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Chapter 3: How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow
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
As the landscape around them gradually becomes wilder and more untamed, Dorothy and the Scarecrow share stories about their lives. Upon hearing about Kansas, the Scarecrow wonders why Dorothy would want to return to such a gray and dull place after landing in the colorful Land of Oz. Dorothy replies that humans always love their home most of all, no matter how gray it is. The Scarecrow assumes that he doesn’t understand this point of view because he doesn’t have any brains.
This is the point when Dorothy utters the famous line: “There’s no place like home.” Her conversation with the Scarecrow makes her beliefs clearer than ever: home is where someone belongs, no matter the circumstances. Even after making a new friend in Oz, Dorothy remains steadfast in this belief. Meanwhile, the Scarecrow once again reveals his self-doubt as he mentions his lack of brains.
Themes
Quiz
Test Yourself
As they rest, the Scarecrow tells Dorothy the story of how he was created by a Munchkin farmer to scare the crows away from his crops. Despite how lonely he felt in the cornfield by himself, the Scarecrow felt useful and important as he scared the crows off. This changed when the birds caught onto the trick and began eating the crops, anyway, making the Scarecrow feel more useless and alone than ever. One of the crows took pity on him and told him that he’d be just as good as any man if he had brains instead of straw in his head. Back in the present, the yellow brick road takes Dorothy and the Scarecrow into a dark wood, but they find a lone cottage to rest in for the night.
The Scarecrow’s story explains why he’s so full of self-doubt and insecurity. Because he wants to feel useful to the people around him, he can’t be happy with himself unless he meets their expectations. In this case, others expect him to have a brain in his head rather than straw, and the Scarecrow is afraid of appearing foolish. This implies that the Scarecrow doubts himself because he seeks validation from others instead of finding contentment within himself.
Themes
Quiz
Test Yourself
