Secondary meaning is everywhere. Books are a common medium for hidden symbolism, but even pop culture phenomena like a Super Bowl halftime show can spark conversation and a deeper level of analysis. Though much of the veiled meaning in these instances is expected, occasionally, a piece of media is so beloved that it survives for over 80 years without common knowledge of its true purpose.
Take The Wizard of Oz, for instance. It’s not just a story of a girl with two red braids who gets swept into a tornado, is transported to a whimsical dreamland, and kills a witch with her group of eclectic friends in a quest to get back home. The movie’s entire plot isn’t a fever dream, either. In fact, behind the fantasy lies a sharp political commentary—The Wizard of Oz is a full-blown allegory for the Populist Party of the 1890s.
The Populist Party, also known as the People’s Party, was a short-lived but influential political movement primarily composed of farmers in the Midwest and South. The working class, immigrants, and others who pushed for reform at the time were also involved in the party. Although Populism only lasted for 17 years, some of the party’s planks, or central beliefs, like an income tax, direct election of senators, and the regulation of railroads, lived on in the following Progressive Era.
The Wizard of Oz alludes to many aspects of Populism, both in terms of the party’s beliefs and its demographic makeup. For starters, these key ideas for reform driving the Populist Party were summed up in the party’s Omaha Platform. In the movie, the wizard leaves Oz in a hot air balloon with the words Omaha State Fair. It’s not a coincidence. Still not convinced? Keep reading.
Most of the characters in The Wizard of Oz are symbolic, either representing a significant person in the Populist Era or various societal groups during the time period. For example, Dorothy, with her wide-eyed innocence, represents the average American—hopeful and good-hearted, yet unaware of the corruptive forces in society. Furthermore, southern farmers in the Populist Era weren’t given credit for their intelligence and were instead perceived as dumb due to their lack of formal education. This notion is exemplified by the Scarecrow, who wishes for a brain like the farmers of the American West. Most farmers were members of the Populist Party, so the Scarecrow joining forces with Dorothy on her Populist mission demonstrates this. The Tin Man represents an industrial worker—dehumanized by factory life and in need of a “heart.” As members of the working class, industrial workers were mainly Populists, as exemplified by the Tin Man’s participation in the journey. The last member of the group, the Lion, doesn’t symbolize a group, but rather an individual, specifically the prominent Populist leader William Jennings Bryan. The Lion wants courage, and in real life, Bryan lost the race for President three times. Presidents need courage, thus, the correlation is not by chance.
Other characters have a secondary meaning as well. The Wizard is really the corrupt President McKinley—publicly a man of the people, but privately in the pockets of big businesses. Thus, McKinley cared more about the top industry captains and their deep pockets than the needs of millions of Americans. The Wizard, as a small man hiding behind a huge, intimidating contraption, is symbolic of McKinley’s facade.
The Munchkins, who appear when Dorothy lands in Oz, are representative of the “little people” in society, who were often overlooked or outright exploited by big businesses. They introduce themselves as members of the “lollipop guild” and “lullaby league,” which are allegorical unions. The Munchkins could also be an indirect nod toward child labor. Additionally, the Winged Monkeys symbolize Native Americans, because the American perception of them at the time was that they were not inherently good or bad people, but could be swayed in either direction by positive or negative influences. The Winged Monkeys are fine before the Wicked Witch of the West makes them “evil,” demonstrating how Native Americans could “turn against” the American people.
The witches in the story provide further support for the Populist allegory in The Wizard of Oz. The Good Witch of the South aligns with the American South, a Populist stronghold. Similarly, the Good Witch of the North evokes an idealized North—educated, industrious, and economically prosperous. The Wicked Witch of the East represents Eastern banking and industrial monopolies. The rampant corruption of the Gilded Age meant that benefits for banks and industries would come to the detriment of the people, hence the “wicked” title. Similarly, the Wicked Witch of the West is deemed wicked because of her association with railroads, which were mainly Western and primarily served the deep-pocketed elites instead of the common man. To the farmer whose grain, and thus income, rotted in the silo while the trains only made trips for the wealthy, the railroads truly were wicked. Fittingly, the witch is killed by water, a necessity for farmers, further increasing the complexity of the symbolism.
The characters are only part of the movie’s larger Populist purpose. Bimetallism, or money backed by silver and gold, was arguably the most important issue in the 1896 presidential election. Republican William McKinley, the wizard, supported the gold standard as indicated by the movie’s yellow brick road. On the other hand, the Populist candidate, William Jennings Bryan (the Lion), advocated for bimetallism. In the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book, Dorothy’s slippers are silver instead of ruby. So, when she walks on the yellow brick road, it’s representative of bimetallism.
There are other economic symbols in The Wizard of Oz too. The Emerald City is emerald, or green, because of greenbacks, which were essentially the dollars we have today—money printed onto green paper whose worth could be adjusted over time. The Emerald City in the fictional world reflects Washington D.C. Believe it or not, the tornado at the beginning of the movie is an economic symbol as well. The tornado represents the Panic of 1873, which triggered an economic upheaval and depression. The panic flipped the world upside down for the thousands financially impacted, just as the tornado physically did for Dorothy and the setting of the movie.
A non-economic symbol materializes with the cross that the Scarecrow is found on. Bryan, the Lion, gave a speech known as the Cross of Gold speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1896. Though it’s the Scarecrow who is found on the cross and the person the Lion represents who gave the speech, there’s still an unmistakable connection. Plus, don’t miss the obvious—the movie is titled The Wizard of Oz. Oz, as in the abbreviation for ounces, a unit of measurement used for currency and its contents. Even the movie’s name refers to the Populist Party.
So next time you watch The Wizard of Oz, view it through a new lens. The Scarecrow’s lack of brains isn’t random, the Witch isn’t wicked for no reason, and yellow isn’t a color chosen out of the blue. The name, characters, and setting of the movie are all parts of a hidden, intricate allegory that, once uncovered, can never be forgotten.
