• Research Paper on:
    Literary Analysis of The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

    Number of Pages: 9

     

    Summary of the research paper:

    In nine pages this fantasy is analyzed in terms of the development of its characters, imagery, symbolism, setting, and theme. Two sources are cited in the bibliography.

    Name of Research Paper File: D0_MBbaum.rtf

    Buy This Research Paper »

     

    Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
    their lyrical beauty. Taken into sharp literary consideration, one can find more complexity in this novel than at first one might suspect. Elements of metaphor, theme, symbolism, setting, imagery and  character development can be found in this classic novel structure. Which just goes to prove that its more than your average childrens book. In fact a great deal of the  book can be analyzed from a strictly allegorical point of view. One way to do this is to, of course, access, isolate and analyze some of the major objects or  people in the story, then apply their meanings to the day and age of the author. During the 1800s America was engaged in quite a bit of expansionist movement, especially  into the Latin American territories(Bradbury, 20). The United States Treasury was going through its own upheaval and politics were, well, politics. "After a few hours the road began to  be rough, and the walking grew so difficult that the Scarecrow often stumbled over the yellow brick, which were here very uneven. Sometimes, indeed, they were broken or missing altogether,  leaving holes that Toto jumped across and Dorothy walked around. As for the Scarecrow, having no brains he walked straight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and fell full  length on the hard bricks"(Baum). This line from Baums book indicates that Baum has some particular point to make when he chooses the color gold for the paved brick  walkway. First of all, what is the function of the yellow brick road, one must ask. It was a pathway to a world of enchantment, or so Dorothy thinks. In  the end, though, it is all smoke and mirrors. During this time, it was rumored that the gold supply was being depleted. Many were considering doing away with the gold 

    Back to Research Paper Results