The Great Depression and the Wizard of Oz
Dorothy's Sojourn in a Fantasy Land Provides Hope and Promise
Mar 4, 2009
By 1939 the U.S. unemployment rate was at 17.2% and slowly declining. Business orders were on the rise as the Roosevelt Administration pursued a policy of war preparedness. The worldwide depression was ending in certain European countries while in the United States FDR’s Second New Deal sought to address on-going problems. In the mid-west, the decade-long “Dust Bowl,” caused by severe droughts, displaced Americans, the so-called “Oakies” immortalized in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. But it was also the year that Hollywood gave America the fantasy classic The Wizard of Oz, based on the book by L. Frank Baum yet tailored to a Depression-era audience.
Dorothy, the Rainbow Promise, and Self-Reliance
The Wizard of Oz combined all of the elements of Depression-era America. It began in Kansas, the scenes filmed in black and white, an area of rural poverty in which Dorothy’s aunt and uncle eked out a precarious living. The initial villain was Ms. Gulch, who “owned half the county” and apparently, according to Aunt “Em,” didn’t care much about the other farmers. There is a hint of the wage disparity that was one cause of the Great Depression.
Judy Garland, in one of the more famous scenes, sings the classic “Over the Rainbow,” a song that evokes the emotion of a better tomorrow. The rainbow symbol has always been used as a sign of hope. The rainbow is the Genesis covenant that new life will be blessed by God and floods will never again ravage the earth. It is the sign-post to the proverbial “pot of gold.” It was just what Americans needed to hear in 1939.
Dorothy’s sojourn in the “Land of Oz” highlights American notions of self-reliance. She eliminates the wicked witch of the East quite involuntarily with her humble Kansas farm house, setting free the Munchkins who proceed to proclaim their independence. The killing of this witch, and her initial encounter with the witch of the West, demonstrates courage and leadership. In 1939, Americans needed both.
Although Dorothy is helped along the way, notably by three inhabitants of the fantasy land, she invariably leads the way and it is her ideas that bring the group success. After killing the Witch of the West, Oz compliments her by saying, “very resourceful.” Dorothy demonstrates self-reliance and rugged individualism, something Herbert Hoover would have loved. Significantly, the entire Oz segment is filmed in color, highlighting the stark contrast between this magical land that offered the key to success and the drab associations of Kansas.
Impact on a 1939 Depression-Era Audience
Although the film’s producers probably did not intend every bit of dialogue to reflect Depression-era issues, The Wizard of Oz was an escapist journey that, along with other Hollywood offerings of the time, relieved the anxieties of movie-goers temporarily. At the same time, the movie’s primary message was of hope. Dorothy’s summation upon waking up in her own bedroom said it in a nutshell: family was important; running away from problems will not solve them; you don’t have to be a prodigal to seek ones “heart’s desire.”
These were powerful messages at a time Americans needed hope and promise. If fairy tales provide a moral for living, then The Wizard of Oz was am American fairy tale designed to provide a formula to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles of fear and anxiety.
Notes:
Statistics and general historical information taken from lecture notes compiled by author over many years.
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