THE WIZARD OF OZ CONTINUED

                           THE WIZARD OF OZ CONTINUED

Much as today there was a wide gulf between the haves and the have-nots. Back then the haves were called robber barons and fortunes were made by the manipulation of the gold standard for money.

The have-nots were agriculture workers and the rest of the working-class. Sound familiar. A movement, popularism, was started in support of the have-nots and Littlefield ‘decoded’ The Wizard of Oz in relation to the times then in existence with some interesting comparisons.

In Littlefield’s thinking the yellow brick road represents gold and those in support of the gold standard and that road leads to the Emerald City where we meet the wizard of Oz who turns out to be a phony.

 Dorothy lives in Kansas, a state at the time and still is heavy in agriculture. Along with the farmer’s theme the scarecrow stands for the frightened farmers.

The Tin Man represents workers who have lost their heart.

Now to the cowardly lion. That character represents William Jennings Bryan, a well-known fierce orator who accomplishes nothing.

Then there are the witches of East and West. These characters represent the two coasts where political power and cities holding financial power exist.

Now for the ruby red shoes. In the book they are silver in color, the metal which the popularists want to be made into the monetary standard replacing gold.

Finally, the value of gold is expressed in ounces. What is the abbreviation for ounce?