“If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with… There’s no place like home.”
This is one of the most universally famous quotes from the film the Wizard of Oz. The idea of the importance of being true to where you come from is morally reinforced in this one quote. Despite the dreariness of her home in Kansas, especially in the light of the wonders of Oz, Dorothy still strives to return to her friends and family back in Kansas. Her determination to get home only reinforces how a place so dull can mean something huge to someone with such a bright personality. The film aims to put forward the idea that what makes something ‘home’ cannot simply be recreated anywhere else.
"there’s no place like home."
Further interpretation of the quote digs deeper into different themes explored by the film. Dorothy strives to find a land beyond her home to ‘a place where there isn’t any trouble,’ and aims to find her hearts desire over the rainbow. Similarly, on a smaller scale, Scarecrow, Tin woodman and Cowardly Lion aim to find their own desires (brains, a heart and courage). A major theme or conflict depicted in the film is self-belief and the importance of being true to one’s self. The story as a whole can be seen as the journey to self-belief somewhat representing Kansas as the self and Oz as the desired self. This quote aims to show that search for happiness outside of your own self is futile. If you look for your hearts desires beyond that of 'your own backyard' there is no true fulfilment. As she ventures from herself and her home in an attempt to find a better place she realises and discovers that her home was as far as she had to go. She 'never really lost it to begin with', as well as, Scarecrow with brains, Tin Woodman with a heart and Cowardly Lion with courage.
This is one of the most universally famous quotes from the film the Wizard of Oz. The idea of the importance of being true to where you come from is morally reinforced in this one quote. Despite the dreariness of her home in Kansas, especially in the light of the wonders of Oz, Dorothy still strives to return to her friends and family back in Kansas. Her determination to get home only reinforces how a place so dull can mean something huge to someone with such a bright personality. The film aims to put forward the idea that what makes something ‘home’ cannot simply be recreated anywhere else.
"there’s no place like home."
Further interpretation of the quote digs deeper into different themes explored by the film. Dorothy strives to find a land beyond her home to ‘a place where there isn’t any trouble,’ and aims to find her hearts desire over the rainbow. Similarly, on a smaller scale, Scarecrow, Tin woodman and Cowardly Lion aim to find their own desires (brains, a heart and courage). A major theme or conflict depicted in the film is self-belief and the importance of being true to one’s self. The story as a whole can be seen as the journey to self-belief somewhat representing Kansas as the self and Oz as the desired self. This quote aims to show that search for happiness outside of your own self is futile. If you look for your hearts desires beyond that of 'your own backyard' there is no true fulfilment. As she ventures from herself and her home in an attempt to find a better place she realises and discovers that her home was as far as she had to go. She 'never really lost it to begin with', as well as, Scarecrow with brains, Tin Woodman with a heart and Cowardly Lion with courage.
“If I only had a brain/a heart/a home/the nerve”
Each of the characters plainly believes that they lack their hearts desire. Scarecrow desires brains, Tin Woodman wishes for a heart, Cowardly Lion believes himself short of courage and Dorothy, of course, wishes for her home. Each, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion share an ongoing number throughout the film where they all sing about their wishes for a better self. In the song, each character sings "if I only had..." followed by a plentiful list of examples of what they would do with their desired trait, which only goes to create further contrast when each of the characters continue on to defy these assumptions of themselves. Dorothy had the power of the ruby slippers to send herself back to Kansas all along but, like the others, still believed she did not have this ability. By sating the desires of each of the characters, the viewer is able to see exactly how mistaken they are, thus getting across the point made about self-belief. It can be thought that each character embodies the trait they think they lack and self-doubt blinds them from seeing their true potential.
Each of the characters plainly believes that they lack their hearts desire. Scarecrow desires brains, Tin Woodman wishes for a heart, Cowardly Lion believes himself short of courage and Dorothy, of course, wishes for her home. Each, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion share an ongoing number throughout the film where they all sing about their wishes for a better self. In the song, each character sings "if I only had..." followed by a plentiful list of examples of what they would do with their desired trait, which only goes to create further contrast when each of the characters continue on to defy these assumptions of themselves. Dorothy had the power of the ruby slippers to send herself back to Kansas all along but, like the others, still believed she did not have this ability. By sating the desires of each of the characters, the viewer is able to see exactly how mistaken they are, thus getting across the point made about self-belief. It can be thought that each character embodies the trait they think they lack and self-doubt blinds them from seeing their true potential.
Wizard
"Oh no, my dear; I'm really a very good man; just a very bad Wizard.”
The Wizard in his own helplessness uses Dorothy and the others to kill the Wicked Witch of the West - he was full of fear and knew he could not do it himself since he lacked real power. In some sense this shows how in each their high hope they were so easily deceived. His fraudulence had the whole of Oz convinced he was truly powerful, but it turned out he was just an ordinary man.
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.”
“You, my friend, are a victim of disorganised thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you're confusing courage with wisdom”
“Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity.”
Despite the fact The Great and powerful wizard of Oz was not all he had been shaped up to be, he was, however a very wise man. Although the wizard could not give each of companions exactly what they wished, he still gave them what they desired. He uses his deception to convince Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion to believe they have brains, heart and courage. The Wizard does prove to be a good man in that, his wisdom lead each of the characters into believing in their own abilities.
"Oh no, my dear; I'm really a very good man; just a very bad Wizard.”
The Wizard in his own helplessness uses Dorothy and the others to kill the Wicked Witch of the West - he was full of fear and knew he could not do it himself since he lacked real power. In some sense this shows how in each their high hope they were so easily deceived. His fraudulence had the whole of Oz convinced he was truly powerful, but it turned out he was just an ordinary man.
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.”
“You, my friend, are a victim of disorganised thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you're confusing courage with wisdom”
“Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity.”
Despite the fact The Great and powerful wizard of Oz was not all he had been shaped up to be, he was, however a very wise man. Although the wizard could not give each of companions exactly what they wished, he still gave them what they desired. He uses his deception to convince Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion to believe they have brains, heart and courage. The Wizard does prove to be a good man in that, his wisdom lead each of the characters into believing in their own abilities.