Response to Rushdie Essay - The Two Witches

One of the most interesting parts of the Salman Rushdie essay was when he explored the figures of power in The Wizard of Oz. As we examine potential figures of power in the film, we realize that men are powerless. Rushdie explains that first we have to omit the scarecrow, tinman, and lion as figures of power, as they are really sidekicks to our heroine Dorothy, and they are not typical Hollywood leading men at all. We also learn at the end that Oz himself has no power. Therefore, we are left to examine the two witches. It is interesting to hear his take on the two witches, as he says that Glinda is a bit of an embarrassment to the good side, calling her a "trilling pain in the neck". The Wicked Witch of the West, on the other hand, has more depth to her and seems like a more interesting character. This observation could be one of many reasons why people are so fascinated by these two witches. We can look to examples in pop culture like the hit musical Wicked, as well as other version of The Wizard of Oz which include all four witches in Oz.

Something I noticed while watching the films is the motif of winds and clouds. I had noticed that whenever Dorothy feels disoriented, there seems to be winds or clouds of some sort. Rushdie goes further in this observation and talks about the geometrical shapes that can be found throughout the film. In Kansas, Dorothy's home is made up of rectangles and triangles, and same with the friendly Munchkinland. While Glinda travels by a perfectly round bubble, The Wicked Witch travels by the non geometrical cloud-like smoke. This furthers the personification of the two witches and is consistent with Dorothy's uncomfort with more abstract shapes.