The Wiz

Amanda Onalaja

September 22, 2009

Pd. 2 – Ms. Brown

Whether you’ve read the novel or watched the movie, The Wizard of Oz, is a heartfelt story with any different concepts. The protagonist, or main character, Dorothy is cast off from her hometown of Kansas to a magical land called Oz. She encounters a scarecrow, a tin-man, and a lion, each joining her party in a search for the Wizard of Oz and a wish of whatever their heart desires. In an adaptation, The Wiz, the storyline is similar, expect for the memorable cast including Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, and the modern environments. However, one concept that truly shines is Dorothy’s realization of the meaning of family.

In the first scenes of The Wiz, Dorothy’s Aunt Em is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner party. As Aunt Em and the guests sing, Dorothy looks about the dinner table with cheerless expressions almost as if she doesn’t fit in. In the middle of the carol, she hurriedly excuses herself from the table and into the kitchen where she continues a glum version of the song, “Lose it, lose it, I don’t even know the first thing about what they’re feeling”, she seems to question herself. The setting in Aunt Em’s home is cheery and joyful, but Dorothy sticks out. Her character isn’t defiant just distinct in her manner of operating.

However, we see Dorothy’s character progress throughout the story. From the moment she lands in Oz she begs and pleas to return home. The dependent side of her breaks through as the once “wanted to handle my life on my own Dorothy” now sees she needs help and the safety and comfort of home, the same safety and comfort that is brought out by family. She constantly clings to her dog Toto, every moment he runs off she nearly breaks down into hysterical tears, seeing as he is the only thing tying her to the reality she believes still exists in New York.

As the story progresses the scarecrow, tin-man, and lion are introduced into the story. Through different trials the party subtly gains the things they desired without help from the Wiz. Dorothy displays maternal actions such as comforting the others in times of stress too, “It’s all right, everything’s all right”. When it comes time to meet the Wiz, she even defends her friends saying they’re her “companions” and she won’t see the wizard unless her fiends can too. By now Dorothy expresses her gratitude for the party’s company throughout her quest to go home; she sticks by them just as family would.

When all is said and done, Dorothy is thankful for the experience and friends she has met but she is grateful to go home. She learned the value of family; people who stick by you through thick and thin and love you unconditionally, just as her friends did. Without them she wouldn’t have been able to face the obstacles she had and eventually find herself and her purpose. Many could learn about family values from characters like her.