The
Wizard of Oz
By: L. Frank Baum
Over the summer vacation I read The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank
Baum. This book was about a girl named Dorothy who was trapped inside her house
during a cyclone. This cyclone took her to a magical place. When the cyclone stopped
she woke up and found herself anywhere but Kansas. She was amazed by the color
and things there, but yet frightened because she was far away from home. She
was told by Glinda the good witch to find Oz in the emerald city if she wanted
to get home. After that, she set off following the yellow brick road, frightened
about the shoes the wicked witch of the west wanted from her. Through Dorothy's
journey she met many new friends and encounters the wicked witch of the west.
She was determined to find Oz and return home.
After reading this book it made me realize that both the movie and book
are different in many ways. But the book had many more elements that made it stronger
and better then the movie. One reason is because in the book it explains a few
important details that the movie doesn't show. Another reason is that the book
reveals more of the characters feelings, thoughts and shows how the characters
changes from the beginning to the end. My last reason is that the book
describes and explains the setting and problems that Dorothy encounters better
than the movie. Overall this proves that this book is different in many ways and
it helps the reader understand I the story better.
One reason the book is stronger and better than the movie because it
reveals more of the characters feelings thoughts and how the characters change
throughout the story. One example of this is on page, 173, it states “Dorothy
wept bitterly at the passing of her hope to getting home…and she also felt
sorry at losing Oz, and so does her companies.” It reveals how she is very
upset that she lost her chance of going home. Additionally, it states, “the
little girl began to weep, she was so disappointed; and the eyes winked again
and looker upon her anxiously.” These statements show her feelings when she was
told that she had to kill the wicked witch and it shows how she felt when she didn’t
get want she wanted. This really made me empathize towards her and feel what
she is going through. Overall, this proves that the book reveals more of the
characters feelings and thoughts through the story
Another reason the book is different than the movie because the book
explains a few important details that the movie doesn't show. One example of
this is on page, 42-43 the book explains more about the scarecrows past then it
does in the movie. It states, “My life has been so short that I really know
nothing whatever. I was only made day before yesterday. What happened in the
world before that time is all unknown to me. Luckily, when the farmer made my
head, one of the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that I heard what
was going on.” This wasn’t said in the movie and is a very important part in
the book because it shows the scarecrows past. Another example is in the book
it explains and describes the house with a lot of detail. On the other hand the
movie just shows a house that looks like that. If the author had not described
the house it may have been hard to understand and imagine what Dorothy could
have been doing during the cyclone. My Final example of this is on page106, it
states, “It was a big, round room with a high arched roof, and the walls and
ceiling and floor were covered with large emeralds set closely together. In the
center of the roof was a great light, as bright as the sun, which made the
emeralds sparkle in a wonderful manner.” This explains the room in great
detail. This really helps the reader visualize the room. In the movie it
doesn’t show and explain Dorothy describing the room as well as the book.
Overall, this shows that a few little important details could change the
understanding of the story sometimes.
My last reason is that the book describes and explains the setting and
problems that Dorothy encounters better than the movie. One example is on page,
1 it says “there were four walls, a roof, which was made one room; and this
room, contained a rusty looking cooking stove, a cupboard for the dishes...”
This statement in the book is longer but it really explains and describes the
house with a lot of detail. But, the movie just shows a house that looks like
that. If the author had not described the house it may have been hard to
understand and imagine what Dorothy could have been doing during the cyclone. Additionally,
on page 208 it describes and gives a very clear explanation about what Dorothy
does to the winged monkeys and that the movie doesn’t show. It also names and
says the commands she give that are very important and don’t sound as powerful
as they should. Overall, this shows how the book describes and explains the
setting and problems that Dorothy encounters better than the movie.
In conclusion at the end of this book I learned
that the book is different in ways that help the reader understand the Wizard
of Oz better. One reason the book is different than the movie because it
reveals more of the characters feelings thoughts and how different characters
change throughout the story. Another reason the book is different than the
movie because the book explains a few important details that the movie doesn't
show. My last reason is that the book describes and explains the setting and
problems that Dorothy encounters better than the movie. I loved reading
this book by L. Frank Baum and would recommend it to anyone who is ready to
read about adventure and who is ready for exciting characters and events that
happen in the story.
