lion and scarecrow comparison in the wizard of oz

L. Frank Baum wrote the children’s book “The Wizard of Oz.” It describes the exploits of a little girl named Dorothy and her dog in the wonderful land of Oz after being washed away from their home by a cyclone (Riek 1). On the road, they see a lion seeking courage and a hawk seeking and longing for brains. They plan to go to a wizard to get their wishes granted, thereby starting a new adventure in the world (Riek 1). The parallels and distinctions between the scarecrow and the lion are worth investigating. First, both animals do not believe in themselves and feel inferior; the Scarecrow thinks that it does not have a brain while the lion has immense feelings of cowardice (Gardner, Martin, and Russel 6). The claims are unjustified since the scarecrow is only two years only but already feels unwise. The lion, on the other hand, has never been in an unsafe surrounding that deserved its actions and so cannot prove that it is a coward. When a wizard orders them to kill the witch of the east first so that she can grant them what they want, their strengths are put to the test, and it is clear that the scarecrow is very smart and the lion very courageous (Gardner, Martin, and Russel 7). In as much as they do not see it, they already have what they seek. For instance, in an encounter with a flesh-eating wild beast which was known as Kalidah, the lion saved Dorothy and the other companions from imminent death. Also, the scarecrow can reason and have a heated debate with Dorothy about why she wants to go back to Kansas in a very intelligent and profound way.

Also, the two animals have immense loyalty and do not leave each other when the time gets tough (Baum, L. Frank, et al. 239). Such is proven when they accompany Dorothy to fight the witch of the east end. In as much as the team goes through many near-death experiences, they never leave each other, a factor that significantly contributed to their success in the killing of the witch.

Among the primary difference is the lion’s attitude in comparison to the scarecrows’. Since the lion is considered amongst the fiercest animals in the forest, it is expected that he would be brave and live up to his legacy (Riek 1). The scarecrow, on the other hand, is made up of paper and straw, and thus once he came to life, it would be more logical for him to have fearful traits. The two are represented differently in the book. The lion is the delicate one who is full of fear. In one instance, the four friends go to a gatehouse to seek accommodation food, and Dorothy assures the tree that the lion was more likely to be afraid of her than vice versa (Riek 4). The scarecrow, on the other hand, is very brave since the onset. He talks to Dorothy excitedly when she walked into the farmyard and is very vibrant from the beginning regardless of his delicate nature (Riek 4).

Evidently, the representation of the lion and the scarecrow is in such a way that they have characteristics which they ideally should not. For instance, the lion is not supposed to be cowardly while the Scarecrow is not even supposed to be alive. That notwithstanding, they have the traits, and their only shortcoming is that, even though they seek bravery and a brain, they do not know that all along they have the characteristics, only that they had not manifested.

Works cited

Baum, L. Frank, et al. “Oz the Great and Powerful.” The Bruce Campbell Handbook-Everything you need to know about Bruce Campbell (2013): 239.

Gardner, Martin, and Russel B. Nye, eds. The Wizard of Oz and who he was. MSU Press, 2012.

Riek, Laurel D. “Wizard of oz studies in hri: a systematic review and new reporting guidelines.” Journal of Human-Robot Interaction 1.1 (2012).