The Wizard of Oz and Populism

Since 1964 the story as well as the movie known as The Wizard of Oz has lost much of its innocence. Prior to 1964 The Wizard of Oz was a tale of innocence that adults and children alike enjoyed. They viewed The Wizard of Oz as an escape and thought the story to be fun, exciting and pleasurable. However, in 1964 Henry M. Littlefield published The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism. Littlefield’s theories on populist allegory …

…much innocence surrounding The Wizard of Oz. However, Littlefield’s theories should not be discounted because they are outdated. There are far too many convincing connections between populism and The Wizard of Oz, for it to be merely a coincidence. Even if it wasn’t the main reason for Baum to write The Wizard of Oz, his populist symbols throughout the story at least clearly demonstrate his subconscious thoughts concerning populism while writing the novel.