The Wizard of Oz was not written by a Nazi, contrary to popular belief. L. Frank Baum was a man of
his time, thoughts on race included, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that much of his work contains racist,
agest, sexist, and all around old fashion ideas. However, by analyzing at how the works of Oz have
changed over time, we see how racial coding impacts the reception of a work.
In 1900 Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and while it is generally believed to discuss the
his time, thoughts on race included, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that much of his work contains racist,
agest, sexist, and all around old fashion ideas. However, by analyzing at how the works of Oz have
changed over time, we see how racial coding impacts the reception of a work.
In 1900 Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and while it is generally believed to discuss the
socio economic fluctuations of a bimetallic economy in the late 1800s, whether there is intentional
allegory at all is a contentious point. The perceived allegorical statements of the book are in line with
Baum’s liberal use of coding, or shorthand character signifiers. This type of coding has some
unfortunately racist outcomes that fundamentally alter thematic elements of the story.
The Winkies (See Figure 1), a fictional race that resides in the Ozian west (See Figure 2), are slaves to
the Wicked Witch of the West, which Baum mentions no less than 4 times. They are described as
yellow skinned, cowardly, and big nosed. On the day they are freed from subjugation they dance, sing,
and feast, then keep the day as a holiday. All of these are thinly veiled references to the Jewish people.
While not necessarily intentional, this coding impacts the way a large chunk of the consumer public
interacts with semetic ideals.
allegory at all is a contentious point. The perceived allegorical statements of the book are in line with
Baum’s liberal use of coding, or shorthand character signifiers. This type of coding has some
unfortunately racist outcomes that fundamentally alter thematic elements of the story.
The Winkies (See Figure 1), a fictional race that resides in the Ozian west (See Figure 2), are slaves to
the Wicked Witch of the West, which Baum mentions no less than 4 times. They are described as
yellow skinned, cowardly, and big nosed. On the day they are freed from subjugation they dance, sing,
and feast, then keep the day as a holiday. All of these are thinly veiled references to the Jewish people.
While not necessarily intentional, this coding impacts the way a large chunk of the consumer public
interacts with semetic ideals.
Figure 1 Figure 2
[ID: Fig 1 is picture of a Winkie from The Wizard of Oz, a yellow skinned muschiano man with yellow
skin. Fig 2 is a map of Oz with “Winkie Country” in yellow to the west. End ID]
Their appearance is toned down significantly in the movie adaptation, as visual mediums can’t
necessarily be as on the nose as a novel. While the level of coding differs, the ideals are still part of
their time.
The Wiz is almost a step forward. It’s lengthy scene where the wicked witch lords over her sweatshop
workers is tonally… bad, but lacks the insidious subliminal messaging of its predecessors, likely due
to its writers own experience with prejudice.
We see the first active subversion of the trope with 1995’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked
Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The western country of Oz is no longer the “Winkey Country”,
but the Vinkus (See Figure 3), a region whose inhabitants are coded starkly Native American.
skin. Fig 2 is a map of Oz with “Winkie Country” in yellow to the west. End ID]
Their appearance is toned down significantly in the movie adaptation, as visual mediums can’t
necessarily be as on the nose as a novel. While the level of coding differs, the ideals are still part of
their time.
The Wiz is almost a step forward. It’s lengthy scene where the wicked witch lords over her sweatshop
workers is tonally… bad, but lacks the insidious subliminal messaging of its predecessors, likely due
to its writers own experience with prejudice.
We see the first active subversion of the trope with 1995’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked
Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The western country of Oz is no longer the “Winkey Country”,
but the Vinkus (See Figure 3), a region whose inhabitants are coded starkly Native American.
Figure 3
[ID: A black and white map of Oz. Instead of the west being labeled “Winkie Country” it’s labeled “The
Vinkus”. End ID]
The Wicked witch’s love interest, Fiyero, is the prince of the Vinkus. He has cultural tattoos, ceremonial
garb, and has notably dark skin. The whole book is dedicated to anti-fascism but instead of the Winkies
being a stand in for oppressed people, Animals (with a capital letter) like the cowardly Lion, are the
subjugated race. Fiyero himself faces microaggressions, but never realizes the full extent of the
problem until he witnesses the beating of an innocent Bear cub. This shift in textual coding proves
relevant to the thematic changes. Fiyero is a displaced king of an oppressed people. He then dies for
finally defending the rights of the damned.
While coding may seem innocuous, it isn’t made in a contextless vacuum. Using this type of thinly
veiled language is an easy way to propagate existing hate, and frame dissenters as a oversensitive.
Hatred seeps from most types of coding, and leaves a story poorer for it.
Vinkus”. End ID]
The Wicked witch’s love interest, Fiyero, is the prince of the Vinkus. He has cultural tattoos, ceremonial
garb, and has notably dark skin. The whole book is dedicated to anti-fascism but instead of the Winkies
being a stand in for oppressed people, Animals (with a capital letter) like the cowardly Lion, are the
subjugated race. Fiyero himself faces microaggressions, but never realizes the full extent of the
problem until he witnesses the beating of an innocent Bear cub. This shift in textual coding proves
relevant to the thematic changes. Fiyero is a displaced king of an oppressed people. He then dies for
finally defending the rights of the damned.
While coding may seem innocuous, it isn’t made in a contextless vacuum. Using this type of thinly
veiled language is an easy way to propagate existing hate, and frame dissenters as a oversensitive.
Hatred seeps from most types of coding, and leaves a story poorer for it.
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