Post by marshamae on Dec 24, 2019 18:47:18 GMT
Fascinating read. Don’t agree that it’s anti fairytale. Did he miss the death threats to Snow White, Red Riding Hood, the captivity of Sleeping beauty and Rapunzel, and the mutilation of Cinderella’s step sisters, cutting off parts off their too big feet to fit the glass slipper ( fur in the original ) ?
If there is no prince ( though the straw man takes his place ) it’s because Dorothy is a child, not ready to meet her man.
Finally I think the advice of the con man / wizard is not without value. If he is unable to perform miracles and see into tge future, he reads human hearts well enough and is kindly intentioned when he sends Dorothy back home ( both times) . His gifts to the scarecrow, tin man and lion mat contain slaps at the fakery of public acclaim ( not so much at real heroes as at the kind of old soldier whose exploits in the last war grow bigger every time he tells the tale) but his encouragement to acknowledge the common sense , kindly affection , and determination in the face of fear that they do possess. It’s also a testimony to their effectiveness as a group, able to do together what none could do alone.
If there is no prince ( though the straw man takes his place ) it’s because Dorothy is a child, not ready to meet her man.
Finally I think the advice of the con man / wizard is not without value. If he is unable to perform miracles and see into tge future, he reads human hearts well enough and is kindly intentioned when he sends Dorothy back home ( both times) . His gifts to the scarecrow, tin man and lion mat contain slaps at the fakery of public acclaim ( not so much at real heroes as at the kind of old soldier whose exploits in the last war grow bigger every time he tells the tale) but his encouragement to acknowledge the common sense , kindly affection , and determination in the face of fear that they do possess. It’s also a testimony to their effectiveness as a group, able to do together what none could do alone.