"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum: Published in 1900, L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" has entered American folklore, with Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion all becoming pop culture icons. But is it really just a simple childish fairy tale meant to teach the importance of family and home, or is it a political allegory for Populism and the election of 1896? Symbolism is swell.

The 1890s were a turbulent time in America, with the poor farmers of the Western states often blaming their woes on the scarcity of money, feeling the limited supply of gold was being controlled by the wealthy Eastern bankers in order to drive the farmers into debt. This unrest led to the rise of the Populist party. The Populists favored the free coinage of silver, a monetary system known as Bimetallism, in which the dollar was backed by both gold and silver, thereby increasing the amount of money in circulation. In the election of 1896, the Populists threw their political weight behind the Democratic candidate, William Jennings Bryan, a legendary orator who delivered his famous "Cross of Gold" speech while accepting the nomination, comparing the Gold Standard to Christ's crucifixion, saying he would not allow Americans to be crucified upon a cross of gold. Bryan's eloquence wasn't enough. The Republican William McKinley won the White House, and the Gold Standard was officially implemented in 1900. And that's more history than I want to discuss unless it involves an episode of "Welcome Back, Kotter."

Anyway, when the book opens, Dorothy, having been orphaned at a young age, is living with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in a one-room shack in the sun-scorched plains of Kansas. About the only joy in the girl's dull, dreary existence is her little dog Toto. So when a cyclone threatens their home, it's understandable why Dorothy would forsake the safety of the underground shelter to try and save her precious pooch. Unable to get back in time, the cyclone lifts the ramshackle house, with Dorothy and Toto inside, and transports it to the magical land of Oz. I used to enjoy similar journeys about once a week, but mine were usually caused by cheap booze, not cyclones. Night Train is a mean wine.

Dororthy and Toto survive the ordeal unscathed, landing gently amidst the green, lush landscape of Oz. Well, there is one casualty. The house just happened to land on the Wicked Witch of the East, crushing the vile woman dead and freeing the Munchkins from her oppressive control. The Munchkins, the diminutive inhabitants of the eastern portion of Oz, are eternally grateful for Dorothy's accidental assistance, as is the Good Witch of the North. When Dorothy asks how she can get back to Kansas, the Good Witch suggests that the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, who lives in the enchanted City of Emeralds, might be able to help. The road paved with yellow bricks will lead her to the Wizard, and the Witch of the North gives Dorothy a kiss on the forehead to protect her along her journey. Dorothy receives something from the Wicked Witch, as well, becoming the rightful owner of her charmed silver slippers. That's right, silver slippers. They were changed to ruby in the classic 1939 film in order to demonstrate the glories of Technicolor.

Dorothy and Toto set off down the Yellow Brick Road, making friends first with the Scarecrow, who wants a brain, then the Tin Woodman, who desires a heart, and finally the Cowardly Lion, who dreams of courage. They each decide to join Dorothy on her quest, hoping the Wizard can help them, too. Upon reaching the City of Emeralds, the Wizard promises to fulfill all their wishes if they kill the Wicked Witch of the West. The would-be assassins head west with blood on their minds.

The Wicked Witch, who has enslaved a race of little yellow people called the Winkies, sees them coming and sends a pack of flying monkeys to capture the Lion, who she wants to make her horse, and rub out the rest. The monkeys make short work of the Tinman and Scarecrow, but they don't dare hurt Dorothy since she has the mark of the Good Witch of the North's kiss on her forehead. That's cool with the Wicked Witch, who makes Dorothy her personal slave girl. But the Witch is scared silly when she notices Dorothy's silver slippers since she knows they possess a secret power. When the Witch attempts to steal the shoes, Dorothy angrily douses her with a bucket of water, causing the evil hag to melt. Who knew murder could be so cute?

Dorothy and the Lion free the Winkies, and then they all go and rescue the injured Tinman and Scarecrow. Reunited, the foursome returns to the Emerald City to collect their rewards only to learn that the Wizard is nothing but a little old man from Omaha. And, like most people from Omaha, he doesn't have any powers at all. He's actually a lost balloonist who somehow floated into Oz, his arrival from the heavens causing him to be worshiped as a god.

The Wizard tries to convince the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion that they had brains, heart, and courage all along, which is why they were able to survive their treacherous journey, but the insecure trio isn't buying what he's selling. They demand action. The Wizard, being a crafty sort, does the best he can, filling the Scarecrow's head with a goopy concoction for brains, constructing a silk heart for the Tinman's chest, and giving the Lion a bit of the old liquid courage. They're all quite satisfied. But really, don't the placebos undercut the moral? Hell, I could cut some people shapes out of cardboard and pretend I have friends, but that doesn't magically grant me social tranquility. This kind of thing could really mess with a kid's head.

Much as I learned to drop my veil of sobriety, the Wizard is getting tired of living a lie in Oz and hankers to return to Omaha. He builds a new hot air balloon to carry himself and Dorothy back home. Preparations are made for their departure, with the Wizard appointing the Scarecrow as his replacement as ruler of Oz. But once again that wacky Toto ruins everything, running off to chase a cat just when the balloon is about to launch. The delay causes Dorothy to miss the balloon, and the Wizard floats away never to be seen again.

Desperate to find a way to get Dorothy back to Kansas, and with no other options at their disposal, the group undertakes another tiring trek, this time venturing south to find Glinda the Good Witch. Along the way, the Lion becomes the true king of the beasts, displaying his newfound courage in slaying a hideous monster tormenting the countryside. Finally, with help from the flying monkeys, who are now under Dorothy's control, they arrive in the land of the Quadlings where Glinda rules supreme. The beautiful sorceress informs Dorothy that she had the power to return home all along. All she had to do was click the heels of her silver slippers three times and think of the place she wants to go. After some heartfelt goodbyes, Dorothy gets to clickin' and back to Kansas she goes. The Lion returns to rule over the other animals, the Tinman becomes the leader of the Winkies, and the Scarecrow reclaims his throne in the Emerald City. And they all lived happily ever after. By the way, Dorothy never actually says, "There's no place like home." Instead, she chants, "Take me home to Aunt Em." Another example of the screenwriter trumping the author.

So there you have it, a sappy little fairy tale to entertain the kiddies. Ah, not so fast, my friend. In 1964, a high school history teacher named Henry Littlefield discovers the symbolism in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" to be a perfect way to teach his students about Populism and the election of 1896. Mr. Littlefield publishes an article in American Quarterly magazine explaining his theory, and it's soon adopted by scholars far and wide. While some have contested the idea of the book being an intended work of political allegory, since Mr. Baum, a Populist sympathizer, never spoke of it being his intention, it's almost impossible to disagree with Mr. Littlefield's interpretation.

Dorothy is the All-American Everyman, courageous, determined, loyal, morally strong, basically the embodiment of all that's right with the country. When she lands in Oz, her house crushes the Wicked Witch of the East, who most likely represents President Grover Cleveland. Nicknamed the Great Obstructionist, Cleveland was a staunch supporter of the Gold Standard. William Jennings Bryan also had to conquer Cleveland's Democratic followers to claim the party nomination in 1896, depicted in Dorothy's squashing of the Witch.

The Good Witch of the North tells Dorothy to seek out the Wizard of Oz for help. The Wizard, of course, represents President McKinley and the Emerald City is Washington, D.C. The Yellow Brick Road, a road literally made from bricks of gold, is a clear reference to the Gold Standard, which has led the country on a dangerous journey. Dorothy's silver shoes are symbolic of the Populists' desire for free silver and a bimetallistic monetary system. The silver and gold working together can get Dorothy where she wants to go. And the land of Oz itself is the abbreviation for ounce, which is the standard measurement for gold and silver. Although, Mr. Baum is on record as saying he chose the name from a label on a file drawer in his office that read "O-Z."

The Scarecrow represents the struggling American farmers, who were often called too dumb to help themselves.

The Tin Woodman is the embodiment of the Eastern industrial workers. In the story, he starts out as human, but the Wicked Witch casts a spell that causes his ax to cut off one of his limbs each time he swings it until his whole body has been replaced with tin, just as the industry worker is reduced to little more than a machine. Also, after the Winkies repair the Tinman following his run in with the flying monkeys, they present him with a new ax comprised of a silver head and gold handle, furthering the bimetallism theme.

The Cowardly Lion is William Jennings Bryan. Like all politicians, especially the loquacious Bryan, the Lion had a fearsome growl but was afraid to back it up. When Dorothy and the rest first encounter the Lion, he takes a swipe at the Tinman and doesn't even scratch his metallic hide, just as Bryan failed to make a dent in the voters of the Eastern industrial states, costing him the presidency.

The Wicked Witch of the West is the personification of the harsh natural conditions facing American farmers. When she first attacks Dorothy and crew, she sends wolves, crows, and bees, all forces of nature. Dorothy kills her with a bucket of water, the most precious of commodities to farmers, symbolizing the rain needed to end the horrible droughts threatening much of the West.

The flying monkeys, who lived in Oz long before any of its other inhabitants, are the Indians of the Western plains. They are either good or bad depending on their surrounding influences.

The Winkies, the yellow slaves of the Wicked Witch of the West, are the people of the Philippines, who were the target of American Imperialism in the 1890s.

Dorothy and her friends' journey to Oz mirrors the one taken by Coxey's Army. In 1894, a group of unemployed workers, led by Populist reformer Jacob Coxey, set out from Massillon, Ohio, to march on Washington in protest of the poor economic conditions and to lobby the government to create jobs with various public works projects. The movement started with 100 men but grew to 500 before Coxey and others were arrested for trespassing on the lawn of the Capitol.

When Dorothy and crew arrive in the Emerald City, they aren't arrested, but they are required to wear special green glasses. In fact, everyone who enters the Emerald City must always wear the spectacles. Later, Dorothy discovers it's the glasses that give the Emerald City its dazzling green glow, without them everything is a plain, drab white. This portrays the magnificence of the federal government as an illusion, just a cheap trick of the politicians. And in the book, the Wizard meets with everyone separately, appearing as something different to each of them, demonstrating how politicians try to be different things to different people. The Wizard also never leaves his room so as to protect the secret of his impotence, much as the Presidents during the time rarely left the White House.

Glinda, the Good Witch, resides in the South, which was a Populist stronghold.

At the end of the book, the Scarecrow has taken over ruling the Emerald City, much as the Populists desired to have the farmers represented in Washington. In turn, the Tinman, or industry, has moved West to rule the Winkies, and the Lion has gone to the forests to rule the beasts, depicting Bryan in control of the smaller Populist politicians.

Along their way to Oz, Dorothy and her friends learn that instead of depending on the President and the federal government to help them, they possess the power, if they work together, to help themselves.

While the silver slippers are the key to getting Dorothy back home, she loses them during her magical flight over the deserts surrounding Oz, the same way the Populists lost their efforts for free silver.

As you can see, the parallels are rather uncanny. So either Mr. Baum was a very clever political satirist or he was the luckiest writer who ever lived, completely stumbling upon genius. Personally, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he planned it all along. And that's the only reason I'm giving this book four shots. Remove the political aspect, and there really isn't much to get excited about. Sure, it's a sweet little fairy tale for kids, but Mr. Baum's prose is pedestrian at best. While the overall plot may be brilliant, the actual execution is kind of ordinary. One would have to read the book with the Emerald City's green glasses to get the writing to sparkle. Mr. Baum was no J.M. Barrie. I could only imagine what the "Peter Pan" author could have done with this premise.

But, in the end, Mr. Baum's ability to create such a simple story capable of illustrating politically complex themes is extraordinary, if not inspirational. Others have found different meanings, believing it to be an exploration of everything from religion to sexuality. The myriad possible interpretations are only a testament to the strength of the work and the imagination of its creator.

Oh, and there are flying monkeys!

RATING:

(NOTE: A copy of Mr. Littlefield's complete essay on "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" as Populist parable can be found at http://www.amphigory.com/oz.htm.)