Mirror Stage of Development Analysis on the Wizard of Oz (Magic Art of the Great Humbug)
In the children 's story, "The Magic Art of the Great Humbug", all of the characters run into problems with their identities. The old man has the most difficulty with his own identity. He wishes to be a great wizard with superhuman capabilities. The Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion have trouble with desiring qualities that are only common to humans. Finally, Dorothy runs into trouble with the symbols around her that establish her identity. The common problem that consumes each character in this story is commonly known as an identity crisis, meaning they ask the question, "Who am I?" Although these problems with identity seem difficult to solve for, the essays of Lacan, Payne, and McGillis can help to find the answers. Every identity question that each character has in the story can be defined from Lacan 's mirror stage and symbolic order. From the examples of the characters ' identity problems, it will be seen that they are merely a mirror (example) of some of the challenges we may face in defining and developing our own identities.
The old man from the story first questioned his identity when he was back home in Omaha. He lived his life as a ventriloquist and a balloonist (Baum 453). He was bored with his life because he was an ordinary man. At the time, the old man felt that he was insufficient, and did not know who he was. He faced an identity crisis because he was an ordinary man, yet he wanted to be so much more. When he came to the Land of Oz, he got his chance. In his old world, he had a reputation for being ordinary. Because everybody in his old world already knew him, they knew he was ordinary. However, he was able to create a new identity for himself in the new world because nobody there knew him. As a result, he had a clean slate that would allow him to establish a new identity. After all, how could he already have an identity in Oz if nobody knew him?
The old man succeeded in creating a new identity for himself for a couple of
The old man from the story first questioned his identity when he was back home in Omaha. He lived his life as a ventriloquist and a balloonist (Baum 453). He was bored with his life because he was an ordinary man. At the time, the old man felt that he was insufficient, and did not know who he was. He faced an identity crisis because he was an ordinary man, yet he wanted to be so much more. When he came to the Land of Oz, he got his chance. In his old world, he had a reputation for being ordinary. Because everybody in his old world already knew him, they knew he was ordinary. However, he was able to create a new identity for himself in the new world because nobody there knew him. As a result, he had a clean slate that would allow him to establish a new identity. After all, how could he already have an identity in Oz if nobody knew him?
The old man succeeded in creating a new identity for himself for a couple of
Cited: Baum, Frank. "The Magic Art of the Great Humbug from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Dreams and Inward Journeys. Eds. Ford and Ford. (450-457). Lacan, Jacques. "The Mirrror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience." Literary Theory: An Anthology. Eds. Rivkin and Ryan. Malden: Blackwell, 1998. (178-183). McGillis, Roderick. "Another Kick at La/can: I Am a Picture." The Children 's Literature Association Quarterly 20 (1995): (42-46). Payne, Michael. "Ecrits: A Selection." Reading Theory: An Introduction to Lacan, Deurida, and Kristeva. Cambridge: Blackwell, 1993. (26-34)