A fractured fairy tale.

Remember Fractured Fairy tales? It was a segment on the Bullwinkle show. It was a short story that was retold in a different perspective. So today I offer this view of an old classic. The Wizard of Oz.

"Weeeeerrrrrrr off to see the Wizard"

A lot of bloggers are talking about politics these days so I decided to do something different. I thought I would keep with the Wizard of Oz theme going for this post. It is one of my favorite movies of all time by the way. It has a nice girl, munchkins, witches and those adorable flying monkeys that give children nightmares. And of course there is a good moral to the story and that is the best part. What’s not to love?

It starts out with a girl who has lost her direction. (or so she thinks) She doesn’t like the way things are going at home so she decides to run away. You might say that she needs change. She meets up with the Wizard. He is a stranger from a strange land. She is immediately in awe of him just because he is a smooth talker and different from anyone she has seen before. He is a fortune teller and tells a great tale.

He tells her just what she wants to hear and so she believes him and runs home to make things right. Of course there is a terrible storm on the way so before she can make things right she is hit on the head and goes into her dream world.

Her home is taken away but she wakes up in make-believe land where everything is colorful and wonderful. After a brief meeting with some little people she heads off to see the Wizard who is going to make everything wonderful again. Along the way, she meets up with some other needy people who decide to go along and see what they can GET from the Wizard. For this little band of misfits it’s all about “They have and I want” And “me me me me, Woe is me.”

They find the Wizard in his big Emerald castle and ask him to help them out.

Unknown to them, the Wizard isn’t really a wizard so he stalls and makes them go out and do something to prove they are worthy. In actuality he sends them off to do his dirty work. He wants them to get rid of some evil that he himself has been unable to do. So the people do as the Wizard instructs. They go out and slay the evil witch and then come back to get what he promised them.

Instead of giving them what they want, he merely uses his fast talking again to trick them into believing that all is right with the world. He gives them papers, fake medals and toy clocks to symbolize the things they really asked for. Pretty slick if you ask me. Then he decides it is time to leave before all the people discover that he is a big fake. But the Wizard makes some mistakes as he heads off and Dorothy is left behind so the Wizard is the only one who really got anything out of the deal. He also leaves his kingdom in the hands of the bumbling idiots; the scarecrow, the cowardly lion and the tin man.

But thank goodness there is a real hero in the story; Glenda the good witch.

I have to say that I liked her from the start because she was attractive, knew what she was talking about and very down to earth. Way back in the beginning she told Dorothy to hold tight to the ruby slippers because they must be worth a lot because the wicked witch wanted them so bad. Dorothy however was skeptical about Glenda’s abilities because she didn’t look like a witch. As she put it, “witches are mean and ugly’ and Glenda was neither. So Glenda shows back up and saves the day, telling Dorothy how to get back home. In the end, Dorothy is reunited with her family and she realizes that she had what she wanted all along. Gosh I love a happy ending.

Oh I almost forgot the morals of the story:

1. Instead of chasing rainbows, try being happy with what you already have

2. Don’t listen to someone just because they SAY they are a wizard, they SAY what you want to hear and they are a good speaker.

3. Just because someone is pretty doesn’t mean they aren’t powerful.
And last but certainly not least:

Put your trust in God and not Wizards. (Ok that last one wasn’t from this story but it is from another story and it is a good philosophy to live by)

Now aren’t you glad I stayed away from politics?

Have a great day,
Greg