The Wonderful Wizzard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizzard of Oz

Written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow, originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900. Baum did not offer any conclusive proof that he intended his novel to be a political allegory. In his 1964 American Quarterly article, "The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism", Littlefield posited that the book contained an allegory of the late 19th-century bimetallism debate regarding monetary policy. Littlefield described how the Yellow Brick Road represents the gold standard, in the books Dorthy's magic slippers were silver thus showing (according to the theory) the power of silver over gold. Dorthy herself represents the average American. Scarecrow displaying “a terrible sense of inferiority and self-doubt,” represents the American farmer. By extension, the Tin Woodman represents the hoped-for other faction in the People’s Party—the factory worker, who has become dehumanized and turned into a machine. William Jennings Bryan is represented as the Cowardly Lion.