There’s no denying that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a beloved classic that has captured the imaginations of generation. The imagery is iconic: the Yellow Brick Road, the Emerald City, the silver shoes (or red slippers if you’re going by the film). But revisiting the story, it’s hard not to notice just how simplistic it really is.
The story is whimsical and easy to follow but lacking in emotional depth or complex character development. Dorothy is kind and plucky, but rather one dimensional while the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion are more memorable for their symbolic roles rather than for any deprh of character.
That simplicity is both a strength and a weakness. For children, it’s a great gateway into fantasy literature. For more mature readers though, it leaves you feeling like there’s so much more just beneath the surface that could be explored. Who are the characters really, what are their motivations, what are their stories?
This hunger for more layered storytelling is exactly what inspired later works like Wicked, which reimagines the Wicked Witch’s origins. In many ways, Wicked and similar adaptations succeed because they expand on the very things The Wonderful Wizard of Oz leaves out; gray morality, rich backstories, and the complexity of character.
Ultimately The Wonderful Wizard of Oz deserves its place in literary history, but it feels more like a foundation than a finished structure. It's a charming beginning, but not a complete world.
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