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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Wizard of Oz, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Self-Doubt vs. Self-Confidence
Home and Belonging
Good vs. Evil
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
After making themselves presentable, Dorothy and her friends approach Glinda the Good Witch in her ruby-colored throne room. Glinda asks what brings them here, and Dorothy recounts her entire story to the Good Witch, explaining that she wants to go home to Kansas more than anything. Glinda agrees to help Dorothy in exchange for the Golden Cap, which Dorothy happily surrenders, having used all three of its commands anyway. Glinda then asks Dorothy’s companions what they will do once Dorothy is back in Kansas. The Scarecrow will go back to live in the Emerald City and rule there, the Tin Woodman will rule over the Winkies who treated him so kindly, and the Lion will rule in the forest as the King of the Beasts.
It quickly becomes evident that Dorothy isn’t the only one who’ll be returning to where she belongs. The Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion have homes of their own now, and life will continue after their adventure has ended. In the end, their journey with Dorothy has showed all three of them where they belong. Dorothy was the only member of the group whose wish was to go home, but with the good witch’s help, it seems possible that all four of them will return to a place that welcomes them.
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Glinda promises to use the Golden Cap’s three commands to have the winged monkeys carry Dorothy’s three friends to where they wish to go. Then she’ll give the Golden Cap to the King of the Monkeys so that his people can be free forever. As for Dorothy herself, Glinda explains that the silver slippers can magically transport Dorothy to wherever she wishes to go, if she only clicks her heels together and tells them where to take her. Dorothy could have used the slippers to go home the whole time, but her companions point out that they might have never found their brains, heart, or courage without her help. She admits she’s glad she helped her friends find their happiness, but now that all is said and done, she’s finally ready to return to Kansas.
Ultimately, Dorothy’s silver shoes make her more similar to her friends than she realized. She was always more confident and self-assured than her three companions, but she also had unrealized potential the entire time. Just as the Scarecrow always had brains, the Tin Woodman always had a heart, and the Lion always had courage, Dorothy always had a means of returning home to Kansas. Where her friends lacked confidence, she only lacked self-knowledge. However, she knows that her adventure wasn’t pointless, as she reflects on how she helped her friends out of their misery. By not recognizing her own potential, Dorothy accidentally allowed her friends to discover theirs.
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Dorothy and her friends share a tearful goodbye before she clicks her heels together and orders the slippers to take her home to Aunt Em. She takes three steps, and to her delight, she finds herself back on the Kansas prairie, right in front of Aunt Em and Uncle Henry’s new farmhouse. As Toto runs ahead, barking madly, Dorothy notices that she isn’t wearing the silver slippers anymore. They must have slipped off as she was whisked away from Oz, and now they’re lost in the great desert forever.
Dorothy’s sad parting marks the end of the group’s adventure and the end of their time together. The sorrow of their goodbyes highlights the strength of their friendship, but it also reveals just how determined Dorothy is to return home. Even her deep love for her friends can’t keep her away from the place where she belongs. In this moment, her strong desire to return to Kansas outweighs her sadness.
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