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Summary: Chapter VII: The Journey to the Great Oz

Dorothy and her companions spend the night in the forest. The Scarecrow looks after Dorothy, finding her food and a way to stay warm. The next morning, the group’s progress is blocked by a large ditch they cannot seem to cross. Despite being afraid, the Cowardly Lion volunteers to jump across the ditch, carrying his companions. The Tin Woodsman suggests the Cowardly Lion carry him first since a fall won’t hurt him. The leap is a success, and so the Lion carries the others across. The forest gets darker. When they come to another even wider ditch, the Scarecrow directs the Tin Woodman to create a bridge by chopping down a tree. As they start to cross the bridge, two large Kalidahs, beasts with tiger heads and bear bodies, charge them. The Cowardly Lion roars at them, but the Kalidahs don’t stop, so the Scarecrow urges the Tin Woodman to cut off the end of the tree bridge, and the Kalidahs fall to their deaths. Coming out of the forest, the companions see a river surrounded by beautiful countryside. The Tin Woodman starts to make a raft for them to cross the river.

Summary: Chapter VIII: The Deadly Poppy Field

The next day, the group tries to cross the river by raft, but the current carries them downstream. When the Scarecrow tries to guide the raft with a long pole, he and the pole get stuck in the middle of the river, and the raft continues on. The Cowardly Lion suggests that Dorothy and the Tin Woodman hold on to his tail as he swims the raft to safety. Back on the shore, they walk along the river looking for the yellow brick road. When they see the Scarecrow again, still in the river, they feel unhappy that they can’t help him. Suddenly, a Stork offers to rescue the Scarecrow. 

Happy to be together again, the friends resume their journey among a carpet of flowers that turns into a poppy field. The poppies, however, cause Dorothy and Toto to fall asleep. The Tin Woodman tells the Cowardly Lion to run out of the poppy field quickly before he too falls asleep. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman carry Dorothy and Toto out of the poppies. As they make their way through the field, however, they discover the Cowardly Lion, asleep, and as he is heavy, they can’t carry him too.

Summary: Chapter IX: The Queen of the Field Mice

The Tin Woodman, believing in being a friend to those in need, saves a field mouse from a wild cat. The mouse turns out to be the Queen of the Field Mice. She tells her field mice that they must now fulfill the wishes of the Tin Woodman. The Scarecrow suggests the mice help save the Cowardly Lion. He assures them the lion won’t hurt them because he is cowardly. The Scarecrow then devises a plan. First, he asks the Tin Woodman to create a wooden truck. Then he asks thousands of mice to gather, each bringing a long piece of string that he and the Tin Woodman use to harness the mice to the truck. Finally, the mice, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman push the Cowardly Lion onto the truck and pull him out of the poppy field, which delights Dorothy. The Queen of the Field Mice promises future assistance if they need it.

Analysis: Chapters VII–IX

This section turns the magical setting of Oz into an antagonist of the story, as the new companions struggle to reach the Emerald City due to several obstacles. Their way is blocked by a deep ditch, and then by a second deeper and wider ditch. At the same time, they are menaced by terrible Kalidahs who have “claws so long and sharp” that could easily tear even the Lion in two. The river sweeps their raft away from the road of yellow brick, and the setting even briefly divides both the Scarecrow and Lion from their companions. The field of poppies further endangers the travelers with its sleep-inducing powers. These natural and magical obstacles transform Oz into a dangerous place that requires perseverance from anyone willing to traverse it.

The dangers the travelers encounter further draw out the theme that appearances can be deceiving. After the travelers escape the dangerous forest to “a lovely country, with plenty of flowers and fruit trees and sunshine,” they instead find a new danger in the deadly poppy field. A field of flowers turns out to be a fatal trap which takes the weary travelers by surprise. The Tin Woodman saves a tiny mouse, but she turns out to be the Queen of the Field Mice. Although one would expect a mouse to be powerless, she and the other mice work together to save the Lion when his other companions cannot. These surprises prove that in the land of Oz, things are not always what they seem.

This section develops another important theme when each companion proves that they already possess what they are trying to gain. The supposedly “brainless” Scarecrow suggests an intelligent way across a deep ditch and later devises the plan to build a raft. The “heartless” Tin Woodman begs the Lion not to kill a deer or he “should certainly weep.” The Tin Woodman saves the Queen of the Field Mice because he is “careful to help all those who may need a friend.” Finally, the supposedly cowardly Lion braves jumping over the deep ditch to save his companions, and later even scares the terrifying Kalidahs with his roar and promises to fight them. Each character appears to possess the very traits they seek to gain.

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