Dorothy's childhood is not unlike most people's childhoods - their home seems dull and boring, and an adventure is welcome and thrilling. Like Peter Pan she is still a child and remains a child even though she undertakes a sometimes-frightening journey and faces many dangers. Baum wanted The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to be a fairy tale, but unlike other fairy tales, his child protagonist does not enter into any sort of adulthood. Dorothy is the quintessential child heroine, for she is unassuming, open-minded, simple, and frank. Denslow's charming illustrations reveal her to be a wide-eyed, spirited little girl. ChildhoodĪlthough she is portrayed as a 16-year-old in the film, Dorothy is most assuredly a child in the novel.
Baum understood his intended audience well. This is an understandable mindset for a child - no matter how fascinating or exotic a place, it is always more comforting to be in a familiar setting. She finds much to love about Oz but knows it is not where she belongs. She is from Kansas, her guardians are there, and she has duties to fulfill. However, the importance of realizing the significance of one's roots prevails. It seems strange that Dorothy would want to leave this land for her home. Most of its inhabitants are cheerful, helpful, and virtuous. It is peopled with strange folk, a marvelous emerald city, verdant fields of flowers and miles of healthy farmland, deep forests, and adventures galore. Oz, by contrast, is stunningly gorgeous and fantastical. It turns the once-pretty and young Aunt Em into an old, dour woman before her time. The Kansas prairie is vast and monochromatic, with dangerous cyclones and an absence of color and beauty.
Buy Study Guide There's no place like homeĭorothy lives in a place that many people would be loath to call home.
0 kommentar(er)
