The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Chapters 20-24
Chapters 20-24
The companions climb one at a time and the country beyond seems to be made entirely of delicate china, even the floor. They glimpse people, buildings, animals and even structures made of china. They make their way through the country, everything in the country is quite minuscule, while the houses are no higher than Dorothy's waist, the people are only as tall as her knee. They come upon a milk maiden milking her cow, who loses her temper at the intrusion of the strangers. To the utter shock of Dorothy and her friends, the little china cow breaks her leg into many small pieces. Dorothy tells her friends to be very careful in crossing the country as the inhabitants are particularly delicate. Later they come upon a Princess that Dorothy likes, she chases the little princess who pleads with her to stop chasing as she wouldn't want to fall. She explains that although they can be repaired after being broken, they never quite look the same, and to demonstrate she shows them the example of a Joker, who has a terrible habit of standing on his head and has consequently been repaired many times. Dorothy also offers to take the princess with her to Kansas, where she would want to keep her safely on the mantle. The princess refuses and explains that her people lose their ability to move once they leave their country and being in such a state would make her unhappy and so Dorothy bids the princess and joker farewell. The companions cross the country and soon reach another wall, but since this one is much smaller they can climb it with the help of the Lion.
They come upon a forest with trees grander than any they had ever seen in the past. The Lion is at once very pleased with the forest and envisions living in the forest his whole life. They then encounter a great meeting of animals filled with tigers and many other creatures. Animals begin to quieten when they catch sight of the Lion, and one of the tigers approaches and explains that the forest is being plagued by a giant spider. The tiger requests the help of the Lion, and he agrees to aid them but upon the condition that the animals agree to take him as their king. The animals agree readily, so the Lion ventures forth and finds the giant spider sleeping. He notes the frailty of its neck and pounces on the sleeping spider and swipes his head clean off with his sharply clawed paw. He returns to the animals and informs them about the death of the spider.
They leave the forest to find a steep hill littered with large rocks, but when the Scarecrow attempts to climb the hill, he is stopped by a Hammer-Head, short and stout people, without arms and a flat head. The companions are unsure of what to do but then they remember the Winged Monkeys and so Dorothy summons them for the last time, and the Winged Monkeys carry away Dorothy and her friends over the hill safely and deposit them in Quadling country. The Quadlings have everything coloured red, and they seem to be good-natured and chubby people. The travellers stop to get directions and food from a kindly farmer's wife. They soon reach Glinda's castle.
Dorothy appears before the Good Witch, Glinda, who had red hair, blue eyes and a pure white dress. Dorothy recounts her whole tale to Glinda and requests that she help her go home to Kansas for she is worried about her aunt and uncle. Glinda is very kindly to Dorothy and informs her that she would help her return home if Dorothy gave her the Golden Cap. Dorothy delightedly agrees, and then Glinda turns to the other members of the company, she asks them where they would go once Dorothy had made her journey home. The Scarecrow wishes to return to the Emerald city as their ruler, the Tin Woodman wishes to go to the land of the Winkies to rule over them, and the Lion wishes to return to the grand forest and rule over the animals there.
Glinda then explains how she would use the Golden Cap to return to all three to their kingdoms and at last set the Winged Monkeys free by giving them the Golden Cap. She tells Dorothy that the way to return to Kansas lies in her shoes, which can transport the wearer anywhere with just three steps and all she has to do is knock their heels together. At last, Dorothy bids her companions a teary farewell receives a kiss on the forehead from the Good Witch and carries Toto. She then loudly calls out where she wants to go and knocks her heels together, in the next three steps, there is a swirl of colour and a great rushing. Dorothy finds herself on the Kansas Prairie in front of the house that uncle Henry had built after the cyclone had carried away their old house to Oz. Aunt Em catches sight of Dorothy when she comes out to water the cabbages, she takes her into her arms and questions her about where she had been. Dorothy replies that she had been in Oz.
Analysis
The chapter with the old forest seems to have been written to cross off the destination of the Lion after Dorothy's return to Kansas. A parallel can also be drawn between how the Lion finds the forest to be welcoming while the others express discomfort, in the same way, Dorothy wishes to return to the dreary Kansas Prairies even though they seem dull to the Scarecrow.
It is also interesting to note that the only true damage they made in the china city was the destruction of a church, this serves as another example of Baum's disregard for established religion.
In the end, we learn that like the other friends in her party, she too had always had what she set out to look for. The Scarecrow wanted a brain even though he was wise, the Tin Woodman wanted a heart despite being kind, the Lion wished for Courage despite being brave, and Dorothy wanted to find a way home and yet she had on the shoes that would lead her home throughout their adventure.
