The Wizard of Oz Themes

There's no place like it, right? Some girl in a movie assured us of that. Home here becomes a bit of a double-edged sword: it's the place Dorothy wants to get the heck away from so badly that she s...

At least one of Dorothy's companions has a big ole thing about finding some courage, but in truth, everybody in the party could use a little. The Scarecrow and Tin Man get quakey at the knees fairl...

Here in Oz, nothing is what it seems. That scarecrow might talk. The poppies may hide super-doses of Nyquil. And those big scary witches and wizards might turn out to be tiny little people after al...

The Hero's Journey is big on coming of age: when an earnest young person learns to grow up and take responsibility for their actions. Dorothy is really young – she's only supposed to be eleven, t...

We got dancing Munchkins! We've got talking trees! We've got a horse of a different color! Oz is just a giant chocolate box of goodies, but Dorothy's not going to see it unless she heads out in dir...

There's the family you're born into, and the family you choose. The Wizard of Oz puts both of them front and center. Dorothy has the flesh-and-blood family she's trying to get back to, and while th...