The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Chapters III–IV Summary & Analysis

Summary: Chapter III: How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow

Dorothy prepares for her journey and replaces her worn shoes with the Witch of the East’s silver shoes. At the start of her trip on the yellow brick road, Dorothy walks through beautiful farmland with houses painted blue, the favorite color in the East. The Munchkins along the road greet Dorothy warmly, knowing she has saved them from the Wicked Witch of the East. A wealthy Munchkin named Boq invites Dorothy to stay with him overnight as he believes she’s a sorceress due to her silver shoes and the white in her dress. Even though Boq has never been to the Emerald City, he warns Dorothy that her journey will get dangerous.

The next morning, Dorothy continues her journey and meets a Scarecrow on a pole in a field, a scarecrow who moves and talks. The Scarecrow asks Dorothy to help him down from the pole, where he finds his life dull. Once down, he decides to accompany Dorothy to the Emerald City so he can ask the Great Oz for a brain. While the Scarecrow doesn’t mind being stuffed, he doesn’t want to be considered a fool. When Toto growls at the Scarecrow, the Scarecrow admits that he’s not afraid of Toto, only fire.

Summary: Chapter IV: The Road Through the Forest

Dorothy, Toto, and the Scarecrow continue along the yellow brick road, and the Scarecrow frequently falls down but doesn’t hurt himself. The country they walk through becomes increasingly less populated and fertile. Dorothy tells the Scarecrow about her life in Kansas. When he admits he doesn’t understand why she would want to go back there, Dorothy explains that nothing can replace home. The Scarecrow tells Dorothy that he was recently made and not very good at his job since he didn’t scare away the birds. He also admitted that he often felt lonely and bored. The Scarecrow believes that if he had a brain, he would have as much value as a man. Later, Dorothy, Toto, and the Scarecrow travel through a forest to an empty cottage, where they spend the night. Dorothy sleeps while the Scarecrow, who doesn’t get tired, stays awake.

Analysis: Chapters III–IV

The setting of Oz presents Dorothy with something she never had back home: the ability to both protect and lead others. The magical Scarecrow’s introduction highlights this newfound maturity. Dorothy is surprised when the Scarecrow winks at her, but she quickly accepts his ability to walk and talk as part of the new, strange setting. She boldly rescues the Scarecrow and then comforts him the way an adult might comfort a frightened child, taking on the Scarecrow’s problem as part of her own and telling him she will seek the Great Oz’s help on his behalf. While Dorothy unintentionally saved the Munchkins from the Wicked Witch of the East, she intentionally chooses to help the Scarecrow.

This section introduces a major motif of the novel: bright colors that represent settings or characters in Oz. The contrast between Oz and dreary, gray Kansas is on full display when Dorothy gets to the Munchkin region of Oz which looks like a more colorful version of Kansas with fences and houses all painted blue. The color white is known in Oz as the “witch color,” and Dorothy’s blue-and-white checkered dress causes the Munchkins to see her as a witch. The Emerald City is described in shades of green, and Dorothy is following a yellow brick road that cuts a colorful path through the blue land of the Munchkins. Even though Dorothy is enchanted with Oz, she still yearns to go home, preferring to return to colorless Kansas than stay in the colorful, vibrant land of Oz.

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