Symmetry and (Anti)Feminism in The Wizard of Oz

Rachel Brisgel

Briefly in his essay The Wizard of Oz, Salmon Rushdie alludes to the symmetrical nature of the film. Symmetry in film refers to an organizational formula that conveys unity by presenting to opposite, yet equal representation of characters and objects. In the movie, Kansas contrasts Oz, Mrs. Glutch equals the Wicked Witch, the three Uncles represent the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man, Auntie Em is Glinda. After Rushdie brought this to my attention, I realized that this mirrored world was the ideal canvas to show Dorothy's coming of age/maturation because it gives the audience a point of comparison. We may observe she evolves through her interactions with the characters. The most obvious example is Mrs. Glutch. In the beginning, Dorothy is fearful that she will take her Toto so she rashly decides to run away (to where? we don't know) without a plan, or food, or money, etc. At the end of the film, Dorothy has developed into a strong-willed young girl who is not afraid of Glutch because she has learned to overcome childish fears. Also interesting to note is how the opposite yet equal settings of Kansas and Oz contrast. As Rushdie says, "the world of Kansas is shaped into 'home' by use of simple, uncomplicated shapes. Throughout The Wizard of Oz, home and safety are represented by such geometrical simplicity, whereas danger and evil are invariably twisty, irregular, and misshapen" (22). Structural symmetry brings this to our attention because we can observe how Dorothy's overall maturation is developing throughout perilous or safe settings. For example, the tornado in Kansas epitomizes twisty danger. It's mirror, the Yellow Brick Road, for its twisty but organized shape, tells the viewer that Dorothy is literally on her way to safety and adulthood. Perhaps geometrics imply the mature order that life eventually falls into. Basically, I am saying that symmetry provides a point of comparison and a gauge on Dorothy'y maturation.

On a completely unrelated note, I would like to disagree with everyone saying this is a feminist film. Although the leads all happen to be women, they are all stereotypes of women, which perpetuates a narrow-minded view of what a woman should be. Glinda the good witch is of course pretty. The Wicked Witch of the West is ugly. Why for a woman to be good she needs to be pretty? Why is female ugliness so feared? This is quite exclusionary.