Dorothy A Heroine In The Wizard Of Oz

Dorothy from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is noted by fans as being one of the great female lead characters of the early 20th century. However there has been much dispute between these individuals as to whether or not Dorothy would classify as a heroine throughout the novel. Dorothy, by definition, is a heroine as she was admired and praised by her peers since the beginning of her journey. The actual question to be asked is if a person should be considered a hero or heroine without intentionally or truely presenting qualities or performing actions that would grant said status. To answer both questions, yes Dorothy by definition, and later in the book, by action, is a heroine.

After setting up a short backstory and introducing characters Baum quickly changes the setting when Dorothy’s house is lifted away by a tornado and dropped into what Baum refers to as “the land of the Munchkins” (24). Dorothy quickly discoverers that her house had killed The Wicked Witch of the East who was terrorizing the locals she ruled over. Lauded by the locals as a heroine, this act is the first time Dorothy is given

Following a yellow brick road towards Oz’s “Emerald City” she meets friends along the way that help her throughout the trek. During this journey Dorothy preforms many actions worthy of praise for her newfound friends in need. While Dorothy’s acts of kindness were indeed selfless, her first act of courage was when a lion ambushed the group traveling through a forest. All of her friends were in immediate danger but instead of running away she “rushed forward and slapped the Lion upon his nose as hard as she could” (Baum 64). While this may seem adequate to show Dorothies heriosism, some believe that because she was in a panic she had unintentionally performed the action as Baum writes that she was “heedless of danger”