Summary

Dorothy is an orphaned 12-year old girl who lives in a farmhouse in Kansas in the year 1889 with
her Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and little dog Toto. One day the farmhouse, with Dorothy inside, is
caught up in a tornado and deposited in a field in the Land of the Munchkins in the Land of Oz. The
falling house kills the ruler of the Munchkins, the Wicked Witch of the East.
The Good Witch of the North (known as Glinda in the 1939 movie) comes with the Munchkins to
greet Dorothy and gives Dorothy the Silver Shoes that the Wicked Witch of the East had been
wearing when she was killed. In order to return to Kansas, the Good Witch of the North tells Dorothy
that she will have to go to the "Emerald City" or "City of Emeralds" and ask the Wizard of Oz to help
her.
On her way down the road paved with yellow brick, Dorothy frees the Scarecrow from the pole he is
hanging on, restores the movements of the rusted Tin Woodman with an oil can, and encourages
them and the Cowardly Lion to journey with her and Toto to the Emerald City. The Scarecrow wants
to get a brain, the Tin Woodman a heart, and the Cowardly Lion, courage. All are convinced by
Dorothy that the Wizard can help them too. Together, they overcome obstacles on theway including
narrow pieces of the yellow brick road, Kalidahs, a river, and the Deadly Poppies.
When the travelers arrive at the Emerald City, they are asked to use green spectacles by the
Guardian of the Gates. When each traveler meets with the Wizard, he appears each time as
someone or something different. To Dorothy, the Wizard is a giant head; the Scarecrow sees a
beautiful woman; the Tin Woodman sees a ravenous beast; the Cowardly Lion sees a ball of fire.
The Wizard agrees to help each of them, but one of them must kill the Wicked Witch of the West
who rules over the Winkie Country.
As the friends travel across the Winkie Country, the Wicked Witch sends wolves, crows, bees, and
then her Winkie soldiers to attack them but they manage to get past them all. Then, using the power
of the Golden Cap, the Witch summons the Winged Monkeys to capture all of the travelers.
When the Wicked Witch gains one of Dorothy's silver shoes by trickery, Dorothy in anger grabs a
bucket of water and throws it on the Wicked Witch, who begins to melt. The Winkies rejoice at being
freed of the witch's tyranny, and they help to reassemble the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. The
Winkies love the Tin Woodman and they ask him to become their ruler, which he agreesto do after
helping Dorothy return to Kansas.
Dorothy uses the Golden Cap to summon the Winged Monkeys to carry her and her companions
back to the Emerald City, and the King tells how they were bound by an enchantment to the cap by
Gayelette.
When Dorothy and her friends meet the Wizard of Oz again, he tries to put them off. Toto
accidentally tips over a screen in a corner of the throne room, revealing an old man who had
journeyed to Oz from Omaha long ago in a hot air balloon.

The Wizard provides the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion with a head full of
bran, pins, and needles ("a lot of bran-new brains"), a silk heart stuffed with sawdust, and a potion
of "courage", respectively. Because of their faith in the Wizard's power, these otherwise useless
items provide a focus for their desires. In order to help Dorothy and Toto get home, the Wizard
realizes that he will have to take them home with him in a new balloon, which he and Dorothy
fashion from green silk. Revealing himself to the people of the Emerald City one last time, the
Wizard appoints the Scarecrow, by virtue of his brains, to rule in his stead. Dorothy chases Toto
after he runs after a kitten in the crowd, and before she can make it backto the balloon, the ropes
break, leaving the Wizard to rise and float away alone.
Dorothy turns to the Winged Monkeys to carry her and Toto home, but they cannot cross the desert
surrounding Oz. The Soldier with the Green Whiskers advises that Glinda, the Good Witch of the
South, may be able to send Dorothy and Toto home. They, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and
the Cowardly Lion journey to Glinda's palace in the Quadling Country. Together they escape the
Fighting Trees, dodge the Hammer-Heads, and tread carefully through the China Country. The
Cowardly Lion kills a giant spider, who is terrorizing the animals in a forest, and he agrees to return
there to rule them after Dorothy returns to Kansasthe biggest of the tigers ruling in his stead as
before. Dorothy uses her third wish to fly over the Hammer-Heads' mountain.
At the palace of Glinda the Good Witch of the South (changed to the "North" in the 1939 film), the
travelers are greeted warmly, and it is revealed by Glinda that Dorothy had the power to go home all
along. The Silver Shoes she wears can take her anywhere she wishes to go. She tearfully
embraces her friends, all of whom will be returned, through Glinda's use of the Golden Cap, to their
respective sovereignties:

the Scarecrow to the Emerald City, the Tin Woodman to the Winkie Country, and the Cowardly Lion
to the forest. Then she will give the Cap to the king of the Winged Monkeys, so they will never be
under its spell again. Dorothy and Toto return to Kansas and a joyful family reunion. The Silver
Shoes are lost during Dorothy's flight and never seen again.

Characters

Cowardly Lion
The Cowardly Lion is the third and final creature who joins the Oz-bound group. Dorothy, the
Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman meet him when he jumps out at them as they make their way
through a forest. He knocks over the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, and when he tries to bite
Toto, Dorothy slaps him and calls him a coward. He is ashamed and admits that Dorothy is right. He
wants to have the courage that the King of the Beasts should have. Dorothy agrees to allow him to
accompany them, reasoning that he needs courage and that he could be helpful in frightening away
other creatures.
Despite his belief that he lacks courage, the Lion often demonstrates bravery. He fails to
understand that courage is not the absence of fear, but is taking action in the face of fear. Just as in
the cases of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, the Wizard soon sees that the Cowardly
Lionalready possesses the courage he so desires. He gives the Lion a special potion that is
supposedly liquid courage. After drinking it, the Cowardly Lion feels empowered instantly. After
Dorothy leaves for Kansas, he returns to a forest where he previously killed a giant spider because
the animals asked him to return as their leader.
Dorothy
Dorothy is the story's heroine, whose travels to see the Wizard of Oz bring her friendship and
adventure. She lives with her aunt and uncle on a small farm in Kansas. Her best friend is her small
dog, Toto. When a cyclone whips across Kansas, Dorothy and Toto are carried away in the small
farmhouse and eventually are set down in the land of the Munchkins. When Dorothy discovers that
her house has landed on (and killed) the Wicked Witch of the East, she is horrified, despite the
gratitude and wonder of the Munchkins.
Dorothy only wants to return home, and she is told by the Witch of the North that she must see the
Wizard of Oz. Dorothy takes the Wicked Witch of the East's silver shoes, and she and Toto head
out on the yellow brick road. Dorothy is a determined child who is single-minded in her goal to get
back home. She is brave, smart, compassionate, selfless, and encouraging to the other members of
thetraveling party. Although Dorothy is honored for killing both of the wicked witches, she never
means to hurt anyone. Dorothy is an inadvertent liberator, who improves the lives of everyone
(except the wicked witches) with whom she comes in contact. She feels badly about killing anyone,
even a wicked witch, but she is glad that doing so will enable her to get home.
Dorothy thinks and speaks for herself. When she and the others discover that the Wizard of Oz is
nothing but a "humbug" with no real powers, she expresses her anger openly. Later, when Glinda
tells her how to get home, Dorothy is sympathetic to the feelings of her friends who will miss her
terribly, but she follows through on her own desire to return to her aunt and uncle in Kansas.
Despite the wonders and magic of the new land, she is anxious to get back to the gray setting of
Kansas because it is her home, which is most important to her.
Aunt Em
Aunt Em is Dorothy's mother figure. Although she was once a vibrant woman, years on the harsh
prairie have taken their toll on her appearance and spirits.
Glinda
Glinda is the Witch of the South. She is a good witch and is youthful and stunningly beautiful. When
Dorothy gives her the Golden Cap that allows its owner to callupon the Winged Monkeys three
times, she uses it to send the Scarecrow back to the Emerald City, the Lion back to the forest, and
the Tin Woodman back to the land of the Winkies (previously ruled by the Wicked Witch of the
West). Glinda gives the Golden Cap to the King of the Winged Monkeys so they will no longer be at
the bidding of its wearer. She tells Dorothy that she has had the power to return to Kansas all along
because of the silver shoes. Glinda explains the secret charm of the shoes, which is that they will
take the wearer anywhere she wants to go in three steps.
Uncle Henry
Dorothy's father figure, Uncle Henry is a grim man with a long beard. He is a very hard worker who
never laughs.
Scarecrow
The Scarecrow is the first companion who joins Dorothy on her way to see the Wizard of Oz. He is
mounted on a pole in the middle of a field where crows are not at all afraid of him. The Scarecrow is
humble in appearance, and his single desire is to have a brain. His only fear is fire, and he never
needs to eat or sleep. The Scarecrow is very nurturing toward Dorothy, gladly watching over her
and Toto as they sleep and often finding fruit and nuts for them to eat. On the other hand, he is a bit
clumsy and is not strong like the Lion, sohe is not terribly helpful in physical struggles. Because he
is not subject to pain, however, he often volunteers to go ahead of the group to test treacherous
landscapes, such as jagged rocks.
The Scarecrow fails to realize that he does not need to be given a brain because he is already quite
intelligent. He usually comes up with plans that save the travelers, and he is quick to come up with
solutions to problems. The Wizard realizes that the Scarecrow is already intelligent, but to make him
happy, he creates a "brain" out of bran and pins and needles, which will make him sharp. When he
presents the Scarecrow with the brain, the Scarecrow is delighted and feels smart instantly. When
the Wizard of Oz builds a balloon to carry him back home, he leaves the Scarecrow in charge of the
Emerald City.
Tin Woodman
Dorothy and the Scarecrow discover the Tin Woodman in the woods. He is rusted in position with
his axe in the air and has been stuck this way for more than a year. He explains that he was caught
in the rain and has been waiting for someone to come by and save him. Once Dorothy retrieves his
oil can from his nearby cottage, the Tin Woodman is oiled and able to move freely again.
The Tin Woodman tells his sad story about when hewas fully human and planned to marry a
Munchkin girl. She lived with an old woman, however, who relied on the girl to care for her so she
had the Wicked Witch of the East put a curse on the Tin Woodman's axe. The curse caused him to
chop up his own body, little by little. After each "accident," he had a local tinsmith craft a new body
part out of tin for him until eventually he was made entirely of tin. He remembers how happy he was
to be in love, and so his desire is to have a heart again.
The Tin Woodman is like the Scarecrow in that he already possesses the quality he hopes to be
given by the Wizard. He believes that he has no heart, yet he is the most compassionate and
emotional member of the group. When he sees the Wizard of Oz, he is fitted with a silk heart that is
merely symbolic yet makes him feel different right away. After Dorothy returns to Kansas, he goes
back to the Land of the Winkies, who have asked him to be their leader.
Toto
Toto is Dorothy's faithful canine companion. He is her best friend in Kansas and accompanies her
on her adventures in Oz. He is playful, wary of strangers, and brave in certain situations.
Wicked Witch of the East
The Wicked Witch of the East is killed when Dorothy's house lands on herafter being hurled through
the air during a cyclone. She has a pair of silver shoes that have a secret charm. Although Dorothy
does not know what the charm is, she takes the shoes.
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is ugly and has only one eye although her one eye is as powerful as
a telescope. When Toto bites her, she does not bleed because she is so evil that her blood has
dried up in her veins. When she is unable to kill the trav-elers as they make their way to her castle,
she has the Scarecrow dismantled and the Tin Woodman seriously dented. Then she enslaves the
Lion and Dorothy. The Lion refuses to submit to the witch, so she decides to starve him, but
Dorothy secretly feeds him at night. The witch makes Dorothy a kitchen servant.
The witch wants the silver shoes that Dorothy wears. She trips Dorothy and is able to get one shoe,
but Dorothy becomes so angry that she throws a bucket of water on the witch. To Dorothy's
surprise, the witch melts before her eyes. Dorothy retrieves her shoe, frees the Lion, and keeps the
witch's Golden Cap although she has no idea it allows her to control the Winged Monkeys. The
Winkies, who had been enslaved by the witch, are so grateful that they gladly obey Dorothy when
she asksthem to put the Scarecrow back together and hammer the Tin Woodman back into shape.
Witch of the North
The Witch of the North is the good witch who is a friend of the Munchkins. She is an old woman
who believes that Dorothy must also be a witch because her house lands on the Wicked Witch of
the East. She tells Dorothy that to return to Kansas, she will have to see the Wizard of Oz. She
insists that Dorothy take the Wicked Witch of the East's silver shoes, which possess a secret
charm. To protect the girl on her journey, she gives her a kiss on her forehead, which serves as a
sign to others not to harm the girl.
Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz is reported to be "great and terrible" and able to appear in any form he pleases.
For Dorothy's visit, he is a giant head; for the Scarecrow's visit, he is a beautiful lady; for the Tin
Woodman, he appears as a frightening beast; and for the Lion, he appears as a ball of fire. He
promises each that he will grant his or her wish once they have all killed the Wicked Witch of the
West. After they have done so, however, they discover that he is not really a wizard at all and
cannot grant their wishes with magical powers. He admits that he is a "humbug" who should not
have deceived thegood people of the Emerald City for so long but says that he means no harm. He
tells Dorothy that he is not a bad man, just a bad wizard.
The Wizard explains that he originally came from Omaha where he was a circus balloonist. One
day, his balloon was caught in a great wind, and he landed in Oz, where his descent from the sky
made everyone believe he was a wizard. He decided to let them believe this, and so he created a
persona for himself. He commanded the people to build the great city and made them believe
everything was made of emeralds by making everyone wear green glasses. With the help of
gadgets and illusions, he was able to pretend to be a great wizard. He feared the witches, however,
because he knew they had real powers, which is why he sent the group to kill the Wicked Witch of
the West after Dorothy inadvertently killed the Wicked Witch of the East.
The Wizard knows that he can grant the wishes of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion
with false charms because they already possess the qualities they want. He comes up with a plan
to build another balloon to take Dorothy and himself home, but when it is time to go, Dorothy misses
the launch by seconds and is left behind. They never hear from the false wizard again.