The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Baum’s story suggests that, despite challenge and adversity, the forces of good will ultimately triumph over the forces of evil. This aligns with his belief that children’s stories should bring joy, wonder, and happiness, unlike the traditional fairy tales that often feature distressing conclusions and gratuitous violence.

Dorothy’s goodness and innocence allows her to prevail over forces of evil in the Land of Oz. The wicked witches epitomize cruelty and selfishness. The Wicked Witch of the East “held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day” (11). Furthermore, she cursed the Tin Woodman to hack his own body into pieces. The Wicked Witch of the West orders wolves to tear apart Dorothy and her friends, then orders crows to peck out their eyes, bees to sting them to death, Winkies to kill or imprison them, and flying monkeys to “destroy them” (106). She then holds Dorothy in servitude and tries to starve the Lion into submission. Poetic justice is achieved when each of these evil figures is punished with death, brought about by a seemingly harmless little girl.

Dorothy’s goodness and innocence are maintained in the inadvertent, accidental way she kills each witch; her house happens to land on the Witch of the East, and she throws water on the Witch of the West not knowing that it will melt her. Dorothy’s goodness is symbolized in the Witch of the North’s mark on her forehead, and the superior power of the forces of good are illustrated in the Wicked Witch of the West’s fear of the mark: “The Wicked Witch was both surprised and worried when she saw the mark on Dorothy’s forehead, for she knew well that neither the Winged Monkeys nor she, herself, dare hurt the girl in any way” (108). Similarly, the King of the Winged Monkeys tells his comrades, “We dare not harm this little girl […] for she is protected by the Power of Good, and that is greater than the Power of Evil” (107).

Further illustrating Dorothy’s inherent goodness, she extends an invitation to the Scarecrow, the Woodman, and then the Lion to accompany her to the Emerald City; she feels sympathetic to each of their predicaments and hopes that the Wizard of Oz can help them. This demonstrates Dorothy’s generosity and kindness. She continues to act toward her new friends with loyalty and love as they assist each other on their challenging journey. In direct contrast to the witches’ selfish cruelty, Dorothy aspires to reach Kansas for primarily selfless reasons: “My greatest wish now […] is to get back to Kansas, for Aunt Em will surely think something dreadful has happened to me, and that will make her put on mourning; and unless the crops are better this year than they were last I am sure Uncle Henry cannot afford it” (183). Dorothy, the epitome of goodness, achieves her goals, as do her equally kind friends.

The goodness within Oz eventually triumphs over his deceitful ways. He explains to Dorothy that he is in fact “a very good man but […] a very bad wizard” (139). His decision to channel his goodness as a man, rather than rely on his fraudulent tricks as a wizard, is evident in his effort to instill confidence in the Scarecrow, the Woodman, and the Lion with his gifts, and in his decision to end his rule over the Land of Oz and return to Omaha. He admits to Dorothy that he is “tired of being such a humbug” (149). This decision symbolizes a triumph of good over evil within Oz’s character.