Monthly Book Report
Title___The Wizard of Oz___
Author____Frank L. Baum___
Protagonist
The protagonist in the film The Wizard of Oz is Dorothy. Dorothy is a young girl who lives with her Aunt and Uncle on a Kansas prairie. She is very energetic and loves her dog Toto and usually has him everywhere with her. Just when she is bored with her life, a tornado comes and picks up Dorothy and house and takes her to the magical Land of Oz where she meets Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.
Antagonist
The antagonist in the film The Wizard of Oz is the Wicked Witch of the West. The Wicked Witch hates Dorothy because Dorothy’s house landed on her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. The Wicked Witch is full of anger and rage. She will do anything to hurt Dorothy and cause her pain. Dorothy’s red slippers are what the Witch really wants and will do anything to get them.
Setting
The Wizard of Oz takes place in Kansas and the Land of Oz, more specifically Emerald City in the 1930s. Kansas is a dry, open place that Dorothy wants to leave. The Land of Oz is a magical place where Munchkins live and work and almost seems like a fantasy.
Conflict
The Wizard of Oz has a person vs. person conflict. The Wicked Witch of the West wants to hurt Dorothy and makes threats to hurt her dog Toto. Dorothy also is stranded in Oz and has to get back home to see her family but needs to Wizard’s help. Dorothy realizes she misses home after all.
Climax
The climax of the story is when the Wicket Witch set Scarecrow on fire. Dorothy threw a bucket of water onto him to save him from burning and also hit the Witch with the same water. When the water hit the Witch she started to melt and soon disappeared. The guards allow Dorothy to bring the Witch’s broom back to the Wizard so he can grant Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion’s wishes.
Resolution
The resolution is when Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the cowardly Lion return to the Emerald City to bring the Wizard the Witch’s broom. The Wizard gave Scarecrow his brains, Tin Man his heart, and the Cowardly Lion his courage. Dorothy finds out that the great and powerful Wizard is just a man playing tricks. After he takes off in the hot air balloon, the Good Witch Glenda explains that Dorothy’s ruby slippers have the power to grant her wish. She clicks her heels three times and is sent back home to Kansas.
Theme
At first, Dorothy wanted to get away from her home in Kansas. But when she was trapped in the Land of Oz she realizes that she loves and misses her home. The theme of The Wizard of Oz is “There is no place like home”.
Plot summary
Dorothy, a Kansas farm girl, lives with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry. When Almira Gulch, brings a sheriff's order to take Dorothy's little dog Toto away to have the dog destroyed, because Toto bit Miss Gulch's leg, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry refuse to go against the law, and they give the dog to Miss Gulch. However, as Miss Gulch rides away on her bicycle with Toto in her basket, the dog escapes and returns home. Realizing that Miss Gulch will come back, Dorothy runs away with Toto. They come to the wagon of Professor Marvel, a fortune-teller and balloonist, who tricks Dorothy into believing that her aunt has had an attack because she ran away. Dorothy rushes home greatly concerned, but a tornado’s approach causes her difficulty, and by the time she gets to the farm, Auntie Em, Uncle Henry and the three farmhands have entered the storm cellar. Inside her room, Dorothy is hit on the head by a window and knocked out.
When she wakes up, she sees through the window that the house has risen up inside the tornado. The house comes to rest in Munchkinland, a colorful section of the Land of Oz and lands on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, gave Dorothy the ruby slippers and told her of their magic. The Wicked Witch threatens Dorothy and wants her ruby slippers. Glinda tells Dorothy that the wonderful Wizard of Oz can help get her back to Kansas. Dorothy begins her journey on the yellow brick road. Along the way, Dorothy meets a friendly scarecrow who explains that he is failure because he has no brain, an emotional tin man, who wishes he had a heart, and a lion with no courage. Dorothy suggests that they all go with her to ask the Wizard for his help. They reach the Emerald City, where they meet the great and powerful Wizard of Oz. After scolding them, the Wizard agrees to grant their wish if they bring him the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West. As they are walking through the forest Dorothy is captured by the Witch. After threating Toto, Dorothy offers to give the Witch the slippers but they will not come off. Toto escapes and leads Dorothy's friends to the castle, where they rescue her, but the witch's guards surround them. The Witch lights Scarecrows arm on fire and Dorothy tosses a bucket of water to put out the fire. When some water splashes in the witch's face, she melts. The guards and monkeys are so happy the Witch is dead they give Dorothy her broomstick.
When they return to Oz, Toto sneaks behind the curtain and pulls it down to reveal a regular man, not a powerful wizard. He then awards the Scarecrow a diploma, the Lion a medal and the Tin Man a testimonial. The Wizard offers to take Dorothy back home to Kansas in his balloon. However, as they prepare to leave, Toto jumps from the balloon to chase a cat, and after Dorothy goes to get Toto the balloon leaves. Glinda explains to Dorothy that she could have gone home at any time using the magic slippers. Dorothy clicks her heels three times saying “There’s no place like home”. She wakes up to find Uncle Henry and Auntie Em at her bedside. Professor Marvel comes by to see how Dorothy is and she begins to tell them of her journey in Oz. Auntie Em tells her it was all just a dream. The farmhands come in, and Dorothy remembers them as her three friends in Oz and the professor as the Wizard. Dorothy realizes that she loves her home and does not want to leave it ever again.