Fairytale Characters: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz

[Sandra]

L. Frank Baum said that he loved the fairytales and stories from the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen, and that he always wanted to create something different from the fantasy characters we all have read about through the years, so he wrote about unique characters to please the children...

How did you like the characters?

The scarecrow, the tin man, the cowardly lion, the good and wicked witches, the great wizard, the munckins, the flying monkeys, the kalidahs, the winkies... All of these characters are unique in their own way.

Who's your favourite? Why?

[Rene]

I am currently reading and I was shocked!!! As a kid I grew up on the movie but reading the book made me see things in a new perspective!!! I have learned that there are many version of the story!! Almost finish and it has been an adventure!!

[Rene]

I will always adore the cowardly lion on the movie bc of his sense of humor!! I am thinking that the scarecrow is my favorite in the book bc he plays a significant part in the story. He says that he wants the powerful Oz to give him a brain but as you read he is a very smart intelligence scarecrow!!!

[Kim]

I love the characters. I'm not sure I can pick a favorite though. They are all very unique.

Actually, I take that back. I really love some of the characters that appear in later Oz books, in particular Tiktok and the Patchwork Girl.

[Sandra]

Rene wrote: "I will always adore the cowardly lion on the movie bc of his sense of humor!! I am thinking that the scarecrow is my favorite in the book bc he plays a significant part in the story. He says that ..."

Oh i love the scarecrow too. He's too clever to realize how smart he really is, he came up with so many ideas and without an effort, he just didn't believe in himself. I love the message of this book!

[Sandra]

Kim wrote: "I love the characters. I'm not sure I can pick a favorite though. They are all very unique.

Actually, I take that back. I really love some of the characters that appear in later Oz books, in parti..."

I'm dying to read the later Oz books, I've heard wonder about them, and I've been trying to get them where I live, but I have not succeeded yet...

I agree, each character is so unique that you cannot help but love everyone.

[Angie, YA lovin mod!!]

The characters are really neat. I wish that I hadn't seen the movie prior to reading this. Because the movie is so dominant in our culture I of course pictured the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man just like I saw them in the movie. The Wicked Witch of the West only has one eye? Who knew? The later OZ books now intrigue me.. what are they even about? Can't wait to find out. The China town in this book really interested me. I didn't even know about it till the movie Oz the Great and Powerful (the one that just came out). They did a fantastic job of bringing china town to life. The Wizard is the most intriguing character to me. Is he a bad man or a good man? He ended up in the circumstances he did by accident but did he do the best he could in the situation? The four witches are also interesting to me. Two evil, two good. It seems the only way the can gain/lose power is by being killed.

[Kim]

Angie wrote: "The characters are really neat. I wish that I hadn't seen the movie prior to reading this. Because the movie is so dominant in our culture I of course pictured the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man jus..."

I haven't seen Oz the Great and Powerful, but I was excited when I learned they had put the China doll town in the movie. I still had no desire to see it, but I was happy that they added that element.

I think that the Wizard is neither bad nor good. He's a fake (humbug), but doesn't fake people out for malicious reasons. I also think he did the best he could do in the circumstances. He's weak of character, so he makes questionable choices, but he doesn't rule as a tyrant or anything. The people of Oz wanted a ruler and he gave them one. A poor one, but one nonetheless. A better person may have been honest, but may have also been a worse leader.

If I remember correctly, even the Scarecrow keeps the green goggles on after he becomes ruler (in later books too). He's definitely a better person than the Wizard, but even he has his flaws.

[Sandra]

I did watch Oz The Great and Powerful and I enjoyed it very much, because it gave me a lot of insight of what led Oz to be a fake wizard. I also adored the China doll town and the fact that Oz sidekick was a flying monkey.

I am definitely looking forward to read the next books! So many things to figure out!

[Sinjin]

I loved the Wizard of Oz.

[Mari]

I liked all the characters. I'm rereading the Patchwork Girl of Oz. Ozma is great too!