In 1939 a The Wizard Of Oz hit the cinema screens and became a classic which touched the hearts of million throughout the world. Its simple tale of a young girl trying to get home as become a perennial Christmas favourite and lightens the hearts of adults and children alike with its mix of fantasy and music. It is also a film which can be read from many different angles of which the psychological approach is just one.
Not In Kansas Anymore
Our heroine Dorothy has suffered a trauma at home and run away. After being knocked unconscious by a tornado she awakes in a utopian dreamscape where everything is colourful and all the characters are cheerful. This is endemic of childrens dreams and as is the case there is also the hint of danger which comes in the form of the Wicked Witch.
To get home she has to travel to the Emerald City where the Wizard will help her to get home. On her journey she encounters three characters who will help her in her quest. Each of these characters is also after a part of themselves which they hope the Wizard can give them.
Three Parts Make A Whole?
The Scarecrow requires a brain, The Tin Man a heart and the Lion wants courage. Once they reach the City they are each told that they already have these parts and only have to find them within themselves. This happens when they confront their biggest fear which is the Wicked Witch.
On defeating the Wicked Witch they discover their prerequisite parts and become whole. We can read these characters as being a part of Dorothy herself and now she is complete. She has reconciled the fractured parts of her body but there is still one valuable lesson to learn before she can escape from her dream.
No Place Like Home
Having been let down by the Wizard in his attempts to get her home, a message about not believing in false hope, she finds the answer at her feet. By tapping her feet together and saying "There's no place like home" she finally escapes her dream and returns to the one place where she truly belongs, back home in Kansas.
This simple premise is at the heart of the film and is what makes it such a favourite for young and old alike. No matter where we are on life's journey and no matter what troubles we face, home is the place which is closest to our hearts.
