Chapter 15 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Masterwork Analysis

Hello and welcome to the StoryGrid Masterwork Podcast. We're part of a growing StoryGrid community that includes thousands of writers and editors from all over the world. We're dedicated to helping writers improve their craft through books, podcasts, courses, and online forums. In this StoryGrid Masterwork podcast, we'll be reading and analyzing great books to learn what makes them work so well. I'm your host, Bib Bailey. This season, we're reading the Wonderful wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum's classic novel about a young girl's heroic journey. In each episode, I'll read you one of the book's 24 scenes and then we'll analyze the scene using storygrid tools and methods in order to understand how and why this story endures and still captivates readers more than a century after it was written. Editor and publisher Sean Coyne developed StoryGrid during 30 years in the storytelling business. He's applied his knowledge to dozens of best selling fiction and nonfiction stories and now shares what he's learned in the StoryGrid community. You'll find a full introduction to StoryGrid's method of analyzing scenes in the first episode of this series. Now let's review how we'll analyze today's scene. If you're already familiar with StoryGrid, you can skip ahead 1 minute 40 seconds to start listening to the scene. We use five first principles to analyze any story. First, we look at a story both as a whole and in smaller parts. In this podcast, we'll dissect the Wonderful wizard of Oz in parts, scene by scene. Second, we look for a change inside the world of the story, because all stories are about change. Third, we figure out how the change is linked to a universal human value such as safety, love, or justice. Fourth, we sum up the change in that human value in a single sentence called a story event. To find the story event, we ask four Socratic questions. These questions help us see what's actually happening in the scene, what the character's essential tactics are, and how they connect to the universal human value at stake. Fifth, when we know our story event, we look at how the scene is constructed by using what we call the the five commandments of storytelling. The five commandments we'll find in each scene of the Wonderful wizard of Oz the inciting incident, which kicks off the action. The turning point Progressive complication, An unexpected event that turns the human value at stake in the scene and gives rise to the crisis, which is a dilemma about how to confront the unexpected event. The climax which is the decision and action a character takes in response to the crisis, the resolution which is the outcome of the action of the climax. Now let's step onto the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and listen to this week's scene and analysis.

The Wonderful wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Scene 15 the Discovery of Oz the Terrible the four travelers walked up to the Great Gate of Emerald City and rang the bell.

After ringing it several times, it was opened by the same guardian of the gates they had met before. What? Are you back again? He asked in surprise.

Did you not see us? Answered the Scarecrow. But I thought you had gone to visit the Wicked Witch of the West.

We did visit her, said the Scarecrow. And she let you go again? Asked the man in wonder. She couldn't help it, for she is melted, explained the Scarecrow. Melted? Well, that is good news indeed, Said the man who melted her. It was Dorothy. Said the lion gravely. Good gracious. Exclaimed the man, and he bowed very low indeed before her. Then he led them into his little room and locked the spectacles from the great box on all their eyes, just as he had done before. Afterward, they passed on through the gate into the Emerald City. When the people heard from the guardian of the gates that Dorothy had melted the Wicked Witch of the west, they all gathered around the travelers and followed them in a great crowd to the palace of Oz. The soldier with the green whiskers was still on guard before the door, but he let them in at once, and they were again met by the beautiful green girl who who showed each of them to their old rooms at once so they might rest until the great Oz was ready to receive them. The soldier had the news carried straight to Oz that Dorothy and the other travelers had come back again after destroying the Wicked Witch. But Oz made no reply. They thought the Great wizard would send for them at once, but he did not. They had no word from him the next day, nor the next, nor the next. The waiting was tiresome and wearing, and at last they grew vexed that Oz should treat them in so poor a fashion after sending them to undergo hardships and slavery. So the Scarecrow at last asked the green girl to take another message to Oz, saying if he did not let them in to see him at once, they would call the winged monkeys to help them and find out whether he kept his promises or not. When the wizard was given this message, he was so frightened that he sent word for them to come to the throne room at four minutes after nine o' clock the next morning. He had once met the winged monkeys in the Land of the west, and he did not wish to meet them again. The four travelers passed a sleepless night, each thinking of the gift Oz had promised to bestow on him. Dorothy fell asleep only once, and then she dreamed she was in Kansas, where Aunt Em was telling her how glad she was to have her little girl at home again. Promptly at 9:00 the next morning, the green whiskered soldier came to them, and four minutes later they all went into the throne room of the great Oz.

Of course, each one of them expected to see the wizard in the shape he had taken before, and all were greatly surprised when they looked about and saw no one at all in the room. They kept close to the door and closer to one another, for the stillness of the empty room was far more dreadful than any of the forms they had seen Oz take. Presently they heard a solemn voice that seemed to come from somewhere near the top of the great dome, and it said, I am Oz the Great and Terrible. Why do you seek me? They looked again in every part of the room, and then, seeing no one, Dorothy asked, where are you? I am everywhere, answered the voice, but to the eyes of common mortals, I am invisible. I will now seat myself upon my throne, that you may converse with me. Indeed, the voice seemed just then to come straight from the throne itself. So they walked toward it and stood in a row while Dorothy said, we have come to claim our promise, O Oz. What promise? Asked Oz. You promised to send me back to Kansas when the Wicked Witch was destroyed, said the girl. And you promised to give me brains, said the scarecrow. And you promised to give me a heart, said the Tin Woodman. And you promised to give me courage, said the Cowardly lion. Is the Wicked Witch really destroyed? Asked the voice, and Dorothy thought it trembled a little. Yes, she answered. I melted her with a bucket of water. Dear me, said the voice. How sudden. Well, come to me tomorrow, for I must have time to think it over. You've had plenty of time already, said the Tin Woodman angrily. We shan't wait a day longer, said the Scarecrow. You must keep your promises to us. Exclaimed Dorothy. The lion thought it might be as well to frighten the wizard, so he gave a large loud roar, which was so fierce and dreadful that Toto jumped away from him in alarm and tipped over the screen that stood in a corner as it fell with the crash. They looked that way, and the next moment all of them were filled with wonder, for they saw standing in just the spot the screen had hidden a little old man with a bald head and a wrinkled face who seemed to be as much surprised as they were. The Tin Woodman, raising his axe, rushed toward the little man and cried out, who are you?

I'm Oz, the great and terrible, said the little man in a trembling voice. But don't strike me. Please don't. I'll do anything you want me to. Our friends looked at him in surprise and dismay. I thought Oz was a great head, Said Dorothy. And I thought Oz was a lovely lady, said the Scarecrow. And I thought Oz was a terrible beast, said the Tin Woodman. And I thought Oz was a ball of fire. Exclaimed the lion. No. You are all wrong. Said the little man meekly. I have been making believe. Making believe. Cried Dorothy. Are you not a great wizard? Hush, my dear, he said. Don't speak so loud, or you will be overheard, and I should be ruined. I'm supposed to be a great wizard. And aren't you? She asked. Not a bit of it, my dear. I'm just a common man. You're more than that, said the Scarecrow in a grieved tone. You're a humbug. Exactly so. Declared the little man, rubbing his hands together as if it pleased him. I am a humbug. But this is terrible. Said the Tin Woodman. How shall I ever get my heart? Or I my courage? Asked the lion. Or I my brains. Wailed the scarecrow, wiping the tears from his eyes with his coat sleeve. My dear friends, said Oz, I pray you not to speak of these little things. Think of me and the terrible trouble I'm in at being found out. Doesn't anyone else know you're a humbug? Asked Dorothy. No one knows it but you four and myself, replied Oz. I have fooled everyone so long that I thought I should never be found out. It was a great mistake my ever letting you into the throne room. Usually I will not even see my subjects, and so they believe I am something terrible. But I don't understand, said Dorothy in bewilderment. How was it that you appeared to me as a Great head? Ah, that was one of my tricks, answered Oz. Step this way, please, and I will tell you all about it. He led the way to a small chamber in the rear of the throne room, and they all followed him. He pointed to one corner in which lay the great head, made out of many thicknesses of paper and with a carefully painted face.

This I hung from the ceiling by a wire, said Oz. I stood behind the screen and pulled a thread to make the eyes move and the mouth Open.

But how about the voice? She inquired. Oh, I'm a ventriloquist, said the little man. I can throw the sound of my voice wherever I wish so that you thought it was coming out of the head. Here are the other things I used to deceive you. He showed the Scarecrow the dress and the mask he had worn when he seemed to be the lovely lady, and the tin woodman saw that his terrible beast was nothing but a lot of skin, sewn together with slats to keep their sides out. As for the ball of fire, the false wizard had hung that also from the ceiling. It was really a ball of cotton, but when oil was poured upon it, the ball burned fiercely.

Really? Said the scarecrow, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for being such a humbug. I am. I certainly am, answered the little man sorrowfully. But it was the only thing I could do. Sit down, please. There are plenty of chairs, and I will tell you my story.

So they sat down and listened while he told the following.

I was born in Omaha. Why, that isn't very far from Kansas. Cried Dorothy. No, but it's farther from here, he said, shaking his head at her sadly. When I grew up, I became a ventriloquist, and at that I was very well trained by a great master. I can imitate any kind of bird or beast here. He mewed so like a kitten that Toto pricked up his ears and looked everywhere to see where she was. After a time, continued Oz, I tired of that and became a balloonist. What is that? Asked Dorothy. A man who goes up in a balloon on circus day so as to draw a crowd of people together and get them to pay to see the circus, he explained. Oh, she said. I know. Well, one day I went up in a balloon and the ropes got twisted so that I couldn't come down again. It went way up above the clouds, so far that a current of air struck it and carried it many, many miles away. For a day and a night I traveled through the air, and on the morning of the second day I awoke and found the balloon floating over a strange and beautiful country. It came down gradually, and I was not hurt a bit, but I found myself in the midst of a strange people who, seeing me come from the clouds, thought I was a great wizard. Of course, I let them think so because they were afraid of me and promised to do anything I wished them to. Just to amuse myself and to keep the good people busy. I ordered them to build this city and my palace, and they did it all willingly. And, well, then I thought, as the country was so green and beautiful, I would call it the Emerald City. And to make the name fit better, I put green spectacles on all the people so that everything they saw was green. But isn't everything here green? Asked Dorothy. No more than in any other city, replied Oz. But when you wear green spectacles, why, of course. Everything you see looks green to you. The Emerald City was built a great many years ago, for I was a young man when the balloon brought me here, and I am a very old man now. But my people have worn green glasses on their eyes so long that most of them think it really is an Emerald City. And it certainly is a beautiful place, abounding in jewels and precious metals and every good thing that is needed to make one happy. I have been good to the people, and they like me. But ever since this palace was built, I have shut myself up and would not see any of them. One of my greatest fears was the witches. For while I had no magical powers at all, I soon found out that the witches were really able to do wonderful things. There were four of them in this country, and they ruled the people who live in the north and south and east and West. Fortunately, the witches of the north and south were good, and I knew they would do me no harm. But the witches of the east and west were terribly wicked, and had they not thought I was more powerful than they themselves, they would surely have destroyed me. As it was, I lived in deadly fear of them for many years. So you can imagine how pleased I was when I heard your house had fallen on the Wicked Witch of the East. When you came to me, I was willing to promise anything if you would only do away with the other witch. But now that you have melted her, I am ashamed to say that I cannot keep my promises.

I think you are a very bad man, said Dorothy. Oh, no, my dear. I am really a very good man. But I'm a very bad wizard, I must admit. Can you give me brains? Asked the Scarecrow. You don't need them. You are learning something every day. A baby has brains, but it doesn't know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth, the more experience you are sure to get.

That may all be true, said the Scarecrow, but I shall be very unhappy unless you give me brains. The false wizard looked at him carefully. Well, he said with a sigh, I'm not much of a magician, as I said, but if you will come to me tomorrow morning, I will stuff your head with Brains. I cannot tell you how to use them. However, you must find that out for yourself. Oh, thank you, thank you. Cried the scarecrow. I'll find a way to use them, never fear. But how about my courage? Asked the lion anxiously. You have plenty of courage, I'm sure, answered Oz. All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid. And that kind of courage you have in plenty.

Perhaps I have, but I'm scared just to save, said the Lion. I shall really be very unhappy unless you give me the sort of courage that makes one forget he is afraid.

Very well, I will give you that sort of courage tomorrow, replied Oz. How about my heart? Asked the tin Woodman. Why, as for that, answered Oz, I think you are wrong to want a heart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it. You are in luck not to have a heart. That must be a matter of opinion, said the tin woodman. For my part, I will bear all the unhappiness without a murmur if you will give me the heart. Very well, answered Oz meekly. Come to me to morrow and you shall have a heart. I have played wizard for so many years that I may as well continue the part a little longer. And now, said Dorothy, how am I to get back to Kansas? We shall have to think about that, replied the little man. Give me two or three days to consider the matter, and I'll try to find a way to carry you over the desert. In the meantime, you shall all be treated as my guests. And while you live in the palace, my people will wait upon you and obey your slightest wish. There is only one thing I ask in return for my help, such as it is, you must keep my secret and tell no one. I am a humbug. They agreed to say nothing of what they had learned, and went back to their rooms in high spirits. Even Dorothy had hoped that the great and terrible Humbug, as she had called him, would find a way to send her back to Kansas. And if he did, she was willing to forgive him everything.

Now let's use storygrid first principles to analyze the scene. A story event is an active change of a universal human value for one or more characters. As a result of conflict, one character's desires clash with another's, or an environmental shift changes the value positively or negatively. A working scene contains at least one story event. To determine a scene's story event, answer these four Socratic questions.

What are the characters literally doing? That is what are their micro on the ground actions?

The group meets with Oz after having lived up to their part of the arrangement. Question 2 what is the essential tactic of the characters? That is what macro behaviors are they employing that are linked to a universal human value?

The group is demanding satisfaction and truth. Question number three what universal human values have changed for one or more characters in the scene? Which one of those value changes is most important and should be included in the story grid spreadsheet?

The group arrives hopeful that Oz will deliver on his end of the deal, discovers he's not a wizard but an ordinary man, and loses hope with the revelation. They then find hope again when Oz agrees to figure out how to get them what they want. When in doubt, the story grid rule of thumb is to highlight the value that best aligns with the progress of the global human value at stake in the story. The Wonderful wizard of Oz is an action story which has a global value at stake of life death? Throughout the story grid spreadsheet, we'll track the ways life is threatened or enhanced scene by scene. The value shift is clear for the scarecrow, tin woodman and witch. Hopeful? Too hopeless. Too hopeful. Question number four what story event sums up the scene's on the ground actions, essential tactics and value change? We will enter that event in the story grid spreadsheet.

Dorothy and the group discover that Oz is a fraud, but take heart after he tells them he'll figure out how to get them what they want regardless. Now let's examine how the scene abides the five Commandments of Storytelling. What's the inciting incident?

The four travelers are put off by Oz. What's the turning point? Progressive complication.

They discover Oz is not a wizard. What's the crisis?

It's a best bad choice. Not telling the people of Emerald City that Oz is a fraud keeps them under servitude to a false God. Telling them will destroy all chances of them getting what they want. What's the climax? Dorothy and company keep quiet about Oz's secret. What's the resolution? Oz endeavors to figure out a way to give them what they want.

Thanks for listening and please join Dorothy, Toto and me on the next leg of our fantastic journey. If you're writing or thinking about writing a story about a heroic journey, you'll be interested in Sean Coyne's upcoming online seminar devoted to helping writers understand and use the heroic journey in their own work. It's a macro and micro examination of why these stories speak to us so compellingly and how to use the heroic journey to level up Your writing using StoryGrid specific tools. It includes a trip to the Shire to do a macro analysis of J.R.R. tolkien's the Hobbit, with a few detours to Oz and Emerald City along the way. Go to www.storygrid.comhero to find out more. We'd love to see you there. This has been Bib Bailey for the Story Grid Masterwork podcast. I'll see you next time. My pre.