August 25 marked the 70th anniversary of the theatrical debut of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ People celebrated this momentous occasion nationwide, however what they did not realize is they were also celebrating feminism.

The character of Dorothy has been debated for years; her personality, adventures, and friendships are among many of the analyzed components of this heroine. One conclusion that is not up for discussion is that Frank L. Baum, writer of the original Oz series, intended for Dorothy to be a feminist.

Baum wrote these epic tales before the concept of a film was ever conceived. As a product of his time and the people he chose to surround himself with, Baum felt strongly about women’s suffrage and women’s rights movement. In 1882, he married Maud Gage, the daughter of famous feminist, activist, and suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage.

Dorothy’s spunk is hard to ignore, and her wit astounds all viewers who have seen her in action. It’s incredible that despite all the hardships that existed for women in the 1930s, Hollywood still produced a major motion picture that features a female as the lead character.

While Dorothy dominates the entire plot, some still cannot see how this relates to feminism. Beckett Noyes, a sophomore, thinks Dorothy’s actions prove she is inferior to her male counterparts.

‘She relies on all the guys to get her through the quest to find Oz. At what point does she actually do anything to intentionally help?’ Noyes stated. ‘She’s helpless.’

While this is one interpretation of Dorothy’s character, SU is lucky to have legitimate and accurate resources in our backyard, so to speak. The Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation is located in nearby Fayetteville because that is where ‘the real Dorothy’ lived and practiced activism.

Sally Roesch Wagner, founder of the Gage Foundation, writes of the relationship between both heroines in her published pamphlet titled, ‘The Wonderful Mother of Oz.’ Wagner is a scholar of Gage and teaches a class on the historical figure in the honors program at SU. Professor Wagner has the inside scoop behind the truth of Baum’s ‘fictional’ leading lady.

‘Matilda Joslyn Gage was the ‘Mother of Oz,” said Gage. ‘Not only encouraging her son-in-law to write down the stories with which he entertained his sons, but also giving him the vision of the feminist world of peace, justice and equality he created in 14 Oz books.’

I personally celebrated the 7oth anniversary of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ by watching the ruby slippers work their magic on DVD. It not only reminded me of childhood when I forced my uncle to pretend to be the Tin Man and I, Dorothy, but it also enlightened me of the significance my 3-year-old self did not realize at the time. Evidentially, I learned and admired about feminism before I reached kindergarten.

Matilda Joslyn Gage is dancing in her grave at the mere thought of Baum’s widely-read character reaching an audience of millions. This technically can’t be true since Gage was cremated, but the point is simply that Baum was able to get children, teens, and adults-young and old-excited about Dorothy, who represents all things progressive. He made everyone fall in love with feminism.

Krystie Yandoli is a sophomore women’s studies major. Her columns appear weekly. She can be reached at klyandol@syr.du.

Published on September 7, 2009 at 12:00 pm