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Summary: Chapter XXI: The Lion Becomes the King of Beasts

Once outside of the land of china, the friends travel through wet, muddy land covered with tall grass. Then they enter another forest with even larger, older trees than the last. The Cowardly Lion feels delighted by this forest, while the others find the landscape gloomy. Nevertheless, the travelers spend the night there and wake to the sounds of wild beasts. In a clearing, they find hundreds of animals gathered, arguing. A tiger welcomes the Cowardly Lion, addressing him as the King of the Beasts, and asks for his help saving the animals from a monstrous spider who has killed many animals. The Cowardly Lion goes to find the giant spider and finds it asleep. Using his paw, the Cowardly Lion knocks off the spider’s head and saves the other animals. The Cowardly Lion promises to return to the forest to be King after he has helped Dorothy.

Summary: Chapter XXII: The Country of the Quadlings

A steep, rocky hill presents the next trial for the travelers. When they approach the hill, a stout man with no arms and a flat head on top of a wrinkled neck warns the group to stay away. The Scarecrow approaches the hill nonetheless and gets punched back by the strange man’s head, which extends from his wrinkled neck. The travelers discover that, in this land, hundreds of these Hammer-Head men hide under rocks. When the Cowardly Lion runs at the hill, a different Hammer-Head punches him back too. The Tin Woodman then suggests that Dorothy use her last Golden Cap request to call the Winged Monkeys and have them carry the travelers over the Hammer-Heads. The Monkeys carry the travelers safely to the prosperous, beautiful land of the Quadlings, where the people seem friendly and red is the primary color. A farmer’s wife feeds the travelers and directs them to Glinda’s beautiful castle. At the castle’s gates, they ask to see Glinda, who invites them inside.

Analysis: Chapters XXI–XXII

Yet another character finds their permanent home as the story nears its end, highlighting the thematic need for a sense of belonging somewhere. The group travels through a wild country that Dorothy and the others dislike, but the Lion finds the land beautiful. After the Lion kills a spider-creature threatening the beasts, he becomes king of the ancient forest. Like his companion the Scarecrow, he has found where he belongs, saying “I should like to live here all my life.” He also demonstrates his newfound bravery. Dorothy’s companions are steadily finding their rightful places, which cannot help but foreshadow Dorothy’s success in finding her way back to Kansas, the home she longs for.

The motif of bright and meaningful colors recurs once again in the South, where the friendly Quadlings paint everything in vivid red. The land of the Quadlings is another “civilized” area of Oz, recalling the blue, green, and yellow landscapes the characters have seen in their travels. Dorothy also effectively uses her Golden Cap in this section to avoid the danger of the Hammerhead people. Bright, vivid colors paint the wondrous landscapes of Oz, and hint at the magic that sometimes hides in plain sight. The Golden Cap once again foreshadows the magic in Dorothy’s shoes, her eventual means of returning home.

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