As I sat in the theater with the rest of the nation this past week watching “Wicked,” I was happy to see the movie pay homage to its past. Whether it was the stars of the original Broadway cast of “Wicked” getting cameos, seeing the movie title in the same font as “The Wizard of Oz” movie, or making sure the characters dressed according to the original “Wicked” novel, the tribute to the original production shown through. Yet the one nugget that I found most interesting and probably went unnoticed by most were the silver shoes gifted to Nessarose Thropp, the Eminence of Munchkinland, by her father the mayor of the munchkins. While this was such a small inconsequential moment, there are some scholars who believe these silver shoes were the reason “The Wizard of Oz” was written.
The silver shoes probably went unnoticed by most “Wicked” viewers because in the 1939 movie the shoes were changed to ruby slippers so the color would pop on the screen. While the color change was great way to show off then-modern technology, it possibly changed the point of the book.
L. Frank Baum, author of “The Wizard of Oz,” was a newspaper reporter in South Dakota during the 1890s, and arguably the biggest political issue of the time was the color of money. America at the time utilized the gold standard but there were many calling for bimetallism or adding silver to the standard. Adding silver would allow for more money in circulation which farmers believed would help them pay down their debts easier. This idea became so big that it was the leading plank in the Populist Party platform in the 1892 and 1896 elections. This concept that became known as “free silver” was the calling card for Populist candidate turned three-time Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan.
While some scholars have claimed that Baum was a Populist himself, evidence seems to disagree and instead suggests he actually supported Republican candidate William McKinley in 1896, not Bryan. Yet, it is also hard to ignore that his children’s story perfectly fits as an allegory of the Populist movement. Many of Baum’s writings were political satire, and there is no reason not to believe he was writing about the movement which loomed so large even if he did not support it.
The most obvious example of populism are again the silver slippers. In the novel, Dorothy hails from Kansas, one of the strongest populist states. Had Oklahoma been a state in 1900, she just as likely could have lived there. Dorothy is from poor farming stock and represents the everyman (the Populists).
When she arrived in Oz, she killed the Wicked Witch of the East who had enslaved the Munchkins (just as how Populists hoped to destroy the powerful elites in the East who supported the Gold Standard and control the Eastern workers). Upon the death of the witch, Dorothy is given her silver shoes by the Good Witch of the North, not Glinda, the Witch of the South.
The North supported the Populist cause but did not truly know the power of the silver shoes. Instead, the Witch of the North sends Dorothy down a golden road that leads to the Emerald City (Washington D.C.) to meet the Wizard (insert here whichever bearded president you want).
Think of this premise, Dorothy is told that the golden road has the answers, but along the way the road is filled with pitfalls and perils in the book that do not make the movie, and in the end it does not help. However, in the end, Dorothy meets Glinda from the south who knows the power of silver and instantly uses its power to make Dorothy’s dream come true.
Along the way Dorothy also meets up with friends. It should be noted that “Wicked” is a prequel of the movie “The Wizard of Oz,” not the book. The book and “Wicked” have different backstories for Dorothy’s companions. Dorothy’s first traveling companion is the Scarecrow who represents farmers. Like the Scarecrow, farmers and their leaders like Bryan were often portrayed in the 1890s as simpletons whose ideas like free silver were naive at best. Yet, if you pay attention in the book and the movie, its always the Scarecrow who comes up with a plan. He is clearly the wisest. And at the end of the book after the Wizard leaves Oz, the kingdom is turned over to the Scarecrow, who rules Oz with fairness and intelligence.
The Tinman represents the heartless industrial workers. Labor had been ineffectual or rusted out against the robber barons (powerful, wealthy American businessmen of the 19th century), but if they joined the populists’ cause they could be a mighty force. Finally, the Lion is none other than the “Great Commoner,” William Jennings Bryan himself. The man with the great roar but little bark as he ran for the presidency three times as a Democrat only to lose each time. I always felt this comparison was a stretch, but maybe it’s possible.
When the fellowship reach Oz, the powerless Wizard who makes everyone wear green tinted glasses to make Oz seem magical tells them to kill the Witch of the West who has kept western farmers down. Of course, the group manages their task with the most powerful and fought over resource in the arid west: water. Yet even as the Populists start to win in many state elections in the West, they still needed Washington’s help—which they never got—as the Wizard was really just a fraud.
Fortunately for all the characters, their dreams came true by their own deeds not the Wizard’s power, except for Dorothy. But with Glinda’s help she did realize that silver had the power all along.
As I said earlier, this imaginative story might just be that a story. Yet, considering the time when Baum wrote it and how well the silver over gold allegory works, it does seem very likely that populism was the influence behind this simple story that has become a great classic and spun off hits like “Wicked.”
James Finck is a professor of American history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He can be reached at HistoricallySpeaking1776@gmail.com.
