In the early 20th century, America faced a period of uncertainty and despair during the stock market crash of the late 1929. Across the country, people were unemployed and many were dying of hunger and malnutrition. Additionally, marriage rates fell as divorce rates increased. There was complete chaos and unrest throughout the country as it affected the American class to some extent. Together, as a nation, they had to learn to overcome this era of grief. This era is now known as the Great Depression. This not only hurt the American people financially, but emotionally as well. The mood and morale of the population had plummeted, as had the economy. They needed an escape that would serve as an outlet in their daily lives. Something they could relate to, something that had the ability to create a sense of comfort and familiarity. They found this outlet in films. The Wizard of Oz, a classic first screened in 1939, helped raise American morale during the Great Depression through symbolism and by metaphorically connecting characters to America's various divisions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayMovies were the source of entertainment that served as an outlet during this emotionally difficult time. Many of these films brought comfort to Americans because the storyline of these films paralleled what people faced in their daily lives (Breitzer). What sets The Wizard of Oz apart from other films is that it embodies America as a whole. While many films appealed to a certain section of society, The Wizard of Oz was not only able to represent America as a whole, but it also recognized the various divisions within the nation. The film's ability to speak to all Americans in one way or another makes it a classic. When the film was first released, it immediately captured the hearts of many Americans. Many of them were already familiar with the script because they had already read the book, released in 1900, before the film was released. The film was so praised by critics that it was even compared to the greatest of them all. time, Disney's Snow White (Nungent). The film had the ability to mesmerize audiences of all ages and genders. The New Times writer says: "They are all entertaining conceits, presented with a naive taste for their absurdity and by an obvious – and entirely natural – desire on the part of their makers to show what they could do” (Nungent). . He talks about all the characters in the film, main and secondary characters. It was justified that people loved and appreciated it so much because of the quality of the animations and Technicolor for the time. Although the film begins in black and white, it then switches to Technicolor, symbolizing the transition from the boring and gloomy lives of the American people to ones full of color and happiness. Kansas is depicted as a dull gray and lifeless place, representing the state of Kansas in the early 1890s (Langley, The Wizard of Oz). A confluence of events, including scorching droughts, harsh winters and a plague of locusts, had transformed these rich lands into a wasteland unsuitable for agriculture. Farmers were left helpless after these events as farms were their only source of bread and butter. This negative impact on agriculture was one of the causes of the Great Depression becausethe farmers gave up (Robinson). Aside from farmers, agriculture was adversely affected across America as it was also their source of food. America as a whole faced a time of turmoil, but the nation still managed to come together and combat their problems. They were able to come together as one nation and emerge from the Great Depression by living a simplistic life and rationing their expenses. In the film, Dorothy bears a strong resemblance to America. In The Wizard of Oz, the main character Dorothy embodies America. She's a simple, naive girl from Kansas, resilient and determined to find her way home. Even though the land of Oz seems much more cheerful, colorful and helps Dorothy escape her current problems, she wants to return to her family in Kansas. “No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live here than in any other country, no matter how beautiful. There's no place like home. (Baum 33). Although it may be tempting to stay in the Land of Oz, she won't let its luxury sway her. She recognizes that even though Kansas is in bad shape, that's where all her loved ones are and so that's where she needs to return. She is able to do this with the help of characters she meets along the way as she travels the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City. Americans were able to use this as a glimmer of hope, recognizing that they would soon see the light at the end of the tunnel if they chose to never give up. Resilient Americans were both resourceful and determined to emerge from this period of conflict (Lewis 412). Americans were able to quickly adapt to this new way of life and reused many of their items and only purchased those that were essential. They had to overcome the starvation rates which were decreasing day by day as the unemployment rate increased. . Unemployment hit people all over America, from farmers in the West to workers in the East. The division of Americans that suffered the most from the Great Depression were those who worked in the agricultural industry. Farmers were suffering from terrible droughts in the West and weather conditions that were getting worse by the day. In The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy encounters the Scarecrow, he is disoriented and stuck until Dorothy comes to help him. Similarly, farmers in Western countries also found themselves powerless in the face of the stock market crash (Mintz). No one listened to the scarecrow in the film and everything he said was ineffective, just as Western farmers were ignored, silenced or speaking out. Very few of them listened to what they had to say or to the problems they faced in agriculture. They were often considered inferior to other men who worked in the industrial factories of the East. The film shows the stillness of industrial workers who had worked long hours to feed their families, as depicted in the Tin Man. Like the workers, the Iron Man in the film is shown to be rusty and is unable to move until Dorothy arrives and pours oil on him. Once she pours oil on him, the iron man is now able to move and speak. Many factory workers felt immobile when businesses began to close due to the Great Depression. Powerless as they lost their jobs, workers were often dehumanized. This was demonstrated through the characteristics of the Tin Man, at..