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Fair The Message of the Wizard of Oz
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As we all know, Dorothy is looking for a way to go home. The Scarecrow is looking for a brain; the Tin Man for a heart; the Cowardly Lion for courage.
Since they have no idea how to get what they want, they look for someone wiser to give it to them. But no matter how much they plead with the Wizard or tell him how upset they are, he refuses to grant their wishes. Instead, he sends them out into the world to do a dangerous task. They must bring him back the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Now comes the part of the story that many people miss.
Dorothy, who’s searching for her family, is the one who creates a family out of the characters she meets on her journey. The Scarecrow, who has no brains, is the one who thinks up the plan to get the broom. The Tin Man, who has no heart, is the one whose heart is breaking as they face what they must face. The Cowardly Lion, who has no courage, is the one who leads the group on their daunting escapade.
And what an escapade it is. The Wicked Witch sends wolves, crows, bears, winged monkeys to attack them. But they manage to get past them all. In the end, Dorothy yanks a bucket of water off the wall and throws it on the Wicked Witch, who melts into nothingness. .
Though these characters don’t yet realize it, through their adventure, they became whom they wanted to be.
Since they still don’t appreciate what happened, they return to the Wizard — broom in hand — expecting him to keep his end of the bargain. The Wizard is then unmasked as merely a man, saying he cannot give them what they are looking for. But he can and does give each of them a gift.
Dorothy learns that she had the power to go home all along. The shoes she wears can take her anywhere she wishes to go. The Scarecrow receives a diploma; the Tin Man a heart; the Cowardly Lion, a medal. These gifts, the Wizard stresses, are nothing more than symbols.
A diploma doesn’t make you smart; a heart doesn’t make you loving; a medal doesn’t make you brave. It’s only when you take action, doing what must be done, that you gain the wisdom, the courage, the heart and the home.
Contrary to popular assumptions, the story of the Wizard of Oz is not that we have the qualities we long for inside us all along, but rather, that we have the potential within us to develop these qualities. But we must activate that potential by doing what we think we cannot do.
Now with a new appreciation of the significance of the story of the Wizard of Oz, I hope you take the time to reflect on how this message has personal meaning in your own life.
Copyright 2009
Linda Sapadin, Ph.D. is a psychologist and personal coach in private practice who specializes in helping people enrich their lives, enhance their relationships and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior. For more information about her work, contact her at lsapadin@drsapadin.com or visit her website at http://www.psychwisdom.com/.
Since they have no idea how to get what they want, they look for someone wiser to give it to them. But no matter how much they plead with the Wizard or tell him how upset they are, he refuses to grant their wishes. Instead, he sends them out into the world to do a dangerous task. They must bring him back the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Now comes the part of the story that many people miss.
Dorothy, who’s searching for her family, is the one who creates a family out of the characters she meets on her journey. The Scarecrow, who has no brains, is the one who thinks up the plan to get the broom. The Tin Man, who has no heart, is the one whose heart is breaking as they face what they must face. The Cowardly Lion, who has no courage, is the one who leads the group on their daunting escapade.
And what an escapade it is. The Wicked Witch sends wolves, crows, bears, winged monkeys to attack them. But they manage to get past them all. In the end, Dorothy yanks a bucket of water off the wall and throws it on the Wicked Witch, who melts into nothingness. .
Since they still don’t appreciate what happened, they return to the Wizard — broom in hand — expecting him to keep his end of the bargain. The Wizard is then unmasked as merely a man, saying he cannot give them what they are looking for. But he can and does give each of them a gift.
Dorothy learns that she had the power to go home all along. The shoes she wears can take her anywhere she wishes to go. The Scarecrow receives a diploma; the Tin Man a heart; the Cowardly Lion, a medal. These gifts, the Wizard stresses, are nothing more than symbols.
A diploma doesn’t make you smart; a heart doesn’t make you loving; a medal doesn’t make you brave. It’s only when you take action, doing what must be done, that you gain the wisdom, the courage, the heart and the home.
Contrary to popular assumptions, the story of the Wizard of Oz is not that we have the qualities we long for inside us all along, but rather, that we have the potential within us to develop these qualities. But we must activate that potential by doing what we think we cannot do.
Now with a new appreciation of the significance of the story of the Wizard of Oz, I hope you take the time to reflect on how this message has personal meaning in your own life.
Copyright 2009
Linda Sapadin, Ph.D. is a psychologist and personal coach in private practice who specializes in helping people enrich their lives, enhance their relationships and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior. For more information about her work, contact her at lsapadin@drsapadin.com or visit her website at http://www.psychwisdom.com/.
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