This is a small book of short stories which adds depth to the Oz characters.
After first being published individual in pamphlet form in 1913, these stories were combined into a book in 1914 with illustrations by John R. Neill. The six stories are:
"The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger"
"Little Dorothy and Toto"
"Tiktok and the Nome King"
"Ozma and the Little Wizard"
"Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse"
"The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman"
In the first story, the Lion and the Tiger talk of their deep hidden desires, and wild natures. The tiger says he would love to eat a fat baby, and the Lion to tear a person apart. However when the opportunity arises, their true characters shine through. The tiger, instead of eating the baby, resucues him and restores him to his mother. The Lion, instead of tearing the mother apart, comforts her, and explains he could never hurt one who has been so scared.
Dorothy and Toto like to travel an explore Oz. This causes the Wizard some stress for their safety. One day when Dorothy is exploring, she is captures by the Crinklink. He makes her do the dishes, and threatens to turn her into a button or something. Toto, who is with Dorothy, finally has had enough, and takes after the Crinklink. It is then we learn that Crinklink is really the Wizard transformed and we see the Wizards intent of teaching Dorothy a lesson.
“In Tiktok and the Nome King,” Tiktok has traveled to the Nome country to ask the king for replacement parts. However in being disturbed, the Nome King throws his mace at Tiktok, and breaks him all up. He then begins to first feel he may be caught, and says to place him in the junk heap. The King broods for several days about what he has done. In the mean time his servant takes the parts, and puts Tiktok back together. He makes new parts when they are needed, and he turns out better than before. When Tiktok confronts him, he thinks it is a phantasm come to haunt him. However the error is finally resolved, and the King sends Tiktok back to Oz with baskets of jewels, so Ozma doesn’t get angry about the way he treated Tiktok, and he resolves to control his anger unless someone annoys him.
In the adventure of “Ozma and the Little Wizard” Ozma and the wizard confront three Imps, who are actually very clever, but also very naughty. They have for some time been harassing the people, and when asked to stop say they will not. The wizard uses magic on them, first turning them into bushes. But the bushes were able to move, and the attacked the Wizard and Ozma with their thorns. The Wizard turns them to pigs next. The pigs, after regrouping again attack our pair, tripping them. The Wizard fell into a river. He then tries doves, but the doves fly at them, trying to peck their eyes. He finally turns them into buttons. These buttons are tin, brass and lead. The Wizard knows when they reform as the buttons turn to silver, gold and aluminum.
In the story “Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse” Ozma has seen two lost children in her magic mirror. She sends Jack and the Sawhorse to rescue them. Jack finds the children, tied to a tree by the people squirrels. The Squirrel King, is upset as they were stealing their nuts to have something to eat so they wouldn’t starve. When confronted by the king, Jack ignores him, and unties the knots with his fingers. However there is a conflict with the squirrels, and in this jack’s head is squished by a limb. He now cannot see or talk. The Sawhorse is smart enough to tell the children to pick him up and that they should all mount. The Sawhorse is very fast, and gets them all to safety. Ozma has been watching events unfold, and sends the Wizard mounted on the Lion to the rescue. The wizard is able to find jack a new pumpkinhead, and he is restored.
Finally we have “The Sacrecrow and the Tin Woodman.” They are best of friends. One day they decide to take a trip down the river the Scarecrow’s boat, which is shaped like an ear of corn. They are deep in conversation, and not watching where they are going. Suddenly the scarecrow sees a rock in the say and cries out, but too late. In the collision the Tinman is knocked out of the boat, and finds himself at the bottom of the river. The Scarecrow attempts to swim to him, but finds he is too light. In this effort, one of the scarecrow’s painted on eyes become smeared and wipes off. He becomes blind in that eye, but has his other eye. The crows start to mock him, but they become part of the solutions. By getting a rope around the Tinman, and himself as a counter weight, the crows pull the Tinman, and the Scarecrow into the air. They decide to play a joke, and dumb our friends, and dump them in the top of a tree, one on each side so they counterbalance each other. The Scarecrow is the same weight as he is holding the anchor from the boat. However he forgets, letting go of the anchor, and they both fall to the ground. The Wizard, riding the Sawhorse, has been sent to their rescue, and is able to but everything right. The story ends with them back in the boat with the Wizard as and Sawhorse as guests.
No comments:
Post a Comment