Saturday 23 August 2014

Brick by boring brick

Bricks in the arts tend to have quite negative connotations \ ie. associated with drowning, rigid, deterministic, controlling. Take https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5ApYxkU-U as an example

The one I would like to focus on today is the brick connotations in the Wizard of Oz
The story revolves around 1 central character and 3 other characters that are following the yellow brick road to essentially alleviate their problems, as listed below.
Dorothy - Get herself and Toto back to Home
Scarecrow - Brain
Tinman - a heart 
Cowardly Lion - courage

It is known that the brick path that they are own will be the one which get them to their destination to solves their worries. But instead of the path itself being some amazing paradise in to the abyss ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcL---4xQYA ), it insteads tends to be quite a boring trail with the characters having to sing tunes focusing on the future "we are of the Wizard....because, because, becauase". The fixed sterile path also gave ample time for the characters to dwell on the reasons why the were seeing the wizard (intrinsically having the effect of honing on their shortcomings)
A few times during the journey they were led of a stray from the path due to an event be that a dog running away, the witch etc  but ultimately they got into the castle and after talking the Wizard of Oz they had the remedies to the problem just not in the way they expected. For instance Dorothy always had the power to go home however Glinda (the good witch) didn't tell her before cause Dorothy (herself) wouldn't believe it.

So whats changed for Dorothy ? Does the yellow brick road have magical properties ? 

I personally related the yellow brick road as well trodden path where people seek to follow to essentially have a direction in their life, to reach their own personal goals and potentially to also fit in to society. However the questions then become is that if you have your eyes fixed on a illuminating yellow brick do you have direction ? Does trying to conform to a path lead to achievement of goals ? Who decides what "fits" in to society ? In this light the yellow brick road potentially "might" not be as optimal as it is portrayed as in current society.


Bit of a contrast to

Also ff she never left the path would she of got home ??



No comments:

Post a Comment