The Wizard of Oz: Chapter 12: The Search for the Wicked Witch Summary & Analysis

The small man at the gates of the Emerald City takes the group’s green spectacles as they leave and tells them that there’s no road to the Witch of the West’s domain, as no one ever wants to go there. As they set off towards the west, Dorothy notices that the green silk that she and Toto are wearing has somehow become pure white. The companions travel deeper into the west, and the landscape becomes rougher and wilder. As they stop to take a rest, the Wicked Witch of the West spots them from her castle, as her one eye can see through vast distances. Furious at the sight of these uninvited visitors in her domain, she resolves to destroy them.

The Wicked Witch of the West’s silver whistle allows her to summon wolves, crows, and bees to do her bidding. She orders these creatures to destroy Dorothy and her friends, but each attempt is thwarted. The Tin Woodman beheads the wolves, the Scarecrow strangles the crows, and the bees die after unsuccessfully stinging Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion, each of whom covered themselves in the Scarecrow’s straw. The Witch also sends the Winkies—people she’s enslaved—to destroy the travelers, but the Lion scares them away with a fearsome roar. As a last resort, the Witch dons her enchanted Golden Cap, which allows her to command an army of winged monkeys. The cap only lets her command the monkeys three times, and she’s already used it twice. She orders the monkeys to destroy everyone except the Lion, as she might have a use for him.

The winged monkeys fly swiftly to Dorothy and her friends and do as they were commanded. They pick up the Tin Woodman and drop him onto sharp rocks from a great height, leaving him battered and immobile. They pull all the straw out of the Scarecrow and throw his clothes into tree branches. They tie up the Cowardly Lion and bring him to the Witch’s castle, but they refuse to harm Dorothy because of the shining mark on her forehead. Instead, they gently pick her up and fly her to the Witch’s castle, explaining that they wouldn’t dare to harm someone protected by the Power of Good. Even the Wicked Witch doesn’t dare to hurt Dorothy when she sees the mark, but she decides to enslave Dorothy instead.

Dorothy begins working for the Wicked Witch of the West, becoming sadder each day, as getting home seems more impossible than ever. The Witch keeps the Lion in a yard and intends to have him pull her chariot, but he refuses to do as she commands. He roars and scares her off whenever she visits him, and the Witch threatens to starve him until he obeys. He continues defying her, as Dorothy secretly brings him food when she can, but both of them live miserably in the Witch’s castle. Before long, the Witch grows jealous of Dorothy’s silver slippers, which Dorothy never takes off, even while sleeping. The Witch knows how to use the slippers’ power, but she’s too afraid of the dark to steal the slippers while Dorothy sleeps. She also doesn’t attempt to steal the slippers while Dorothy bathes, as she’s terribly afraid of water.

Eventually, the Witch comes up with a clever plan to steal the silver slippers. She leaves a bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor and casts a spell to turn it invisible. When Dorothy walks through the kitchen to begin the day’s chores, she trips over the invisible object and falls flat on the floor, letting one of the silver slippers fall off. The Witch immediately grabs the slipper and puts it on, mocking Dorothy and promising to steal the other slipper as well someday. Furious, Dorothy calls the Witch a wicked creature and empties a bucket of water over the Witch’s head. To Dorothy’s surprise, the Wicked Witch of the West begins to melt like brown sugar, screaming and asking Dorothy if she knew her weakness was water. Dorothy admits she had no idea, and the Witch melts away to nothing.