Abhi's+Inadequacy+of+Adults+Essay

The Inadequacy of Adults “The weakness of grown-ups forces children to take control of their own destinies,” says talented author Salman Rushdie. Being an accomplished writer, Rushdie believes that //The Wizard of Oz// is about how the inadequacy of adults teaches Dorothy the harsh realities of life. Throughout //The Wizard of Oz//, the unreliability of adults causes Dorothy to fend for herself and make her own decisions. One would think adults would be able to help Dorothy through Oz, but they don’t. Dorothy’s guardians, The Wizard of Oz and even the Good Witch show how unreliable adults really are.

In the beginning of the movie, Uncle Henry and Auntie Em are unable to help Dorothy. When Ms. Gulch threatens to destroy Toto, they stand idle instead of standing by her side. This eventually causes Dorothy to run away and feel that nobody understands her. If one of her guardians had helped her, she wouldn’t have run away, and she would be safe in the storm cellar when the tornado struck.

Later in the movie, Dorothy meets Glinda, the Good Witch, and asks to be sent back to Kansas. She then is told to go all the way to Emerald City, when the Good Witch had the power to send her back all along. In fact, Glinda endangers Dorothy by sending her to Oz. She is attacked multiple times by the Evil Witch, and it would have been smarter if the Good Witch just sent her back right away. Even when Dorothy finally gets to the Emerald City, she is met by an adult who can’t help her.

After Dorothy finally gets to the Land of Oz, she is met with another incompetent adult. The so-called “Wizard” tells Dorothy to retrieve the Wicked Witch’s broom, even though he can’t grant any wishes. Moreover, there is no motive for him to get the witch’s broom. This was probably just a way for the Wizard of Oz to buy himself some time. Again, this does not help Dorothy. It actually puts her in danger. She was held hostage by the Wicked Witch, and almost kidnapped again by the monkeys after she escapes.

The inadequacy of adults forced Dorothy to be independent, and make big decisions on her own. Many of the problems in the movie could have been solved if an adult was there to guide her. But if these problems were solved, //The Wizard of Oz// would not have been an enjoyable and cherished story for generations.