The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Lion finally wakes up from his deep sleep. He is surprised to hear of the mice’s role in his rescue. The group rejoins the yellow-brick road. The countryside becomes more beautiful. The green clothing of the people they see suggests that they are nearing the Emerald City.

Dorothy knocks on the door of a farmhouse and asks if the group can have supper and stay with the family inside. While there, the farmer, who is resting with an injured leg, tells the group that Oz is very powerful and would be able to solve all their problems, but that not many people are allowed to see him.

The next morning, they set off. A green glow on the horizon tells them that the city is near. They reach a glittering gate of green emeralds; Dorothy rings a bell. The Guardian of the Gate, a diminutive man in green, is shocked with their request to see the Wizard of Oz. He agrees to lead them to the wizard nonetheless, providing them all with spectacles lest the brightness of the city blind them. The Guardian dons spectacles himself and opens the next gate, leading the travelers inside.

Everything in the beautiful city is green, including the houses, the sidewalks, and even the rays from the sun. The people have green-tinted skin and dress exclusively in green. The travelers are led to Oz’s palace in the middle of the city. They are told to wait while a soldier, who has never seen Oz himself, delivers their message. Oz responds that he will see one member of the party each day. In the meantime, they are housed comfortably in separate rooms of the palace. Dorothy marvels over the many green gowns in the cupboard of her room, all of which fit her perfectly, and the books of green pictures.

The next morning, a green-clothed servant helps Dorothy dress in a green silk gown, and she is taken to see Oz. She is shocked that Oz is a giant head with no body or limbs. Oz tells her that he will grant her request to send her back to Kansas only after she kills the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy sobs, believing this to be impossible.

The next day, the Scarecrow visits Oz, who is in the form of a beautiful woman. Oz tells the Scarecrow that she will grant the Scarecrow brains only if he assists Dorothy in killing the Wicked Witch of the West. In the form of a terrifying beast and then a glowing ball of fire, he delivers the same message to the Woodman and the Lion.

The group decides that their only option is to try to kill the witch. They set off the following morning.

The group is led back to the Guardian of the Gates, who unlocks their spectacles (they had been locked in place with a key only he possesses). They are advised to walk west to find the Wicked Witch, who rules over the country of the Winkies; the Guardian of the Gates warns them that she will try to enslave them.

The group walks west. Dorothy is surprised that her green dress and Toto’s green ribbon turn white. The group lies down to sleep, with the Woodman and the Scarecrow keeping watch. The Wicked Witch, who can use her eye like a telescope across the lands that she controls, sees Dorothy and her friends. She blows on a silver whistle.

A group of 40 fearsome wolves comes to her, and she instructs them to kill the group. The Woodman hears them coming and chops off all the wolves’ heads. Angry, the witch blows her whistle again and instructs a flock of 40 crows to peck the strangers’ eyes out. The Scarecrow hears the crows coming and stretches his arms out, as the rest of the group hides behind him. The Scarecrow twists the neck of each bird that comes to peck his eyes out, killing them all. Further enraged, the Wicked Witch then sends a swarm of bees. The Scarecrow instructs the Lion, Dorothy, and Toto to hide beneath his straw. The bees encounter only the Woodman; they break their stingers on his tin body and die. Dorothy helps restuff the Scarecrow, and the group continues on their way. The Wicked Witch instructs a group of Winkies, the people she rules over, to attack them with sharp spears. However, the Lion roars ferociously as they approach, and they run away in fear.

The Wicked Witch uses her last resort, summoning Winged Monkeys from a magical Golden Cap. She recites an incantation with the cap on her head and then instructs the monkeys to destroy the travelers, apart from the Lion, whom the witch wants to enslave. They throw the Woodman into a cliff of rocks, denting him so severely that he cannot move. They pull the Scarecrow apart and separate his straw, clothing, and limbs. They tie up the Lion and take him to the witch, as well as Dorothy and Toto, whom they cannot touch as she is protected with the mark on her forehead from the Witch of the North.

The Wicked Witch of the West also cannot harm Dorothy because of the mark, so she puts her to work in her home, cleaning and scrubbing and building fires. The witch plans to starve the Lion (who roars whenever the witch comes near him) into submission, but Dorothy secretly feeds him at night.

The witch is determined to steal Dorothy’s silver shoes; she realizes that Dorothy doesn’t understand how powerful they are. She sets up an invisible trap for Dorothy to trip over. One of the shoes falls off as Dorothy falls, and the witch snatches it and puts it on. Dorothy, furious, throws a pail of water at the witch. To Dorothy’s surprise, the witch melts before her eyes.

Dorothy and the Lion are thrilled to be free. They tell the yellow Winkies that they are also free; the Winkies are thrilled and grateful. Dorothy and the Lion ask the Winkies to help them rescue their friends, the Scarecrow and the Woodman.

The Winkies find the Woodman, who is badly dented and broken, and carry him back to the castle. Tinsmith Winkies are summoned to repair him. The Woodman cries with gratitude when he is reunited with Dorothy and the Lion.

The Woodman cuts down the tree in which the Scarecrow’s clothes are scattered. The Winkies gather all the pieces and take them back to the castle to stuff them with fresh straw; the Scarecrow is returned to his whole self.

The group decides to return to Oz to claim their rewards. The Winkies ask the Woodman to stay and rule over them, but he declines. The Winkies, eternally grateful, present the group with gifts: a jewel-encrusted oil can for the Woodman (they also gave his ax a gold handle and sharpened the blade), a diamond bracelet for Dorothy, golden collars for Toto and the Lion, and a gold-headed walking stick for the Scarecrow. Dorothy finds the witch’s Golden Cap and decides that she likes it; she puts it on for their walk back to the Emerald City. The group sets off.

Because there is no defined road back to the Emerald City, the group soon becomes disoriented and discouraged. Dorothy remembers that the Queen of the field mice gave her a whistle to blow if ever she needed help. She blows it, and eventually the mice reach them. Dorothy explains that they are lost; the Queen sees her Golden Cap and suggests that she should summon the Winged Monkeys to fly them there. The Queen explains that the instructions are inside the cap.

Dorothy reads the instructions and recites the incantation as specified. The Winged Monkeys arrive and agree to fly the travelers to the Emerald City. As they fly, the King Monkey answers Dorothy’s question about how they came to be imprisoned by the curse.

Princess Gayelette, a powerful sorceress from the North, became angry with the cheekiness of the monkeys after one of them dropped her fiancé, Quelala, in the river in his fine clothes and silks. To punish them, she placed them under the curse of the Golden Cap. The cap had belonged to Quelala, who only ordered the monkeys to stay away from his bride, which they were happy to do. However, when the Wicked Witch of the West took the cap, the monkeys were forced to enslave the Winkies, banish Oz from the West, and then attack the travelers, at her bidding.

The group reaches the Emerald City.

The Guardian of the Gates is shocked to see the group again, having assumed that they would be enslaved. He is impressed with Dorothy for melting the witch. He locks spectacles onto the travelers again, and they are led to the palace, accompanied by a crowd of citizens who have heard that Dorothy melted the Wicked Witch of the West. They return to their rooms in the palace but are surprised when they are not summoned by Oz after a number of days. Dorothy sends a message that if he does not receive them, she will summon the monkeys. Oz agrees to see them the following morning.

They enter the empty throne room and are confused. A voice explains that he is Oz and is invisible. Toto knocks down a screen in the corner to expose a small, old man. He admits that he is merely a balloonist from Omaha and has no actual magical abilities. He explains that he had the city built many years ago by the local people, who assumed he was a powerful sorcerer when he was blown off course in his balloon. The city is not really green; the spectacles—which all the people are tricked into thinking they must wear—make it appear green. The group angrily declares that Oz is a “humbug,” and he agrees apologetically. He begs them not to expose him and resolves that he will find a way to give them the things they seek.

The Scarecrow goes to Oz. Oz opens his head, pours in some bran and pins and needles, and declares that he has “bran-new brains” (143). When the Woodman goes to him, Oz cuts a patch in his chest to insert a little heart made of silk. Next, Oz explains to the Lion that he must drink a green liquid. When the Lion does so, he declares that he feels courageous. All three are very happy with their gifts.

Oz laments to himself that it was easy to fool the Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Lion, but that it will be harder to return Dorothy to Kansas.