L+-+Inadequacy+of+Adults

//The Wizard of Oz// Adult Inadequacy

To continue Salman Rushdie’s argument that the plot of //The Wizard of Oz// is driven by inadequacy of adults, examples can be found throughout the story. From beginning to end, adult characters such as Dorothy’s caretakers, her accomplices, and even the people with the key to her problems are inadequate to the situations.

Initially, Uncle Henry and Auntie Em are powerless to stop Ms. Gulch from taking Toto away. This is a sign of adult inadequacy, as they were powerless in the situation to aid Dorothy, forcing her to take matters into her own hands and run away. By doing so, she runs into Professor Marvel and continues the story, as he then redirects her back to her home.

Later in the story, the Scarecrow can’t get himself down from his post, forcing Dorothy to take charge and get him down from his hook. Adult inadequacy is evident, as Scarecrow is unable to deal with the situation. Scarecrow then aids Dorothy for the rest of her trip, and advances the story yet again through adult inadequacy.

Finally, the Wizard of Oz can’t help Dorothy and her friends, so he sends them to obtain the Wicked Witch of the East’s broomstick, a suicide mission in hopes that they would fail, and he wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore. This forces the main characters to take initiative and follow the quest, and obviously portrays the Wizard’s inadequacy with the situation.

To conclude, adult inadequacy drives the plot of //The Wizard of Oz//. It is rather evident throughout the story. Nearly all the adults cannot handle the situations given to them, which forces the main character, Dorothy, to make the majority of the decisions to continue the plot. I merely listed three examples, when many others are sufficient to make this argument. So in short, adult inadequacy is the driving force behind the plot of //The Wizard of Oz//.