The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum was the first fairytale written in United States. Baum wrote TheWonderful Wizard of Oz during a time in history that was

able to recognize power. The yellow brick road symbolized the gold standard which

after a few hours begun to be rough, and the walking grew so difficult that the scarecrow

begins to stumble over the bricks that were not even. In the late 1890's, the major issue

was the currency of the United States. The gold standard was perceived as not sufficient

and was cornered by Fist and Gould. Although gold standard had holes and obstacles

it could still last through the long haul just as the yellow brick road. Dorothy's silver

shoes took on the image of the silver coinage. Supporters of the silver movement

argued that it had flexibility and abundance for a long time, likewise Dorothy felt the

silver shoes would not wear out. But because she failed to understand the ability of

the shoes to carry her home to Kansas, she travels in a direction not practical. The

wizard and his different faces he wore was symbolic of the corruption in politics,

as well as the four main characters journey to the Emerald City being compared to

the tramps and poor that traveled to ask the president for work in 1894 because dirty

politicians had cost them their jobs.

The major figures in the story are personfied as a character from the late 1800's.

Dorothy was used to portray the innocent of the United States. The U.S. always had the

chance to implement silver, but they were too simple to realize its power. Likewise

Dorothy owned the silver shoes but was too innocent to recognize their power to take

her home. The wicked witch of the West was symbolic of the railroad barons, that tried

to monopolize the railroad in order to have authority over the common workers and

farmers. In the same way the wicked witch of the west made the muckins her slaves. The

scarecrow impersonated the western farmer because he did not have a brain, he was

considerate unable to reason ahead. Therefore he needed Dorothy's aid in traveling down

the yellow brick road so did the farmers need aid also. Now the tinwoodsman portrayed

the eastern workers, who were subjected to cruel work hours, low pay, and an inability to

argue for themselves because labor unions were not aloud. Some of the labor unions that

existed were powerless because of political corruption, but Baum suggested that the

worker could find their own solution just as the tin woodman had done by accepting

a fake heart. The cowardly lion's character illustrates how William J. Bryan was known

for his tremedous speaking ability, yet unable to impress enough people to win a

presidential election. Just as the lion roared at the tinswoodsman, trying to make him

believe he was the king of the beast but didnot intimidate him at all. The Wizard of Oz

represented any of those guilded presidents, a bumbling old man hidden by a mask of

make believe and noise. He was suppose to be a great wizard just as the president of

the United States that came from humble beginnings. The wizard character suggested

that he was suited to depict William McKinley who won the election of 1896, as a great

man that forced the people to elect him though he was just a simple man. The wicked

witch of the East was symbolic of the banker bosses that controlled manufactering and

business in the east and used trust and intimidation by authority to gain profits off the

common worker and children's back. In oz the witch of the east kept the munchkins in

bondage and forced them to slave for her day and night. The winged monkeys are the

Plains Indians, once they were free people living wherever they chose before Lincoln

signed the Indian removal laws which literally put the Indians in bondage to the United

States, having to depend on U.S. government for food and land. So it was with these

winged monkeys and the wicked witch of the west, they too were misunderstood and

considerated a product of their environment.

A parable is simple story illustrating a particular belief or moral lesson and using

this definition The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a parable. How effective of a parable is

questionable but it does use examples of simple everyday life to depict different eras in

the late 1800's. It is written as a fairytale so that Baum would not intentionly step on the

toes of those in authority and it has representation of moral lessons although it is not clear

what the United States learned from this parable.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz attempted to relate its main characters to prominate

figures, as well as historical and working class figures during the 1890's. The theme

through out this story has been about taking a stand for what a person believes and it

clear that Baum's stand was for the powerless majority. Just as history has repeated

time and time agian if the middleclass is not represented a majority vote has not been

cast.