emptyparkinglot
New Member
I just wanted to put a new thread out to all those lovers of this wonderful classic. I am currently reading the book for the first time and I was hoping to get a little discussion going. Please feel free to post a thought, even if you've only ever watched the movie (which is quite abridged from the book!). I had a couple of thoughts that I wanted to start out on. First; I really enjoy the Tin Man and the Scarecrow a lot. Baum obviously has an underlying moral to their characters. He wants people to understand that even though (actually in spite of the fact that) these characters don't have a heart/brain, they are far more compassionate and intelligent than they would be if they actually had brains and a heart. In fact, Baum actually mentions a few times (so far; I'm not done yet!) that if they had the things that they sought from the Wizard, they would not care so much/think so hard. I believe that people are like this. They think that they have brains and they think that they have hearts, and of course, they then take them for granted. Excuse me for putting a religious spin on this, but a pastor named Oswald Chambers stated this:
“We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. This is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. If we have ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of God, we will never say, ‘Oh, I’m so unworthy.’ We will understand that this goes without saying. But as long as there is any doubt that we are unworthy, God will continue to close us in until He gets us alone. Whenever there is any element of pride or conceit remaining, Jesus can’t teach us anything. He will allow us to experience heartbreak or the disappointment we feel when our intellectual pride is wounded. He will reveal numerous misplaced affections or desires—things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear.”
-Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest: Have You Ever
Been Alone with God?”
I think that this is what Baum was shooting for (in a non-religious fashion!). If we want to be intellectual, we must admit to ourselves that we are not intellectual people and then do the best with what we've got! If we want to have more compassion, we must realize first that we are not born compassionate and again, we just have to work with what we've got! This is a new perspective for me. It requires a level of humility that I am struggling to have at the moment. On a side note, The Lion and Dorothy also experience the same sort of characteristics, but it hasn't been as obvious to me.
Okay, the last part that I wanted to add to this was the complexity of Toto! Wow! I didn't realize how his role is so vital until I read the book. In the movie he's just a security blanket for Dorothy, but in the book, Baum makes him much more! I see him as a token, a memento of the world that Dorothy left behind. He's the only creature that cannot talk (up to the point where I'm at in the story) and he acts like a real dog would; he chases other animals, tries to bite everyone, barks, sleeps, gets hungry, etc. Every other creature in the story has something surreal to their nature.
Dorothy also looks for security from the dog here, but as a connection she can make with where she was before to where she is now. Both things become real (definitely not a dream!) because he is real. And because he is in both places, there seems to be no doubt that both places are real.
So there you have it. I hope that there are others who would like to share their thoughts! My mind is an open and les-than-half-written book!
“We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. This is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. If we have ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of God, we will never say, ‘Oh, I’m so unworthy.’ We will understand that this goes without saying. But as long as there is any doubt that we are unworthy, God will continue to close us in until He gets us alone. Whenever there is any element of pride or conceit remaining, Jesus can’t teach us anything. He will allow us to experience heartbreak or the disappointment we feel when our intellectual pride is wounded. He will reveal numerous misplaced affections or desires—things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear.”
-Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest: Have You Ever
Been Alone with God?”
I think that this is what Baum was shooting for (in a non-religious fashion!). If we want to be intellectual, we must admit to ourselves that we are not intellectual people and then do the best with what we've got! If we want to have more compassion, we must realize first that we are not born compassionate and again, we just have to work with what we've got! This is a new perspective for me. It requires a level of humility that I am struggling to have at the moment. On a side note, The Lion and Dorothy also experience the same sort of characteristics, but it hasn't been as obvious to me.
Okay, the last part that I wanted to add to this was the complexity of Toto! Wow! I didn't realize how his role is so vital until I read the book. In the movie he's just a security blanket for Dorothy, but in the book, Baum makes him much more! I see him as a token, a memento of the world that Dorothy left behind. He's the only creature that cannot talk (up to the point where I'm at in the story) and he acts like a real dog would; he chases other animals, tries to bite everyone, barks, sleeps, gets hungry, etc. Every other creature in the story has something surreal to their nature.
Dorothy also looks for security from the dog here, but as a connection she can make with where she was before to where she is now. Both things become real (definitely not a dream!) because he is real. And because he is in both places, there seems to be no doubt that both places are real.
So there you have it. I hope that there are others who would like to share their thoughts! My mind is an open and les-than-half-written book!
Thanks emptyparkinglot
