Dorothy’s Day with ‘The Wizard Of Oz’

On this day in 1939 the world first met Dorothy and her wonder dog Toto as they followed the yellow brick road with Dorothy carrying a picnic basket and wearing a pair of red patent shoes. It all began after Dorothy had a disagreement with her nasty neighbour over Toto and decided to run away from home to save him from being taken to the pound because her aunty Em and her friends on the farm couldn’t help . She and her little dog were on their way when suddenly a tornado hit and Dorothy ,unable to open door to the underground shelter ,managed to find her way to her room but was hit on the head by flying debris. A new door opened and Dorothy’s world of black and white changed to vibrant technicolour. Dorothy and Toto were now following a new road. One which would eventually lead to a sense of belonging.

Along the way they met some odd looking characters. There was The tin man who desparately needed oil in his creaking joints, The straw man who had no joints at all and kept collapsing in a heap and there was a lion who was afraid of his own shadow. The all needed fixing just like us. The Tin Man needed a heart to pump the oil through his veins to his joints , the Straw man needed a brain to co-ordinate his movements and the lion needed courage. What of Dorothy? Well; Dorothy needed to believe in the love that was all around her. Until she believed in this love she would never be able to defeat the Wicked Witch Of The West. The red shoes had been given to Dorothy by the Good Witch Glinda to give her confidence.

With the Wicked Witch in hot pursuit and after Dorothy’s magical red shoes the movie gets quite dark and the gargoil monkeys that guard the witch are truly scary. When poor Toto is snatched up on the broomstick and taken to the castle in order to lure Dorothy things get really tense . Then suddenly Dorothy becomes confident enough to deal with the Wicked Witch and the others follow suit. When the witch sets the Straw Man on fire Dorothy throws a bucket of water over her and she melts. They return to the wizard who offers the Straw man a diploma in place of a brain, the Tin Man a heart -shaped fob watch instead of a heart and the lion, a medal, for bravery. Dorothy clicks her red shoes together and makes a wish famously repeating ” There’s no place like home” and the wizard sends her off home in a hot air balloon which takes off too soon leaving Toto behind.

Just when you start to fret for Dorothy’s wellbeing without her little dog she wakes up in her own bed on the farm surrounded by those who love her including Toto. Turns out it was all a dream and that Dorothy had had concussion. She realises how much she is loved and recognises the straw man and tin man were in actual fact two of the farm hands. In fact, all the characters in her real life, played a part in the land of Oz. The meaning here is that home is always with you. Believe in yourself and others and you will belong.