blistered the paint and the rains washed it away, and now the house was as dull and gray as everything else…” (Baum 12).
These images are depictions found in the familiar work of L. Frank Baum entitled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In this work, Baum portrays a little girl named Dorothy who is traversed with many adventurous trials along her journey back to Kansas after her home has been whipped and torn about by a cyclone. Once her house becomes grounded in the Land of Oz, Dorothy meets many characters who assist her on her long home. It is curious to consider her eagerness to return to a place of such bland stillness, especially when presently surrounded by such majesty and after having found such loyal companions. When surrounded by the exuberant atmosphere of Oz, why was Dorothy so eager to return home? Among her newfound companions was the Scarecrow who had this very question. He wondered why she wished so ardently to leave the beautiful Land of Oz and return to the dry place called Kansas. However perplexing it may seem, this is the response supplied by the little child: “No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home” (Baum 37).
Within the American culture, a certain value is placed on the concept of “Home”. The word is mentioned and characterized in many popular songs such as “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Christmas song entitled “There is no Place like Home for the holidays” (“Lyrics”). The contexts in which the word Home is used usually carries a dominantly positive connotation. The denotation of the word expresses that home is “the place in which one's domestic affections are centered” and as a verb it means to “move or be aimed toward (a target or destination) with great accuracy” (“The Definition of Home”). As can be learned from Dorothy’s direct response to the Scarecrow, her Aunt and Uncle’s house in Kansas has served this very purpose for her, for she has aimed herself on her journey with home as her destination.
Within his children’s story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum creates a very vivid contrast between the magical, wondrous Land of Oz and the dry, gray life of Kansas. The story has won the hearts of many children with its sense of adventure, appeal to fantasy and the imagination, and has even managed to retain a receptive adult audience. Its extended life can be logically attributed to its many adaptations and layered meanings. One of the most memorable and repeated lines from the entire text and even the later film production is “There is no place like home” (Baum 37). This simple phrase has the power to pose the question of, what is home and how can such an emotionally charged place be defined or recognized? What creates this draw back to roots; the place…the people? Why does the perception of home seem to be so deeply imbedded in the memory of childhood? These elements of the home environment are all very much related to early psychological development.
Parent-child relationships are bound by the home concept. This almost innate connection has even been given psychological consideration and attribution. According to Verlyn Klinkenborg, a journalist for Smithsonian Magazine and author of the article “The Definition of Home: Be it ever so humble, it's more than just a place. It’s also an idea—one where the heart is”, “our psychological habitat is shaped by what you might call the magnetic property of home, [and] the way it aligns everything around us” (Klinkenborg). Klinkenborg even asserts that this magnetism to home is not attributed to the material appearance of it but the sentimental values imbedded in the objects of home by those who reside closely to us…family. He exemplifies this assertion by providing an anecdotal example of when his father passed away.
He recalls returning to his home where his father had been living alone for the final years of his life. He remembers that his surroundings were very familiar but that the energy of the room had changed. Klinkenborg recollects that, “It wasn’t only his absence [I] felt. It was as though something had vanished from every object in the house. They had, in fact, become merely objects. The person whose heart and mind could bind them into a single thing—a home—had gone” (Klinkenborg). In this case, it was the emotional association with the person that tied him to the material place and objects of home. Such sentimental connections are actually a normal part of early childhood development. The way a child behaves towards their parent-figures can even indicate a great deal about the overall relationship between child and parent.
A Parent-child Attachment study conducted at the University of Minnesota found that one main indication of a strong, secure bond between parent and child exists if the child uses the parent or parent figure as a “ ‘secure base’ from which to venture out and explore the environment, periodically touching base with [them] to renew confidence” (Erikson 1).
In Dorothy’s case, she was placed in a situation of independence enabling her to explore her surroundings, but she still had the desire to turn back to her elect parents perhaps to obtain this renewal of confidence described in the study.
If the people present in our places of comfort are the embodiment of home, then how can it be explained when those very people with which Dorothy has to associate those emotions are so blatantly absent? Textually, Dorothy did not interact much with her Aunt and Uncle except during the completion of chores. Even in the wake of the wild twister that swept away their home, Aunt Em ran into the cellar frightened, Uncle Henry tended the livestock, and Dorothy was left to rescue Toto and bring herself to safety (Baum 16-17). The disassociation that Dorothy’s Aunt and Uncle have with her is probably due to old age and a drained spirit that can come with the nearing of one’s end. Dorothy’s pull to return home is most likely derived from normal childhood affections and attachments to one’s caretakers, especially in the face of a hard trail. As an orphan, Dorothy may experience a heightened need for familial association and want for acceptance. The main motive for this parental, emotional absence is probably based upon Baum’s desired portrayal of adult figures within his story made specifically for children.
Considerably, Dorothy’s rummaging journey can be viewed as a direct representation of growing up. Dorothy experiences typical “little kid” anxieties. For example, when Dorothy feels lost, she has a desire to return to places and faces that are more familiar. She also makes friends and has enemies just like most children who are learning how to interact with others, namely in grade school. Dorothy lives in a world that realistically can only exist in the imagination. In the early stages of life, children are often exploring the depths of their imaginations and learning of the powers of the mind. The dangers that Dorothy faces on her journey can be symbolic of the challenges of decision-making which are synonymous with the battle of the conscience and learning the difference between right and wrong (discipline). These stages are all relatable platforms reached along the path to self-actualization and individualism ("The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Themes."). As a foil to children being portrayed as learners and problem-solvers, adults are portrayed as very helpless and stagnant.
The Wizard of Oz, an adult male, is actually a cowardly man hiding behind many faces of authority but having no actual power as everyone believed. Perhaps this was a way for Baum to encourage children to think independently and find adventure however they may. Bilge Ebiri, analyst and author of the article “7 Theories of What The Wizard of Oz Is Really About”, asserts that there is good standing in this interpretation of adulthood based upon the text by saying, “Salman Rushdie, a noted fan of The Wizard of Oz who wrote a pretty amazing BFI Classics book…, believes that one of the things that makes Oz so powerful is that it lays bare the weakness of adults (as witnessed by Auntie Em and Uncle Henry’s inability to save Toto, and, of course, by the Wizard’s own powerlessness) and the need for children to do their own growing up: ‘As the Wicked Witch of the West ‘grows down [due to melting],’’ he writes, ‘so too is Dorothy seen to have grown up’ (Ebiri). This intentional configuration could have been done in aims to more fully connect with a primarily youthful audience.
Childhood is a definitive part of a person’s existence. In the state of physical, mental, and emotional development, one of the biggest behavioral influences on children is their parents. Childhood shapes outlook, personality, and experience. Typically, objects and feelings associated with home are comforting, loving, inviting, familiar, and memorable. It is these characteristics that evoke such a natural need or want to return to this literal place of origin. Baum logically portrayed Dorothy as a child with the same emotional struggles as children her age while still distancing her enough away from adult figures to indirectly distance the reader from any form of authority directly over their thinking. It seems that Baum knew the importance of individual thinking and accomplishment but also knew that, to effectively convey such a meaning, he had to draw upon something relatable to all people, especially children. He knew that the climate in which to set his message was in the home, where most journeys begin and end. The base of a child’s existence begins in the home, which in turn can affect their productiveness and creativity as adults. The home environment sets the stage for future generations, for the community. Nothing else seems to bear such a great weight upon the rising society, so truly, there is no place like home.
Works Cited
Baum, L. Frank, and Robert Ingpen. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. New York, NY: Sterling, 2011. Print.
Ebiri, Bilge. "7 Theories of What The Wizard of Oz Is Really About." Vulture. N.p., 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/wizard-of-oz-theories-gold- standard-feminist-religion-jung.html#>.
Erikson, Marti. "Good Enough Moms & Dads: Separating Fact from Fiction about Parent-Child Attachment." Cehd.umn.edu. The University of Minnesota, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.cehd.umn.edu/ceed/publications/tipsheets/ericksontipsheets/attachmentfactorfiction.pdf>.
Klinkenborg, Verlyn. "The Definition of Home." Smithsonian. N.p., May 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-definition-of-home-60692392/?no-ist>.
"Lyrics for "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd." Lyrics for "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?lyrics=1702>.
"The Definition of Home." Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.dictionary.com/browse/home?s=t>.
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Themes." Study Guides & Essay Editing. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.gradesaver.com/the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz/study-guide/themes>.
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