Mythopoeia is a narrative genre that is used by screenwriters as a way to incorporate mythological themes and archetypes into a fictional story. It was first defined in the 1930’s by J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s basically a way of inventing a new form of mythology, one that isn’t based on ancient stories or traditions and that hasn’t been passed on through generations. But instead, these stories can be written over a short period of time, by a single author and can bring today’s readers even closer to mythology. Similar to many fantasy stories and tales, The Wizard of Oz has many characters that can be categorized as mythopoeia archetypes as it’s a fictional story that follows a hero through her journey to find her way back home.
A story that has a protagonist and no journey is like watching a really bad NHL player, sure it’s nice that he has accomplished his goal but how did he get there? In the case of Dorothy, her journey turned her from an average small town girl from Kansas into a hero. In the beginning of her journey she met three companions that would follow her to the end. They were the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Lion. They all wanted to find the wizard, not only to help Dorothy go back home but they thought they needed a brain, a heart and some courage. But as they learned in the end, they had it within themselves the whole time, as said in a speech from the wizard.
Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the
earth -- or slinks through slimy seas has a brain! (Baum, 119)
Back where I come from there are men who do nothing all day but good deeds. They are called phil...er -- er -- phil -- er, yes...good-deed-doers. And their hearts are no bigger than yours. (Baum, 121)
Back where I come from, we have men who are called heroes. Once a year, they take their fortitude out of mothballs and
parade it down the main street of the city. And they have no more courage than you have. But! They have one thing that
you haven't got! A medal! Therefore[…] I award you the Triple Cross. (Baum, 120, ellipses mine)
At the end of our hero’s journey, each character learned that the things they really wanted, they already had. Or in Dorothy’s case, she had the power to achieve it herself.
A hero is defined as a character who in the face of danger, adversity or is in some form of a position of weakness, will display courage and the will for self-sacrifice for the greater good of others. In this fantasy tale the character that best shows these characteristics of a mythopoeia archetype hero would be Dorothy. Not only does she save the Land of Oz from the wicked witch but she does this in a place that she has never been and does not understand at all, which would be a great point of weakness being in her shoes. After making her way to see the wizard and being sent on a side mission to steal the wicked witch’s broom stick, she does so not only with the purpose of going home but also to help The Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Lion with their quests for a heart, a brain and some courage. She even shows her willingness for self-sacrifice when she stands up to the wizzard in defence of the three others.
DOROTHY
Yes, sir. So we'd like you to keep your promise to us, if you please, sir.
OZ'S VOICE
Not so fast! Not...so fast! I'll have to give the matter a little thought. Go
away and come back tomorrow!
DOROTHY
Tomorrow? Oh, but I want to go home now.
[..]
OZ’S VOICE
Do not arouse the wrath of the Great and Powerful Oz! I said - come
back tomorrow!
DOROTHY
If you were really great and powerful, you'd keep your promises!
(Baum, 114, ellipses mine)
The devil figure is a pretty self-explanatory archetype. It is essentially the story or fable’s antagonist, and in the world of Oz, the Wicked Witch is a perfect representation of the devil figure. Not only does she appear to be everything Dorothy isn’t, but she goes out of her way to prove it; by capturing Dorothy in her attempt to steal her slippers. Also, not only does she have the evil vibe by looking at her, but you get the same vibe when you notice her surroundings and where she lives, the almost clichéd dark creepy castle in the middle of nowhere. The one that you see in most fables is very similar to the Land of Oz, which was filled with vibrant colors and really seemed to be the sort of perfect haven for people to live in peace. But once you stepped over the border and found yourself in the territory of the Wicked Witch, everything that you first thought of the Land of Oz changed. It no longer had the same feel; trees were dead and everything looked as though it could come out at you at anytime. It was obvious that the Baum really wanted her to stand out as the antagonist. Even the witch’s own minions could not stand the way she was, even praising Dorothy by song when she was defeated at last.
WINKIES
Hail! Hail to Dorothy -- The Wicked Witch is dead!
DOROTHY
You mean, you're...you're all happy about it?
LEADER
Very happy - now she won't be able to hit us with a broom.... (Baum,111)
In Mythopoeic archetypes the platonic idea is the inspiration for the protagonist. So for Dorothy her platonic idea would be her family or more specifically her desire to return home to her family. She does not realize it at first because she doesn’t know fully how much she misses her family, until the end of the story. For the Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Lion, they all individually had their own plutonic Idea for going on this quest. The Tin Man wanted to have a heart, the Scarecrow wanted a brain and the Lion wanted courage. But if you were to look at the three of them as a whole, then the plutonic Idea changes because their inspiration is now Dorothy. You have to look at it as, what would happen had they not met Dorothy. No matter what, Dorothy wanted to go home, she may have needed their help but that’s what she wanted, that was her inspiration. So would the three of them have been able to accomplish their goals without Dorothy? No. They needed her to be their inspiration.
The Wizard of Oz is a timeless classic; it’s a story that will go down in history as being a perfect example of mythopoeia criticism and like many fantasy stories and tales, The Wizard of Oz has many characters that can be categorized under a mythopoeia archetype. It’s the archetypical hero who puts other people’s interests before her own, and it shows her journey to defeat. She defeated the story’s antagonist/devil figure also known as the Wicked Witch, no matter what way you look at this story it is a perfect example of mythopoeia criticism.
