Lessons From the Land of Oz

[laleo]

Over the years at GS, I've read many references to The Wizard of Oz, comparing the movie with the Way experience, and even more specifically the characters in the movie with leaders from The Way, or even other posters here. Watching this movie was often a family event during my childhood. I guess a lot of other families must have made an event out of it, too, because this movie has become a cultural marker, one which most of us take for granted. We all know who is "the man behind the curtain." We can sing large portions of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and dream about a better place. And while we aren't always sure where we're going, we know that many have followed the yellow brick road to arrive there. Truth be told, I never much cared for this movie, yet I've read so many references to it, it's made me wonder how far this analogy works in describing The Way, or even if it works, and whether the appeal of the movie lies in its use of archetypal images that describe those nameless anxieties and secret hopes that propel us toward a search for "home."

Many critics over the years have given this movie a Marxist interpretation. The witches are the capitalists, the Tin Man, exploited workers, the scarecrow, non-unionized labor, the lion, politicians. This would work, except for that pesky ending which sends Dorothy back to where she began, albeit a wiser, braver, more compassionate person. "Home" turns out to be acceptance of all that is familiar, rather than the fulfillment of any utopian dreams, or any call for revolution. Maybe The Wizard of Oz is more of a study of how the individual functions within a group, the meaning of community, how to build it, and what each person's role is in its maintenance.

At the beginning of the story, Dorothy is at home, feeling a little lost, insignificant, irrelevant, invisible, misunderstood. She dreams of a better place, and, as often happens in movies, her dreams become reality. If this movie can be thought of as a pilgrimage, while her goal is to meet the Wizard (her sacred destination), in the end, the journey itself is the destination, with her companions providing the means of grace for her to arrive at a deeper understanding. In fact, by the time the movie is over, the viewer understands that it is the yellow brick road (the journey) that is sacred, not the Wizard, or even the Land of Oz, no matter how dazzling and attractive it appears.

Just as Dorothy lacks the skill and maturity to find her place in life, so do her companions. Each in this group is flawed, not in his character, but in his self-awareness. The lion believes he has no courage, but only because his courage has not yet been tested. As the undisputed "king of the forest" he has yet to meet an adversary that is his equal, therefore he has not known courage. This propels him into anxiety -- the fear of fear -- which turns him into the classic bully, picking on those he knows to be weaker than himself. When he meets his equal (Dorothy), he finds in himself a protective instinct which allows him to identify who the enemy really is, by recognizing those who are most important to him. He is also then able to distinguish between the powerful and the powerless, and offer his protection to those who need it, rather than using his strength to protect his own image.

The scarecrow thinks he lacks intelligence, even though he often displays it, which undermines his confidence in making decisions for himself. What he lacks is wisdom, or the ability to interpret his experience. Likewise, the Tin Man thinks he has no heart, even though his empathy is obvious to the audience. For that reason, he hesitates to get involved in relationships, thinking he doesn't care enough to preserve them. So what we have is a group of people who are already in possession of the things they most desire -- a home, a heart, courage, intelligence -- and set off in search of it, believing a holy man can offer these things as gifts. In the end, as dazzling, and attractive, and promising as Oz is, it is only an illusion. Whether Oz represents a religious paradise, or a political utopia, and whoever the Wizard turns out to be, for Dorothy and her companions, the community worth preserving is the one they put effort into building, shaped as much by their faults and imperfections, as by their strengths, not the one that was effortlessly handed to them by some sort of mythical or magical presence.

While most of us didn't arrive as quickly as did Dorothy in understanding the real (or, rather, imagined) force behind the promise of Oz, I wonder how many spent years in The Way in search of a home, or the courage to face life, or the intelligence to make use of the opportunities that are presented, or the heart to love life in spite of it all, or if any of that was even the main motivation for involvement, but, if so, whether it's since been found.

[JustThinking]

Laleo,

First, very well said. You have a way with prose.

Second, I would have to say all of the characters, when combined, form a whole person. Dorothy is the glue (or ego/super-ego) that binds them and causes them to move forward. As you point out, none were in a position to achieve their goal while staying (or rusting in the the Tin Man's case) right where they were. For that reason, I can find positive outcomes in my time with TWI. I'm not saying my time was positive or negative but trying to salvage the learning and growth from a period in my life. Growth, after all, can and often does come from adversity. Each of the characters realized their potential by being faced with the challenge of their journey. Again, as you said, they had it all along. The man behind the curtain simply pointed it out to them. Thankfully, he didn't try to crush it afterwards.

My question is: Why didn't Dorothy do the job instead of just worrying about herself? Talk about selfish!

They could have saved $100 on PFAL/Way class, more on the Intermediate, advanced class, DTA, DWA, BFC, etc...

;-)

[shazdancer]

Nice, laleo and JustThinking. You would have enjoyed being here this past season, as our town celebrated the 100th year of L. Frank Baum's book (and our 100-year old library) by having the whole town read The Wizard of Oz!

Don't forget the epitome of evil and fear, the Wicked Witch of the West. But she is easily undone with a little water (ooh, washing/drowning/baptism imagery!). Hoping all is going well for you along the road of yellow brick,

Shaz

[johniam]

Yeah, we watched the WOO every year in January on Sunday night. Never got too into figuring it out. In TWI someone said it was devilish because it promoted good witches.

Quote...

In fact, by the time the movie is over, the viewer understands that it is the yellow brick road (the journey) that is sacred, not the Wizard, or even the Land of Oz, no matter how dazzling and attractive it appears.

Having the goal of going to the Wizard's castle got them to do their best, and, yes, Dorothy was the catalyst. In TWI we shared a language, an understanding, a goal, and getting classes together got us to do our best. We had a sense of purpose we never had in the world even though much of it was also an illusion.

Quote...

So what we have is a group of people who are already in possession of the things they most desire -- a home, a heart, courage, intelligence -- and set off in search of it, believing a holy man can offer these things as gifts. In the end, as dazzling, and attractive, and promising as Oz is, it is only an illusion.

[johniam]

Oops, hit the wrong button.

The last time I saw it I noticed that in the last battle in the witch's castle it was the scarecrow (no brains???) who figured out that by cutting the rope the chandelier would fall on the witch's soldiers. So they had what they sought already like us in TWI.

Quote...

While most of us didn't arrive as quickly as did Dorothy in understanding the real (or, rather, imagined) force behind the promise of Oz, I wonder how many spent years in The Way in search of a home, or the courage to face life, or the intelligence to make use of the opportunities that are presented, or the heart to love life in spite of it all, or if any of that was even the main motivation for involvement, but, if so, whether it's since been found.

Lot of substance in this comparison, laleo.

[ItsStillTheWord]

If I ...

were King...

of the Foresssssesssssesssssessssst!

OZ - The promised land of the prevailing whatever.

Wicked witch - guess who

Tin Man (no heart) - BOD

Scarecrow (no brain) - TWI leadership

Cowardly lion - believers afraid to speak up.

Dorothy - Innies looking to get out.

Toto - Faithful, stayed with Dorothy through it all.

[simonzelotes]

Interesting thoughts...Interesting parallels....

I could certainly relate to Dorothy as a youngster...As a kid,there was a highway that we used to often cross that for miles slowly rose into the horizon...We never took it,but I had always wanted to see the world on the other side of that horizon...

In Laleo's last paragraph about wondering how long people stayed in TWI in search of a home,I would say I probably stayed in it because I thought I found my home...After being out for umpteen years,I found myself once again looking for a place to hang my hat...I ran across g-spot and revisited my TWI years...It kinda reminded me of lyrics to a Pretenders song:

I went back to Ohio

But my family was gone

I stood on the back porch

There was nobody home

I was stunned and amazed

My childhood memories

Saw this world past

Like the wind through the trees

Ay! Oh! where did you go,Ohio

So,I guess it's back to the yellow brick road....

[Tom Strange]

but simonzeeloaded... wasn't it you that said: "home is where the heart is"..... ?

... I've been here and I've been there and I've been in between...

[Hope R.]

Funny laleo -

My last year in-rez was split up between Emporia and Rome City.

When we were in Emporia - it was horrible -long story - but it was the pits. Then, in December, we got to move to Rome City and it was great.

A few of us likened it to Dorothy leaving Kansas (harsh, gray, farmwork, Gerald was Miz. Gulch!) to go to the land of Oz! When we arrived, there was a banquet waiting for us! There were munchkins (the kids!!!!) and of course, Del was the Wizard!! Unfortunately, it was only temporary, and after 5 months we had to go back to Kansas.

*sigh* I think Dorothy learned more than I did.

Hope R. color>size>face>

...I don't know who I am but life is for learning... we are stardust...size>face>color>

[JustThinking]

While some considered TWI home, I met one person who was more specific. HQ was home to her as she had been on staff for many years. (Arrived as a teen at TWI, now MUCH older) She was a corps grad (may still be) who truly felt that was her only home. What will she do when she is old? They won't keep her there so she'll find herself like the man in the Tom Petty song? How sad.

Even Dorothy got to go home. Where will she go? You can blame her, say it was her choice but you can't take away the tragedy.

[ItsStillTheWord]

Funny thing is didn't Dorothy's journey start with a knock on the head?

"Follow the Yellow Brick Road" = "Take the Class"

Munchkins = Piffle grads

Red shoes = TWI nametag

Poppies...Poppies will stop them...

[ItsStillTheWord]

Hope,

Didn't you post some lyrics you wrote to the tune of "If I Only Had A Brain" a while back ?

[ItsStillTheWord]

Another good parallel is that Dorothy's experiences turned out to be a dream - IF TWI turns out to be a dream then..I'm still 19!!!

[waterbuffalo]

Laleo,

Hi! Wonderful subject for discussion.

Hey, I just wondered, are those your thoughts or did you get part of the analogies out of the Clift Notes or something similar?

But, the Oz destination, yes, I think I was trying to arrive someplace while in the way, but never really knew where that place WAS. I suppose I thought I would become more spiritual as I continued in their programs and for some reason thought THAT would make me more something. LOL! It all seems so strange now that I look back on it.

All I can say is that at least Dorothy KNEW where she wanted to go and that was back home with the ones she loved. It took me many more years to finally figure that one out (only kidding). Even though I LOVE my family and am much closer to them now, I really don't want to live near them. But the part about being grateful for them, I'm finally getting. It was a revelation for me to wake up one day and realize that my family, regardless of their imperfections and critical spirits, were probably the only people on earth who love(d) me unconditionally.

WB

"[if] there were none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach for anything better." Florence Nightingale

[waterbuffalo]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ItsStillTheWord:

Another good parallel is that Dorothy's experiences turned out to be a dream - IF TWI turns out to be a dream then..I'm still 19!!!

---

We can only hope!

"[if] there were none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach for anything better." Florence Nightingale

[Hope R.]

ISTW... yeah - and Rafe wrote one for the heart... don't remember if anyone did it for the "noive"

---

I Only Have Way Brain

I would smile through all the teachings

While sitting in straight seating

I never would complain

And I?d learn to shoot a rifle

and become a great disciple

?cause I only have Way Brain.

I?d unravel a translation

without an education,

I never would explain!

For a decent explanation

may stir up inner frustration

?cause you only have Way Brain

Oh I will tell you why

Je-sus can?t be God

that the dead are dead and churches are a fraud

and then I?ll YELL

and you?ll applaud!!!

I would be extraordinary

no one would be contrary

to wisdom I have gained

I?d do things that are illegal

ain?t it grand to be so regal !

?cause I only have Way Brain

Imagine me, the designee!!

The mantle I will wear

then the man of God will pour oil on my hair

And then I?ll dance - without a care!

And I?ll think I?m sheer perfection

not subject to inspection

for decades I will reign!

I doubt I?ll be discovered

for I think my sins are covered

?cause I only have Way Brain.

*obviously sung to the tune of "If I Only Had a Brain" with apologies to E.H. Harburg and Harold Arlensize>

[Hope R.]

double post because of the funny message from infopoop

[ItsStillTheWord]

Brilliant!!

Thanks Hope.

[JustThinking]

Ah..to be 19 again. I did have a heart, thought I had courage and won't even claim to have had a brain.

[laleo]

quote:

---

Hey, I just wondered, are those your thoughts or did you get part of the analogies out of the Clift Notes or something similar?

---

waterbuffalo: It's more like a hodgepodge of recollections. I'd take credit for it, except I don't have too many original thoughts, so I'm sure at some point it all originated elsewhere. I'm just not sure where exactly, or else I would cite my sources.

By the way, I just checked out both CliffNotes and SparkNotes, and neither offers a critique. However, there was a thread at the CliffNotes site that basically took a Marxist view of the imagery, but they have the different characters representing slightly different aspects of the Populist movement than what I wrote above, probably because I was making it up as I went. I don't really buy the Marxist interpretation for the reasons I stated, so I wasn't too concerned with making it all fit like a hand in a glove. The movie doesn't end in uprising, or any call for social change, as I recall it. It's more of a coming-of-age tale, with Dorothy finding, then accepting, her role as it is defined by history and tradition.

I left out some characters, like the witches (were there two evil ones -- the East and West -- and one good one, or am I confused? How many witches in all?), and even the Wizard, because I remember them as two-dimensional, with obvious and stereotypical roles, to serve as a backdrop for the main characters: those who underwent some sort of transformation during the course of the movie. That's also why I think of this movie as a study in community, since four characters underwent significant change. While JustThinking may have a good point that together they make up one individual, I tend to think of it as an illustration of community -- how a group of imperfect individuals can comprise an (almost) perfect whole. Toto, as a minor character, might be worth mentioning simply because it was Dorothy's efforts to save him that both started her on her journey, and aided her in her efforts to return home. Like shaz mentioned above, I think there is a lot in the movie to support a Christian interpretation.

How about you? Do you have another interpretation?

[laleo]

quote:

---

Growth, after all, can and often does come from adversity.

---

JustThinking: Do you think of your years(?) in The Way as a period of adversity? I've sometimes thought of it as the wrong road taken, but maybe it was all part of the path after all. In fact, I'm grateful that I didn't spend my entire life drifting in the ordinariness of it all. All those dreams and the disillusionment that followed may have had an upside. When you take a risk like that, and fail, and pick yourself back up again, other risks aren't as intimidating. For me, that's been a good thing, if only because I'm not comfortable staying in my comfort zone.

As far as your friend goes, you're right you can't take away the tragedy. But you can be there for her, if you're inclined to. And, really, that's probably just about all any of us can do for the other.

johniam: I was right there with you until you said, "Getting classes together got us to do our best." How so?

Great lyrics, Hope. Yours, too, Simon. In my more wistful moments, I wish I could find Ohio again, too. But it was never there. Or was it? Something was there. What?

[QamiQazi]

laleo, good thread.

[johniam]

Laleo: Well, it seems to me now that 'word over the world' WAS our yellow brick road. Every meeting, every class, every retemory, every corps principle, everything was designed to make us better at moving the word (getting classes together). Perhaps it would be better to say that 'word over the world' was the wizard's castle and moving the word was our yellow brick road.

I mean, they had our whole day planned out for us. Wake up, SIT, pray, study the word, work/witness/work, witness, fellowship, once a wow always a wow, committment beyond your lifetime.....the fun never ends.

So to answer your question, "getting classes together" was a summarization of doing whatever a "committed believer" did to move the word every day.

[What The Hay]

Ahhh yes... sayin' goodbye to the yellow brick road!

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

When are you gonna come down

When are you going to land

I should have stayed on the farm

I should have listened to my old man

You know you can't hold me forever

I didn't sign up with you

I'm not a present for your friends to open

This boy's too young to be singing the blues

So goodbye yellow brick road

Where the dogs of society howl

You can't plant me in your penthouse

I'm going back to my plough

Back to the howling old owl in the woods

Hunting the horny back toad

Oh I've finally decided my future lies

Beyond the yellow brick road

What do you think you'll do then

I bet that'll shoot down your plane

It'll take you a couple of vodka and tonics

To set you on your feet again

Maybe you'll get a replacement

There's plenty like me to be found

Mongrels who ain't got a penny

Sniffing for tidbits like you on the ground

[waterbuffalo]

Laleo,

Thanks for commenting on you how you came to your thoughts on this movie...kinda thought it might be a combination of different sources which shaped 'em. You put them together very nicely. Thank you.

I DO think of it as a Christian theme...just how the characters interacted and helped each other and formed a "family" and were even hindered by a devil-witch (ww of the west) and helped by an angel-witch (glenda).

For some reason I'm reminded of another movie with the same " formed family" theme,The Outlaw Josey Wales , which is also one of my favorites.

WB

"[if] there were none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach for anything better." Florence Nightingale