Wherever there are hopes and dreams, you will find disappointments. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her friends endure them over and over and over again. But all their letdowns have one thing in common: they're fleeting. Whenever something bad happens, the gang just keeps on truckin'.
Call it foolish optimism or cunning strategy—either way, it works. Even when Dorothy endures a huge setback (like the time the Wizard's hot-air balloon takes off without her), she just dusts herself off and tries something else. The message is clear: don't let disappointment get you down…or at least don't let it get you down for long.
Questions About Disappointment
- Why do you think that Dorothy is able to move past discouraging situations so quickly?
- Describe a situation in the book where disappointment leads to a new opportunity.
- What coping mechanisms do the characters draw on to deal with disappointments as they arise? Name at least two and describe the situations in which they were used.
Chew on This
In Oz, people who quickly move past disappointment (like Dorothy) succeed.
In Oz, people (like the Wicked Witch of the West) who dwell on their disappointments come to a sorry end.