Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Wizard of Oz, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Self-Doubt vs. Self-Confidence
Home and Belonging
Good vs. Evil
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Despite their high spirits, Dorothy and her friends become discouraged as they lose their way on the journey back to the Emerald City. Eventually, Dorothy remembers that she can still call upon the Queen of the Field Mice for help by blowing the whistle that the Queen gave her. She does so, and the Queen of the Field Mice explains that they’re quite a ways off from the Emerald City. However, she points out the Golden Cap that Dorothy is wearing; Dorothy took it from the Witch’s castle without knowing what it was. The Queen tells Dorothy how to use the cap’s charm to summon the winged monkeys for help. Dorothy thanks the Queen for her advice and uses the charm of the Golden Cap.
In this moment of need, Dorothy’s ability to easily make friends pays off. While the four companions are mostly friendly with one another, their friendships with the other inhabitants of Oz continue to prove invaluable. Despite her doubts about losing her way, Dorothy also discovers that she had the power to travel back to the Emerald City all along, reinforcing the theme of self-doubt vs. confidence.
Themes
The winged monkeys arrive immediately, and they agree to fly Dorothy and her companions directly to the Emerald City. On the way, the King of the monkeys tells Dorothy the history of the winged monkeys, and how they came to be commanded by the wearer of the Golden Cap. The winged monkeys were once free and mischievous creatures, but they came close to being executed after pulling a practical joke on the suitor of a princess long ago. The furious princess agreed not to destroy the monkeys on the condition that they obey three commands of whoever wears the Golden Cap from that moment on. The monkeys finally arrive at the gates of the Emerald City as the King finishes his story.
The monkey king’s story gives more color and lore to the Land of Oz. It confirms that the winged monkeys aren’t as wicked as their former ruler but instead were only pawns in the struggle of good vs. evil. Now that Dorothy owns the Golden Cap, the monkeys become tools for the side of good instead. The king’s story also adds another interesting dimension to the theme of good vs. evil. The princess in the story was widely considered to be good, yet she threatened to destroy the monkeys over a harmless prank. This conflict complicates the binary of pure good and pure evil.
Themes
