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Aunt Em is Uncle Henry’s wife, Dorothy’s aunt, and a motherly figure in Dorothy’s life. She lives on a farm on the gray prairies of Kansas. At the beginning of the novel, Aunt Em is described as a stern, hardworking woman whose joy and passion have dried up over the years. Despite Em’s dour personality, Dorothy still longs to see her again throughout the novel, and she assumes that Aunt Em must be terribly worried about her. This suspicion is confirmed when Dorothy finally returns home from her long journey in Oz. Aunt Em is overjoyed to see Dorothy again.
Aunt Em Quotes in The Wizard of Oz
The The Wizard of Oz quotes below are all either spoken by Aunt Em or refer to Aunt Em. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1: The Cyclone Quotes
It was Toto that made Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as grey as her other surroundings. Toto was not grey; he was a little black dog, with long silky hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily on either side of his funny, wee nose. Toto played all day long, and Dorothy played with him, and loved him dearly.
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Dorothy’s love for Toto establishes that Dorothy already feels content at her dreary home in Kansas. Rather than wishing for a more colorful or exciting place to live, Dorothy instead focuses on what joy she can find in her current circumstances. Toto embodies this simple and childlike attitude, keeping Dorothy entertained despite their bleak surroundings. It’s also interesting to note that, as a black dog, Toto visually stands out from the gray environment of the Kansas prairies. This detail emphasizes how different Toto is from the other elements in Dorothy’s life; Toto is special to Dorothy, and so he stands Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Volup
Chapter 4: The Road Through the Forest Quotes
‘No matter how dreary and grey our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.’
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During their journey to the Emerald City, Dorothy and the Scarecrow discuss what they seek to gain from their audience with the Wizard of Oz. When Dorothy mentions she wants to return home to the Kansas prairies, the Scarecrow wonders why Dorothy would want to go back to such a dull and colorless place. Dorothy’s response to the Scarecrow perfectly sums up the novel’s themes of home and belonging with the famous line. Dorothy knows that the Land of Oz is much more colorful and exciting than the gray landscape of Kansas, but it’s her home, and so she wishes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui
Chapter 11: The Wonderful Emerald City of Oz Quotes
‘Send me back to Kansas, where my Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are,’ she answered earnestly. ‘I don’t like your country, although it is so beautiful. And I am sure Aunt Em will be dreadfully worried over my being away so long.’
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Dorothy finally gains an audience with Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz, who she hopes will send her back home to Kansas. At this point, Dorothy remains true to what she’s believed throughout the novel. Despite traveling through a strange and exciting land and meeting several new friends, she remains committed to returning home. Her demand to the Wizard echoes her earlier conversation with the Scarecrow, when she insisted that home is the best place she can be, no matter how dreary. While she admits that Oz is a beautiful place, she also bravely tells the Wizard that she doesn’t Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperia
Chapter 20: The Dainty China Country Quotes
‘You see, here in our country we live contentedly, and can talk and move around as we please. But whenever any of us are taken away our joints at once stiffen, and we can only stand straight and look pretty. Of course that is all that is expected of us when we are on mantelshelves and cabinets and drawing-room tables, but our lives are much pleasanter here in our own country.’
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On their way to the south to see Glinda the Good Witch, Dorothy’s group traverses a strange, tiny country where everything—including the people—is made of fragile china. Dorothy asks a china princess if she’d like to follow Dorothy to Kansas and sit on Aunt Em’s mantelpiece, but the princess declines. This strange encounter reinforces the novel’s themes of home and belonging, as the china princess asserts that she belongs exactly where she is. Just as Dorothy belongs back in Kansas, the china people belong in their china country, which seems just right for them. The princess even mentions that her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accu
Chapter 23: Glinda Grants Dorothy’s Wish Quotes
‘Your Silver Shoes will carry you over the desert,’ replied Glinda. ‘If you had known their power you could have gone back to your Aunt Em the very first day you came to this country.’
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Glinda the Good Witch explains to Dorothy that the silver shoes Dorothy has been wearing throughout her entire adventure have always had the power to take her back home to Kansas. This revelation thematically connects Dorothy to her friends, as she discovers that she had what she needed all along. Just as the Scarecrow wanted a brain but was already clever, the Tin Woodman wanted a heart but was already full of compassion, and the Cowardly Lion was already brave, Dorothy could have granted her own wish all along. But while her friends were lacking self-confidence, Dorothy only needed to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur.
Chapter 24: Home Again Quotes
‘My darling child!’ she cried, folding the little girl in her arms and covering her face with kisses. ‘Where in the world did you come from?’
‘From the Land of Oz,’ said Dorothy gravely. ‘And here is Toto, too. And oh, Aunt Em! I’m so glad to be at home again!’
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Dorothy uses the power of the silver shoes to magically transport herself back home to Kansas, where she’s finally reunited with her Aunt Em. The joyful tone of this final passage implies that Dorothy made the right choice in returning home, despite how difficult it was to leave her friends in the Land of Oz. Dorothy’s story comes full circle as she arrives back where she started: the gray prairies of Kansas that she longed to return to all throughout her adventure. Aunt Em’s overjoyed response to seeing Dorothy again reveals that a significant change has taken place. Whereas Aunt Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam offi
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Aunt Em Character Timeline in The Wizard of Oz
The timeline below shows where the character Aunt Em appears in The Wizard of Oz. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: The Cyclone
...who lives on a small farm on the prairies of Kansas. She lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, and her beloved little black dog, Toto. The land around the farm...
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One day, a strong wind picks up, and Uncle Henry shouts to Aunt Em that a cyclone is coming. While Uncle Henry runs off to secure the farm animals,...
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Chapter 2: The Council with the Munchkins
Dorothy mentions that Aunt Em told her that there haven’t been witches in the world for many years. The Witch...
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Dorothy figures that Aunt Em and Uncle Henry must be worried about her, so she asks how she might get...
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Chapter 15: The Discovery of Oz, the Terrible
...morning. The four of them hardly sleep that night, and Dorothy dreams of Kansas and Aunt Em .
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Chapter 20: The Dainty China Country
...asks the china princess if she’d like to come home with her and sit on Aunt Em ’s mantelpiece, but the princess explains that china people are happiest in their own country,...
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Chapter 23: Glinda Grants Dorothy’s Wish
...before she clicks her heels together and orders the slippers to take her home to Aunt Em . She takes three steps, and to her delight, she finds herself back on the...
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Chapter 24: Home Again
Aunt Em comes out of the farmhouse to water the cabbages when she’s suddenly surprised and overjoyed...
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