Finding Oz

Sofy Dzhanashvili
04/30/09
English 211W
Professor Henkle


Finding Oz
Many, many things can be found over a rainbow: munchkins, a wizard, some witches, imagination, a scarecrow, a tin woodman, psychedelics, a cowardly lion, a girl with red shoes and a dog named Todo.
"As they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing.”

Dorothy hugged her dog tightly and led out a soft sigh. No, this was no longer Kansas. Here, everything worked differently: lessons were learned through adventure, witches always came defined as either very good or very evil, lions were cowardly (but they eventually found their courage, of course) and all problems could be solved by closing your eyes and meeting an all-knowing wizard in the Emerald City.
"…and the next moment all of them were filled with wonder. For they saw, standing in just the spot the screen had hidden, a little old man, with a bald head and a wrinkled face, who seemed to be as much surprised as they were."

And he seemed as though he really knew what he was talking about. Did you hear? The wicked witch could be conquered by the power of belief. Quite the solution. Dorothy tapped her heels to the simplicity.
"The Scarecrow watched the Woodman while he worked and said to him "I cannot think why this wall is here nor what it is made of." "Rest you brains and do not worry about the wall," replied the Woodman, "when we have climbed over it we shall know what is on the other side.”

The one they had to follow was yellow. Miles and miles of yellow brick road stretched ahead of them, and Dorothy and her optimistic pals walked each step with delightful conviction, firmly believing in the rainbow that stood waiting at the end of the path. All that was needed was some endurance, perhaps, just the right amount faith. On the way, the Scarecrow wanted to get a brain, the Tin Woodman a heart, and the Cowardly Lion, courage, and they found all these things and repeated to themselves "the road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick." Red sparkling shoes, magic, a road and a few silly friends.
""Scarecrow: I haven't got a brain... only straw.
Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven't got a brain? Scarecrow: I don't know... But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking... don't they? Dorothy: Yes, I guess you're right.""

They kept walking. Not one of them stopped to reference a map or to ask a polite stranger for directions, for that was just utterly ridiculous to do in Oz, where there is a yellow-brick road and one may completely live off of fairy-dust and the amusing entertainment of munchkins. It was delusional, perhaps, but it was shared, so Dorothy firmly knew it was reality.
"'That proves you are unusual,' returned the Scarecrow; 'and I am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed.'"

Till today, they continue on their journey. You can watch them, walking towards this or that sunrise and glowing with passion, the pack of them: Todo, as jolly as can be; the lion, growing more courageous each day; the scarecrow, shocking all with his intellect, the tinman, with his heart of pure, pure gold, and Dorothy, magical Dorothy, her red heels never shinier, never more perfectly sparkling in the bask of the sunlight. She continues on, always believing “there is no place like home” and that she really is heading (somewhere) over the rainbow and that bluebirds fly and no, she never stops, never stops believing and never stops skipping in optimistic glee and wizards and magic and sparkling shoes and “there is no place like home, there is no place like home” and there, there she is spinning and spinning into miles and miles of endless yellow pavement.
"Roads," observed the shaggy man, "don't go anywhere. They stay in one place, so folks can walk on them.""