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Aims Literature Student
Professor’s name
Course name/number (Ex: English 102)
Date that paper is due
Symbolic Shoes in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz, by Frank L Baum, is the story of one girl’s struggle to go home.
After escaping the dreary gray of Kansas, Dorothy’s experiences in OZ make her realize that
there is no place she would rather be than back home. Baum’s theme is that Dorothy can
attain her goals herself, for throughout her journey she wears magical ruby slippers which
only need to be clicked together to return her to Kansas. The ruby slippers symbolize her
unclaimed power. When Dorothy taps her heels together, she is really tapping into her own
resources.
Baum creates a protagonist who does not, at first, recognize the power she holds.
Although the Good Witch, Glinda, presents the slippers to Dorothy, saying they “belong to
[her] to use as [she] will,” Dorothy sees the shoes only as a confusing burden (Baum 32). She
does not try to understand them, and even when she is later attacked by the Wicked Witch of
the West, Dorothy “stares down at her slippers, as if in amazement that they could cause so
much trouble” instead of considering how to use them to her advantage (80).
Yet to the Munchkins, the ruby slippers already represent power. When Dorothy first
acquires them, they “’ooh’ and ‘ahh!’” and back away “in fear and amazement” because they
have long associated the slippers with the tyranny of the Wicked Witch of the East (38). The
dead witch’s feet literally curl up when Glinda zaps the shoes from them, as if their magic
were the last thing keeping the witch’s body intact. However, the Munchkins do not consider
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the idea that Dorothy might use the shoes for good. Perhaps because the Munchkins believe
that only the Great and Powerful Oz can solve their problems, they don’t suggest that Dorothy
use her own resources to get home. Though she is hailed as a hero and a powerful witch, the
Munchkins ironically tell her to seek the Wizard, whom they believe will solve all of her
problems.
The Wicked Witch of the West, who tries to kill and imprison Dorothy, also wants to
tap into the power of the slippers. This Wicked Witch fears and hates Dorothy for killing her
sister and for taking that which the witch says “rightfully” belongs to her (72). Like any asset,
the slippers both endanger and protect Dorothy, for the Wicked Witch must find a way to kill
her “without damaging the ruby slippers” (66). Both try to gain power from other sources
rather than seeking it within themselves. While Dorothy believes she needs a wizard to solve
her problems, the Wicked Witch of the West believes that she must steal Dorothy’s shoes.
Baum uses the shoes to demonstrate the theme that people must rely on themselves.
Because Dorothy lacks faith in herself, she initially depends on everyone else she meets. She
follows the Munchkins’ advice and directions for finding the Wizard, immediately setting out
on a path that is unnecessary. She even “begins at the beginning,” obediently crossing back to
the origin of the Yellow Brick Road’s spiral (36). Her subservient interactions with the
Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, and Wizard all demonstrate that she has little faith in her own
abilities. Yet again and again she thinks quickly and helps them. Her newfound friends also
fail to realize that each can solve his own problems; the “brainless” Scarecrow figures out
how to get them out of numerous jams, the “heartless” Tinman cries when he steps on ants,
and the “Cowardly” Lion rushes to save others.
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Each of the main characters in the story learns that he is strong. Through the support of
her friends, Dorothy learns that she can take care of herself. Even the fraudulent Wizard of Oz
demonstrates power by helping others to believe in themselves. Dorothy does not receive a
token of this inner strength from the wizard because she already has one: the slippers. All she
has to do is open her mind and explore the possibilities. While the Wicked Witches used their
power for evil deeds, Dorothy now uses hers for the pure and simple purpose of returning
home to those she loves. Perhaps Glinda didn’t tell Dorothy that she “had the power all along”
so that Dorothy would learn to rely on herself (103).
(This sample essay was contributed by Kendra Griffin)