Dorothy Gale, All American Girl. Wizard the President?

[elder999]

Here's an in depth analysis accompanied with excellent footnotes and citations, over at turnmeondeadman.com, of the political symbolism inherent in the Wizard of Oz.....

Dorothy is one of the most familiar characters in American popular culture and in most political interpretations of The Wizard of Oz she represents, as Ranjit S. Dighe puts it, "the American people at their best." [1]Dorothy demonstrates that she's determined and resourceful, and she's loyal. Perhaps Dorothy embodies how Americans want to see themselves. According to Henry Littlefield, "Dorothy is Baum's Miss Everyman. She is one of us, levelheaded and human, and she has a real problem." [2]Hugh Rockoff expresses a similar view, "Dorothy represents America—honest, kindhearted and plucky." [3]Though Gretchen Ritter links Dorothy to a different political movement in her analysis, she offers a similar interpretation of Dorothy as "the all-American girl from the heartland, with a big heart, independence, and daring, a fine example of the sort of woman that the suffragettes had in mind when they promoted their cause." [4]

the Wizard represents the president of the United States. [1]Viewed as a political allegory, The Wizard of Oz expresses cynicism about politicians. In the movie the Wizard appears to all of the characters in the same way but in L. Frank Baum's original story he appears differently to each of the characters. To Dorothy he appears as a giant head, to the Scarecrow he appears as a fairy, to the Tin Man he appears as a great beast, and to the Cowardly Lion he appears as a ball of fire. Like a politician, the wizard adopts a different appearance for each interest. That is, he attempts to be all things to all people. The president in office during the 1896 election was Grover Cleveland, who was known as the "Great Obstructionist". The Wizard cannot provide what Dorothy and her companions ask for, but he refuses to admit that. Instead he sends them on what he believes is a futile errand. According to Jack Weatherford, the Wizard represents "Marcus Hanna, the power behind the Republican Party and the McKinley administration, was the wizard controlling the mechanisms of the Emerald City."