Lions, Leopards and a she-wolf, oh my! I was first drawn to see the connection between Dante’s Inferno and The Wizard of Oz when I though about the three animals that threaten Dante when he is lost in the dark wood, a lion, leopard and a she-wolf. Dorothy and her gang of the scarecrow, cowardly lion and Tin man are afraid of lions, tigers and bears when they are walking long the yellow brick road on their way to Emerald City.
Although these two works seem very different, they do have many similarities including the way in which the Dante finds himself in the underworld and Dorothy in the Land of Oz. Both lost souls seem to reach these new places in somewhat of a trippy way. Dante is lost in the woods and happens to meet the dead poet, Virgil and he becomes Dante’s guide through the levels of hell. He has now taken on the responsibility to share with humanity his experiences in hell so they will be warned of the torture that awaits them in the after life if they choose to continue to live in sin. Dante has his own person journey through his travels in hell; he wishes to understand his life and meaning.
As a Kansas country girl, Dorothy is caught in a tornado and wakes up in the land of the Munchkins in the Land of Oz. her arrival has killed the wicked witch of the east and has to travel to the Emerald city in order to ask the Wizard of Oz how to get home. She desperately wants to return home to her family. Dorothy and her friends experiences personal change and growth through they journey. Although the Wizard of Oz proves to only be a man behind green curtain, they learn that what they desire has been inside of them all along. The Scarecrow has a brain, the Cowardly Lion has courage and the Tin man always had a heart. When Dorothy finally returns home to her family she is so happy to be back and now has a new outlook on life. This is the same for Dante, after his experiences he now thinks differently about his purpose in life and how we will pay for our sins.
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI love your comparison between The Wizard of Oz and Dante's Inferno. I wouldn't have thought of that, and now that I'm thinking about it, the two share similarities in more ways than one. Just as Dante journeys through Hell, the characters within The Wizard of Oz experience hardships on their arrival in the land of the Munchkins (and then Emerald City). The characters in The Wizard of Oz as well as Dante himself, both experience their own version of the 'dark wood' that Dante refers too, but its how we get through the hardships that matter most.
For Dante, the path represents choice of will, and the animals he encounters act as obstacles that get in the way. Similarly, those from The Wizard of Oz have to face the Wicked Witch of the West and the flying monkeys. There are always people in life who may try and stop someone from achieveing their goals, but overcoming obstacles (including temptations), help people to learn.
also the trees that are mad when dorothy plucks an apple remind me of Canto 13 in the inferno when Dante plucks a small twig off a thorn tree and the tree yells, "Why do you mangle me?"
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