Introduction

Introduction

After L. Frank Baum's success from his children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), which was a national best-seller, Baum was encouraged by children and publisher's to write a sequel.  Baum did not intend for his work to be a series, but he received many requests from children to continue the stories, as included in his "Author's Note":

"I began to receive letters from children, telling me of their pleasure in reading the story and asking me to "write something more" about the Sacrecrow and the Tin Woodman. At first I considered these little letters, frank and earnest though they were, in the light of pretty compliments; but the letters continues to come during succeeding months, and even years." (Baum, p.3)

Thus, the birth of his second novel, The Land of Oz (1904), the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Baum's Wonderful Wizard book is considered to be one of the most famous stories ever written for children. The sequel is also considered to be equally as good as the first novel.

The Land of Oz- The Story

The Land of Oz is very different from The Wizard of Oz, because there is no interplay between the fantasy world and the everyday world. Dorothy does not return to Oz, so most of the action takes place in Oz, which is a fantasy land. However, the main character is a human, a mischievous boy named Tippetarius (usually called Tip), from the purple Gillken Country. Tip's guardian is a wicked witch named Mombi. At the beginning of the story, Tip escapes from Mombi, and walks to visit the King, the Scarecrow. Tip travels with a pumpkin-headed man, named Jack, with a body made of wood, that Tip made himself. With Mombi's secret powder he brings the pumpkin-man to life, as well as a Saw-Horse. When they get to Oz they must escape from an army of girls, led by General Jinjur. These girls steal emerald jewels for themselves, and any men they capture are forced to perform domestic duties, such as cook, clean and attend to child care. Women are liberated, while men are domesticated, which relates directly to the issues of the time period—women’s suffrage, the struggle for equality. The rightful ruler of Oz is a girl named Ozma who was hidden by her father, the real Wizard of Oz. Later, Glinda forces Mombi to tell the truth where Ozma is hiding. Mombi tells Glinda that she turned Ozma into a boy named Tip. Tip agrees to be changed back into his natrual form, and transforms into Ozma, who is then crowned the rightful ruler of Oz, with Glinda as her powerful ally. Oz is then taken over by females (Carpenter, p. 45).

The fact that a boy transforms into a girl, suggests that Baum is commenting on the equality of men and women. The women's suffrage movement took place in the 20th century, and must have effected the author's writing. The book suggests that girls are equal to boys: "girls are not the same as boys, but they are not inferior, and basic identity is not determined by sex" (Rogers, p. 126). There is another "personal" instance that could have influenced the boy-girl theme. Since Baum and his wife Maud never had any daughters, it may be assumed that they longed for a daughter, which might have inspired the story to be written with a transformation from boy to girl. This story was written just before the 1920s; and by the 1920s, the gender lines were blurring. In dress style, women took a more masculine look, chopping their hair into a bob cut, and wearing fashion that resembled men's clothing--all that was popular, yet forthcoming.

The Land of Oz was recognized by the reviewers of the period as a fine book; it was just as good as The Wizard of Oz. The character General Jinjur and her Army of Revolt is a satire on the feminist movement. The book is not considered anti-feminist. There are role changes that Jinjur brings about during her brief rule of the Emerald City are ridiculous, but it is a woman, Glinda, who restores order by bringing another woman, Ozma, to the throne in Oz. Baum layed the groundwork for a fairyland in which women--Ozma, Glinda, and various child heroine from America, are supreme, and men support their supremacy. The character Tip is changed from a boy into a girl at the end of the book.