The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Group

Question:

kimwilliams
kimwilliams
Student
High School - 9th Grade

What is some background information about the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz?

I need some information about who the scarecrow is and what role he has in the story.

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Posted by kimwilliams on Thursday May 14, 2009 at 7:05 PM and tagged with literature, scarecrow, wizard of oz.

Answers:


  1. drgingerbear Teacher
    Graduate School

    eNotes Editor

    The character, Scarecrow, is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum. He was the first character to join Dorothy on her journey. When he is first introduced, he is only 2 days old. His behavior is that of a newborn – he simply has not learned how to act/behave/communicate. As we see Scarecrow progress, he already has a brain, he just needed to learn how to use it.

    Some consider this novel, particularly the character of Scarecrow, as a political allegory. To some, Scarecrow represents the stereotypes of an American farmer in that era. Farmers were considered ignorant and stupid. In reality, American farmers possessed remarkable insight to culture and society and a strong common sense.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/wonderful-wizard/characters

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    Posted by drgingerbear on Friday May 15, 2009 at 8:20 AM