Allegory and Parable

 Allegory is a literary device in which characters or events in a
literary, visual, or musical art form represent or symbolize
ideas and concepts.
 A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which
illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or
(sometimes) a normative principle. It differs from a fable in
that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of
nature as characters, while parables generally feature human
characters. It is a type of analogy.
 The allegory is a more general narrative type, which covers
any use of figurative metaphor. Like the allegory, the parable
uses metaphor to make its point. But unlike allegory, the
parable makes a single, unambiguous point. The allegory may
have multiple non-contradictory interpretations, and may also
have implications that are ambiguous or hard to interpret.
The Populist Party

 The People's party, more commonly known as the
Populist party, was organized in St. Louis in 1892 to
represent the common folk—especially farmers—
against the entrenched interests of railroads, bankers,
processers, corporations, and the politicians in
league with such interests.
William Jennings Bryan

 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (Chicago, 1900) is
a parable about Money Reform and the 1890s Midwestern
political movement led by William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925);
three times candidate for President of the United States. From
1891-1895 Bryan served in the House of Representatives, where
he advocated the coinage of silver at a fixed ratio with gold, in
order to break the bankers’ monopoly and manipulation of the
gold-backed currency.
 Bryan and his supporters accused Eastern banks and railroads
of oppressing farmers and industrial workers. Bryan believed
that a switch to silver-backed currency would make money
plentiful. Although correct, Money Reformers today would
argue that money need not, and should not, be backed by either
silver or gold, but only by the people, their skills, and their
resources.
The Silverites

 The Silverites were members of a political movement in the United
States in the late-19th century that advocated that silver should
continue to be a monetary standard along with gold, as authorized
under the Coinage Act of 1792. The Silverite coalition's famous
slogan was "16 to 1" – that is, the ratio of sixteen ounces of silver
equal in value to one ounce of gold, a ratio similar to that
established in the Coinage Act of 1834.
 The Silverites advocated free coinage of silver. They wanted to
lower the gold standard of the United States to silver, which would
have simultaneously allowed more money to be printed and made
available to the public and cause inflation. Advocates predicted
that if silver were used as the standard of money, they would be
able to pay off all of their debt. The debt amount would stay the
same but they would have more silver money with which to pay it.
Bimetallism

 Bimetallism and "Free Silver" were
demanded by William Jennings
Bryan who took over leadership of
the Democratic Party in 1896, as well
as the Populist and Silver Republican
Parties. The Republican Party
nominated William McKinley on a
platform supporting the gold
standard which was favored by
financial interests on the East Coast.
A faction of Republicans from silver
mining regions in the West known as
the Silver Republicans endorsed
Bryan.
Oz Symbolism

 The Tornado represented the panic of 1893, the worst
economic depression the U.S. had seen at the time.
 Dorothy, hailing from Kansas, represents the common
man.
 The Scarecrow is the farmer who apparently doesn’t have
the wit to understand his situation or his political
interests.
 The Tin Woodsman is the industrial worker, rusted as
solid as the factories shut down in the 1893 depression.
 The Cowardly Lion is Bryan himself; who had a loud
roar but little political power.
Oz Symbolism

 Oz is short for ounce, the measure for gold and
silver.
 The Silver Slippers represent the silver standard.
 The Yellow Brick Road represents the gold
standard, which was the road to power.
 The Emerald City is Washington D.C., or the
fraudulent world of greenback paper money that
only pretends to have value.
Oz Symbolism

 The Munchkins represent the “little people” or common
folk who are overrun by the oppression of the
government.
 The Wicked Witch of the East is Wall Street bankers in
NY, led by J.P. Morgan.
 The Wicked Witch of the West represents the wealthy
railroad and oil barons of the American West
 The Good Witch of the North - Bryan’s Populist
supporters in the North and Northwest. The South and
North largely supported Bryan in his Presidential
campaign.
 The Wizard is William McKinley, the President of the
United States and political opponent of WJ Bryan
Discussion Questions

 What is the message’s value of The Wizard of Oz?
(emotional, intellectual, aesthetic)
 What is the theme of the film?
 What is the mood?
 What is the tone?
 Given the symbolism and allegorical references,
what did you learn about the Populist movement?