"What is sure to be a delightful story for children is lackluster and dull when read in adulthood." 2 Stars
Pros: Extremely easy to read/Simple to follow/The moral of the story is that you don't have to go out looking for brains/a heart/courage etc, it's within you all along.
Cons: Even though it was a story meant for children, the characters had no depth, they were extremely one dimensional, but again, it's meant for children so, it can't be too complicated.
Full Review:
The story of Dorothy and her magical trip to the land of Oz all starts during a Cyclone in Kansas. Toto, her mischievous but loyal dog, runs to hide under the bed and Dorothy runs after him instead of getting to the storm cellar. The cyclone then picks up the house and whisks it away to the mysterious land of Oz. Upon entering the land, she finds it lush and beautiful, much different than drab, gray Kansas. She is approached by the Munchkins and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, who informs her that she has just killed the Wicked Witch of the East.
Dorothy is horrified, as she didn't intend to kill anyone, the house just fell on the Witch. But the Munchkins are indebted to her and when they ask her what she wants them to do for her, she says that all she really wants is to go home. So Glinda kisses her on the forehead, marking her and protecting her from harm, gives her the Silver Shoes of the Witch of the East and sets her off on the Yellow Brick Road.
Along her travels she becomes friends with a Scarecrow, who is in search of Brains, a Tin Woodsman who is in search of a Heart, and a Lion, who is in search of Courage. Together they reach the Emerald City and are presented to Oz, the great and terrible Wizard who rules the city. They all ask for their requests but he says that they must kill the Wicked Witch of the West and only then will he grant their wishes.
They decide its the best course of action, so they head off to the West but are intercepted by the flying Monkeys, who are indebted to the Witch of the West and they carry Dorothy and the Lion to the Castle while leaving the Tin Man and the Scarecrow in pieces behind. The Witch keeps Dorothy and the Lion prisoner, and forces Dorothy to work day and night. She wants the Silver Shoes that her sister had but she sees the mark of Glinda on Dorothy and knows she can't harm her. So one day she makes a bar invisible and places it in the middle of the kitchen floor, which Dorothy promptly trips over. One of the shoes comes off and the Witch puts it on. Enraged, Dorothy throws a bucket of water on the Witch, who promptly melts.
Thus their imprisonment ended, Dorothy and the Lion go with the Winkies, who were the slaves of the Witch, back to where they were first captured and work together to put the Tinman and the Scarecrow back together again. They stay with the Winkies for a time but then head back to Oz in hopes the Wizard will grant them their individual wishes.
When they get back, they are again presented to the Oz the great and terrible but they then discover, after Toto knocks a screen down, that the Wizard is nothing but a regular old man, human, just like Dorothy. He is a Ventriolquist and a Balloonist and used to work in a Carnival and one day, while flying his balloon, the wind took him away and landed him in Oz. The people thought he was a great sorcerer, since he came from the sky, so he figured he would reap the benefits of being so well thought of and had the people build him the Emerald City. Dorothy and Co. are rather perturbed at this news since if he isn't a Wizard, how can he possibly grant them their wishes. But he explains that he can still give them what he wants.
And he does so, basically by tricking them all into thinking they're actually getting what they want when in truth he's just stuffing the Scarecrow's head with "bran" instead of "brains"; putting a fake heart inside the Tinman's chest and having the Lion drink an elixir of courage that in all honesty is probably water. But they all believe his lies and are content, all except for Dorothy who still wants to get back to Kansas. He explains that he'll think on this and give her an answer in a few days time.
He decides to fill up his old balloon and is about to embark on a journey back to Kansas when Toto runs away and the ropes snap, setting the balloon off and leaving Dorothy behind. She is devastated by the people of Oz tell her that if she travels to the land of the North, Glinda, the Good Witch, will help her.
All in all, Dorothy gets back to Kansas and the Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion all get what they want. Alls well that ends well. It is truly a happy ending but I found the narrative flat, uninteresting and dull. And the characters dialogue was just so simple that it left absolutely nothing to the imagination. But then again, this book is meant for children. It is simply an adventure that will entertain the imaginations of children and keep them engaged. It's not meant to be taken at a deeper level.
As I've always been a fan of the Movie, though they definitely changed parts from the book, I would actually recommend the movie over the book. I say, read the book to your kids, for nostalgia's sake but also have them watch the movie, as it is and always will be, a classic.
Comments
Post a Comment