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The Wizard of Oz
Movie

The Wizard of Oz

1939 • Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto, are whisked away in their house to the magical Land of Oz. They follow the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City to meet the Wizard, and on the way they meet a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. The Wizard asks them to bring him the Wicked Witch of the West's broom to earn his help.

Overall Series Review

The film follows Dorothy's journey back to her humble Kansas home, a quest that reinforces the value of family and familiar cultural roots. The narrative centers on a universal meritocracy where the main characters must prove they already possess the virtues of brains, heart, and courage before receiving them. The core message focuses on internal self-belief and the appreciation of what is already available, rather than seeking external validation or fantastical escapism. While the majority of the powerful or magical figures in the Land of Oz are women, and the central male authority (the Wizard) is a fraud, the narrative's strong emphasis on a clear moral code (Good Witches versus Evil Witches) and the ultimate validation of the traditional home structure keeps the overall political score extremely low. The film's themes are primarily traditional: the hero's journey, the virtue of perseverance, and the importance of home and family.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

Characters are judged entirely by the content of their soul and their actions on the road, following a universal meritocracy. The entire plot is about realizing intrinsic merit, not about external immutable characteristics or intersectional hierarchy. The casting is colorblind for its era, focusing on the character's symbolic role rather than their race or background.

Oikophobia1/10

The central, repeated theme is 'There's No Place Like Home,' which serves as a powerful validation of Dorothy's home culture and family. Kansas is viewed as the ultimate good, a place of safety and love, explicitly framing the home and family institutions as a refuge from the chaos and deception of the foreign world of Oz.

Feminism7/10

Female characters hold all the genuine power within the magical world of Oz, including the Good Witch Glinda and the Wicked Witches. Dorothy, a young girl, is the undisputed leader of her group of male companions. The key male figures (Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion) are all defined by a lack of traditional masculine traits, and the sole figure of male authority, the Wizard, is revealed to be a bumbling fraud from Omaha.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative operates within a completely normative structure, focusing on the traditional family unit (Aunt Em and Uncle Henry) as the desired destination. There is no presence of alternative sexual ideologies, gender theory, or deconstruction of the nuclear family. Sexuality is entirely absent from the story.

Anti-Theism1/10

Morality is objective and clearly delineated between good (Glinda) and evil (The Wicked Witch), with no ethical ambivalence. The story is a quest for internal virtues such as courage and heart, suggesting a transcendent moral law. The Wizard's fraudulence is a critique of false prophets and external authority, not of faith or traditional religion itself.