Wizard Of Oz And The Populist Movement Essay

There are many allegorical similarities between L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz and the Populist Movement of the 1890’s, almost too many to believe they are accidental. However, writers tell stories about what they know, no matter how farfetched these stories may seem. Baum’s real world inspirations surrounded him everyday, and it is not unreasonable to argue these inspirations influenced Baum’s writing on a subconscious level. Depending on what mindset you read the book in, these connections can either be overtly conspicuous or exceedingly subtle. Furthermore, the author himself stated The Wizard of Oz is simply a book. This serves as the best evidence to concur the book was meant only as a children’s story. Despite this, the book has evolved beyond its author’s original intent, and transformed into a truly satirical portrayal of populism in the United States (Moneymasters, 2016). In order to understand Oz’s message, you must first understand the Populist Movement it parallels. Populism was the reformist view that the common people of the United States were mistreated and manipulated by a group of the elite. Populism was such a large sociopolitical movement that it …show more content…
The dull and gray setting Kansas is presented as reflects many Americans’ view of the Great Plains. The Yellow Brick Road represented the gold standard present in American society. Other places like the Emerald City represented the headquarters of Big Business, Washington D.C. in particular. Objects also present allegorical allusions, such as Dorothy’s silver shoes, which drew from the thought unlimited coinage of silver would solve the problems plaguing the nation. The allegories for the silver standard do not end their however, as the mark Dorothy receives from Glinda shows that many thought silver would protect a person from harm (Cagalawan,