The Magic Of Glinda

By Scott Webb

Every aspect of "The Wizard of Oz" was micro-managed to perfection. This could have resulted in a disjointed final product, but instead, somehow, the movie turned out seamless.

What’s the movie about? It’s about a girl from Kansas transported to an amazing land of fantasy on a quest to find her way back home.

Hold up! Rewind. The opening scenes are all about Dorothy’s neighbor, Miss Gulch, who shows-up riding a bicycle, bearing a sheriff’s order giving her the right to take away Dorothy’s dog, Toto, to be destroyed. Then Dorothy is transported, not to a world of fantasy, but into the symbolic interpretation of her own life back in Kansas, where each major character in the Land of Oz sprang from Dorothy’s unconscious mind. This is where we find “Miss Gulch” taken to her extreme as a most evil witch.

Now this is all very interesting, and simple, but we want to notice the interplay of these characters as working through a puzzle in Dorothy’s mind. The story is not about Dorothy trying to find her way home because Dorothy has never left home. She was knocked unconscious in her very own bedroom at the beginning, and at the end, we find her having not ventured a single inch from her bed. Her journey is about the transformation of placement, not merely one’s return to it.

Special thanks to Katrina Joyner for formatting and to Art for cover design and general assistance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scott Webb
• Release date: Jun 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301817726

Scott Webb

Scott W. Webb graduated from Wheaton College, Chicago, 1981 with a degree in philosophy. He is the father of two grown children, Art and Maddie, and grandfather to two, Kaden and Hannah. He worked for the Anchorage Daily News in Alaska for seven years before moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 1990 after his wife signed a developing artist deal with Star Song Communications and then with Curb Music. In 2000, he became interested in "health and wellness" and opened a private colon hydrotherapy office in 2001, where he is in his 14th year. In 2006, he wrote the book, "Inside Poop," about his experiences and learnings as a colon hygienist, which has a five star rating on Amazon. He has authored other books on a wide variety of topics and been published in ACRES USA and Massage magazine.His other interests include history, gardening, raising chickens, and a wide range of home fermentation projects.

Book preview

The Magic of Glinda

Scott Wright Webb

Smashwords edition, copyright 2013

Illustrations used in book cover are by W. W. Denslow, from the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, which entered the public domain in 1956.

Images used in book are from the film, The Wizard Of Oz – Copyright 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and the film, Star Wars – Copyright 1971 Lucasfilm Ltd.

License notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

For two major influences in my life: my friend, Guy, mentor on insight, who overcomes Empire and so always a brother; and in memory of my grandmother, Edna Wright, who modeled for me the idea of Glinda.

The Magic of Glinda

By Scott Wright Webb

~ Introduction ~

I never let practical considerations clutter my youthful dreams.

― Roy Chapman Andrews, Explorer

Thank you for giving this a look!

Chapter One reviews for us the basic story of The Wizard of Oz with photos taken from a sequence of scenes start to finish. Although most Americans have watched the movie more than once, it’s good to be reminded of what we saw.

Then we explore the movie slightly deeper. My insights into the complexity of the movie are not what is traditionally seen or identified. In fact, I would contend that the brilliance of The Wizard of Oz is somewhat accidental as it was created through a compilation of many artist’s creative efforts. This includes the fateful twists and turns it took hiring actors and scriptwriters, plus using three different directors.

Every aspect of the 1939 film was micro-managed to perfection. This could have resulted in a disjointed final product, but instead, somehow, the movie turned out seamless.

What’s the movie about? It’s about a girl from Kansas transported to an amazing land of fantasy on a quest to find her way back home.

Hold up! Rewind. The opening scenes are all about Dorothy’s neighbor, Miss Gulch, who shows-up riding a bicycle, bearing a sheriff’s order giving her the right to take away Dorothy’s dog, Toto, to be destroyed. Then Dorothy is transported, not to a world of fantasy, but into the symbolic interpretation of her own life back in Kansas, where each major character in the Land of Oz sprang from Dorothy’s unconscious mind. This is where we find Miss Gulch taken to her extreme as a most evil witch.

Now this is all very interesting, and simple, but we want to notice the interplay of these characters as working through a puzzle in Dorothy’s mind. The story is not about Dorothy trying to find her way home because Dorothy has never left home. She was knocked unconscious in her very own bedroom at the beginning, and at the end, we find her having not ventured a single inch from her bed. Her journey is about the transformation of placement, not merely one’s return to it.

If we are going to slip into the mind of a simple child and find it magically complex, then we should speculate that if you were likewise knocked unconscious, we could journey through your mind as well, and it would also be magically complex. This is what the movie tells us, that you are cosmically fantastic, a deep story all by yourself. This is one reason that we love the movie and are not fully-sure why.

It’s about us.

Once we enter Dorothy’s unconscious, we are opened-up to realms common to humanity. This is the land of myth. Now Dorothy’s psyche overlaps heroic themes as a dynamic interplay, our dynamic, and her choices and confusions, are ours as well. Like, what is this Wizard sending Dorothy on a quest for the Witch’s broom? We need to see him for what he is, because there are wizards in our own lives sending us out to chase after brooms, while witches are out to steal our dog.

Must I apologize for drawing Jesus into this whole mix? Here’s the thing. Dorothy is a culturally neutral figure, while Jesus is not. Let’s untangle it a little. Can we rightfully make comparisons between Dorothy and Jesus? I say, why not? When I speak of Jesus, I do not refer to the founder of a religion, but review him as an archetypal heroic figure, in general, like Moses or like Luke Skywalker. He’s just as interesting and relevant in this light, if not more.

We sit through a showing of The Wizard of Oz and have little clue to what we just saw. We sit through a Christian church service, feel somewhat moved, yet can’t fully explain much of what we just heard. It’s time for lunch, yet our life experience is ripe for interpretation. As a fan myself of this film, I would have waited another 75 years for somebody else to explore such things in the movie, myth and spirituality and culture, but since nobody has yet stepped-up to the microphone, I have.

For all the thousands of movies that Roger Ebert watched, he related that he most-liked films that portrayed good people. I’m in agreement. I enjoy discussing a trait like goodness, what it is, and how we attain it. Goodness as heroic is fun to explore. In fact, whatever is heroic in me compelled me to write down this review.

Quite frankly, The Wizard of Oz blows my mind. That’s what you will get when you read my take on it. I’m going to draw-in many heroic figures including Jesus and Luke Skywalker and Dorothy. And anti-heroes like Miss Gulch and Uncle Henry. Uncle Henry? Yes, Uncle Henry is prominent in the movie too.

My role here is to remind us that there is much that we have forgotten or missed. Some of us have worn deep grooves playing the same mental recording over and over in our heads, which Kansas symbolizes. A couple of my writer’s tools are contrast and repetition. We’ll need to jump tracks. This extends venturing into the unconscious realms of our common humanity, while the goal is to see our high potential and our goodness, by nature.

Enjoy this as stimulating insight -- it should take about 45 minutes. Then watch the movie again. My review will fade into the background, but you will be watching a whole new story, which has been waiting there for you the whole time.

Best,

Scott W. Webb

Nashville, Tennessee.

June 22, 2013

Chapters

Introduction

Part One: The Story Plot

Part Two: Foreshadowing Empire

Part Three: More to the Story

Part Four: Some Background and Final Observations

Part Five: Epilogue

Author Bio

The Magic of Glinda

Part One:

A Reminder of The Wizard of Oz Story Plot

Let us probe the silent places, let us seek what luck betide us; Let us journey to a lonely land I know. There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us, And the Wild is calling, calling ... let us go.

-- Robert Service

The story begins that Dorothy Gale is a 12 year old farm girl living in rural Kansas with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

Her guardians and the farmhands Hunk, Zeke, and Hickory are too busy pay attention to her.

Aunt Em tells Dorothy to find a place where she won't get into any trouble, which inspires her to sing Over the Rainbow.

Their neighbor, Miss Gulch, rides her bicycle to Aunt Em’s farm to have Dorothy's pet dog, Toto, destroyed after he bit her.

Miss Gulch produces a note from the sheriff giving her the right to take Toto away. Dorothy says she will bite Miss Gulch herself, but Aunt Em tells Dorothy that they must not go against the law.

Toto escapes, and knowing Miss Gulch will be back, Dorothy decides to run away.

She meets Professor Marvel who is camping down the road. Viewing into his crystal ball, he tells Dorothy that Aunt Em is heartbroken and distressed.

Believing him, Dorothy races back to the farm as a tornado approaches.

But her family and the farm-hands have already hidden in the storm cellar.

Dorothy runs into her bedroom, where her head is hit by a broken window frame, knocking her unconscious.

Dorothy awakens and discovers that they are flying in the core of a tornado. Then the house lands with a bump.

Dorothy and Toto enter a fantastic, colorful world called The Land of Oz.

The first person they meet is Glinda, the Witch of the North, who states that they are now in Munchkinland.

Dorothy's house has landed on top of the Wicked Witch of the East.

The Munchkins rejoice that the witch is dead.

But her evil sister appears, the Wicked Witch of the West. She is furious, both that her sister is dead and that the magical ruby slippers are now worn by Dorothy.

She promises vengeance on Dorothy and Toto before leaving.

Glinda tells Dorothy she should go see the Wizard of Oz, who lives in the Emerald City.

Dorothy could walk there by following the Yellow Brick Road.