Freedom of a Fairy Tale

Fairy tales are an important part of any society and culture, teaching children and adults the values of life and important qualities of human nature. Numerous themes about courage, kindness, justice and honesty are meant to demonstrate the ethical way of life, teaching proper behavior of individuals in any social setting. Freedom is one of the important concepts which is brought up in fairy tales, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a great example of a story which presents the much needed values of any civilized society. A life without heart, rationality and courage, would never lead to true freedom, making it impossible for an individual, as well as a civilization, to evolve and prosper.

One of the most needed and pursued goals of any person is freedom, in actions and life choices. No one can take away this natural right, and folklore, in a form of fairy tales, reminds people that they must be free in order to be happy and lead a life of happiness. A great example of such fairy tale is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where the concept of freedom is intertwined with every part of the plot. For example, in the story, Dorothy and Toto are picked up by the tornado, which carries them to an unknown land (Baum, 2006). This action could be interpreted as Dorothy’s freedom from her aunt and uncle, as she is given the ability to make her own decisions, without their guidance. At the same time, it is interesting to note that the tornado is a force of nature, and Dorothy had no choice in leaving her home. It would be possible to speculate that nature took away Dorothy’s freedom to make a decision herself. As such, freedom is a complex element in the life of any person, and it is absolutely necessary to make sure it is present.

Every human being has the ability to learn about their character and work on bettering themselves. Freedom allows people’s development and acquisition of new skills. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow requires a brain, the Lion craves courage, and the Tin Man cannot imagine life without a heart (Baum, 2006). Even though the characters are free to go anywhere they want, physically, they do not consider themselves “complete”. Their life is missing something extremely important to their personality. There is no doubt that it is absolutely unacceptable to live a happy life without the ability to think, plan and explain, to the self, the surrounding environment. Life without reason and rationality cannot be free, since the choices people make, have a consequence, desired in accordance with personal wants and needs. A life without a heart, (in the fairy tale, this is where feelings are stored) does not allow choosing emotional connection to people, objects and situations. It is unthinkable to imagine existence without feelings, emotions and heartfelt unity with the surrounding environment. Courage, which enables people to take risks, help others in extreme situations or try new things, is also a quality essential to complete the life of a human being. Freedom is based on choice which is made by the mind and the heart, and the courage leads to taking a leap of faith, going into the “unknown”. It is peculiar that while the characters in the fairy tale are all presented with a situation which they did not voluntarily choose, they are all given a chance to acquire what was missing, to become complete, this gives freedom a chance.

In the pursuit of happiness, freedom is instrumental, as it allows selecting the best routes, paths, towards the acquisition of a complete scope of possible processes and outcomes in life. With further examination of the fairy tale, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, freedom is presented as a valuable part being alive, yet it is sometimes taken away and the characters are presented with circumstances they did not choose. The ultimate freedom of a human being, an animal, any living thing which might exist, becomes an idea which is difficult to pinpoint and quantify. From one perspective, freedom is a natural right, however, from the other, it is something fluid and difficult to define. In a social setting, it might be the chance to choose where to work, with whom to associate, where to physically move and what things to buy. From a perspective of one’s individual personality, freedom and choice become complex ideas which are based on personal predispositions, environmental surroundings and the circumstances of life.

In conclusion, the fairy tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, connects the naturally given freedom to life and choices, and at the same time, personal freedom, to choose how to live one’s own life and what skills to develop. Life itself guarantees a choice to all living creatures; however, personal freedom is a quest for individual aspirations, and a great place to start is to have a mind, a heart and courage to choose this freedom.

References

Baum, F. (2006). The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Penguin. London.

By Bartholomew Dmyts