• 17:19 - 22:58
Robert Sullivan | Cinema Symbolism & The Esoteric Archetypes of Hollywood
The Wizard of Oz, Political Allegory and Gold Standard
L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz is analyzed as a complex political allegory of the late 19th-century United States. The Yellow Brick Road represents the gold standard, while the Emerald City symbolizes greenback paper money and the Wizard represents President William McKinley. Other characters are linked to the era's socio-economic landscape, including the Tin Man as the industrial laborer and the Scarecrow as the American farmer.