The Modern Oz: An Interpretation of Our Times
One of the quiet truths of growing older is realizing that we are all still kids at heart—just with more responsibilities. We all seek joy, love, and the protection of what matters most. The difference is, the games we play have changed. Instead of tag or hide and seek, we navigate systems like the stock market, healthcare, and corporate ladders. Instead of pretending to play house, we now have families of our own—with real mortgages, real relationships, and real consequences.
Fairy tales, once considered just childhood entertainment, still hold power in this adult world. They give structure to chaos and meaning to our experiences. As psychologist Bruno Bettelheim argued, storytelling nurtures the imagination—a key element of neuroplasticity—which helps children develop intellect, resilience, and emotional clarity.
These childhood stories are not just entertaining — they offer subconscious maps of how we grow, suffer, and ultimately transform. Christopher Booker distilled these recurring patterns into seven basic plots:
Overcoming the Monster: The protagonist sets out to defeat an antagonistic force (often evil) that threatens the protagonist and/or protagonist's homeland.
Ancient Ex: Beowulf – Beowulf battles the monstrous Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon threatening his kingdom.
Classic Ex: Dracula by Bram Stoker – A group of people must defeat the vampire Count Dracula.
Modern Ex: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – Harry confronts Voldemort’s early form, representing the looming threat over the magical world.
Rags to Riches: The poor protagonist acquires power, wealth, and/or a mate, loses it all and gains it back, growing as a person as a result.
Ancient Ex: Cinderella (original folktales) – A poor girl is mistreated, but through magical aid, rises to become a princess.
Classic Ex: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë – An orphaned girl rises in status and self-worth through hardship and love.
Modern Ex: Slumdog Millionaire – A boy from the slums of Mumbai wins a game show, revealing how his tough life gave him all the right answers.
The Quest: The protagonist and companions set out to acquire an important object or to get to a location. They face temptations and other obstacles along the way.
Ancient Ex: The Odyssey by Homer – Odysseus’ long journey home, full of trials and divine interference.
Classic Ex: The Wizard of Oz – Dorothy and her companions set out to reach the Emerald City, seeking help from the Wizard so she can return home.
Modern Ex: Avengers: Infinity War / Endgame – A multi-character quest to stop Thanos and restore balance.
Voyage and Return: The protagonist goes to a strange land and, after overcoming the threats it poses or learning important lessons unique to that location, returns with experience.
Ancient Ex: The Epic of Gilgamesh – Gilgamesh’s journey to the edge of the world and return with deeper wisdom.
Classic Ex: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Alice explores a strange world and returns home a child changed into a young adult person.
Modern Ex: Interstellar – Cooper travels through space to save humanity and returns decades later with insight and sacrifice.
Comedy: Light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.
Ancient Ex: Lysistrata by Aristophanes – Women withhold sex to force men to end a war, leading to humorous conflict and resolution.
Classic Ex: Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare – Misunderstandings and witty banter end in love and reconciliation.
Modern Ex: Crazy Rich Asians – Cultural clashes and romantic entanglements lead to a joyful, affirming conclusion.
Tragedy: The protagonist is a hero with a major character flaw or who commits a great mistake, which is ultimately their undoing. The protagonist's unfortunate end evokes pity at their folly and the fall of a fundamentally good character.
Ancient Ex: Oedipus Rex by Sophocles – Oedipus’s fate and flaw lead to horrific self-discovery and downfall.
Classic Ex: Hamlet by Shakespeare – Hamlet’s indecision and obsession with revenge destroys everyone, including himself.
Modern Ex: Joker (2019) – Arthur Fleck’s descent into madness shows the making of a villain shaped by a broken society.
Rebirth: An event forces the protagonist to change their ways and often become a better person.
Ancient Ex: The Metamorphoses by Ovid – Multiple stories of transformation, both literal and symbolic.
Classic Ex: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – Ebenezer Scrooge transforms from miser to generous soul.
Modern Ex: Groundhog Day – Phil relives the same day until he becomes a better version of himself.
When you look closely, these common plot patterns repeat across cultures, generations, and genres — from legends, myths, and fairy tales to modern bestsellers and blockbusters. Typically, a story has transgenerational and transcultural immortality because its relevance transcends the constraints of any specific place or time.
Alongside this idea, there is the Rule of Three, a storytelling principle where the third event in a sequence becomes a pivotal moment of transformation. Hence the old adage “Good Things Come In Threes;” which is a pattern that appears in childhood tales like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and Cinderella.
Booker identifies four variations of the rule of threes:
The Simple Three: a repetitive, cumulative pattern (e.g., Cinderella’s three visits to the ball).
The Ascending Three: each event builds in importance (e.g., winning bronze, then silver, then gold).
The Contrasting Three: only the third attempt succeeds (e.g., the third pig builds a house of brick).
The Dialectical Three: a Goldilocks-style contrast where the third option is “just right.”
The number three resonates because it reflects a natural rhythm—progression, struggle, resolution. Few stories illustrate this as effectively as The Wizard of Oz. More than a childhood favorite, it endures as a cultural mirror that speaks to our collective journey through complexity, transformation, and return.
A Brief Refresher: The Timeless Quest of Dorothy Gale
At its heart, The Wizard of Oz is a classic “quest” narrative. Dorothy, a young woman from Kansas, is swept away by a tornado to the magical land of Oz. There, she begins her journey to return home.
Her unexpected arrival causes chaos when her house lands on–and kills–the Wicked Witch of the East. This enrages her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, setting up a classic good-vs-evil dynamic.
Guided by Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, Dorothy is given magical ruby slippers and told to “follow the yellow brick road” to the Emerald City, where the mysterious Wizard of Oz may help her return home.
Along the way, Dorothy is joined by three companions, each seeking something they believe they lack: a Scarecrow who wants a brain; a Tin Man who longs for a heart; and, a Cowardly Lion who seeks courage.
Together, they overcome a series of trials—including enchanted poppy fields and flying monkeys—and eventually confront the Wizard. But in the final reveal, they learn the Wizard is not a magical being, but merely a mortal man using illusions to maintain control. In the end, Dorothy discovers the power to return home was inside her all along—she simply had to click her heels together three times and say, “There’s no place like home.”
As children, we saw it as a story of magic and adventure. But as adults, the symbolism begins to stand out in ways that are hard to ignore.
The Wizard of Oz as a Metaphor for American Society
Here’s my take — one that is perhaps unconventional, but timely:
Dorothy depicts the average coming of age American — full of hope, thrown into an unfamiliar world, seeking truth and a way “home.”
Oz symbolizes the American ideal — a place paved with gold (the yellow brick road), filled with promises, cities, and symbols of grandeur.
The Emerald City represents big cities or power structures — places where people believe all answers lie, but where things are seen through a “green” lens (money and materialism).
The Scarecrow stands for the agricultural workers — often underestimated, yet filled with practical intelligence and integrity.
The Tin Man personifies industrialism — strong but disconnected from compassion and the emotional heart of society.
The Cowardly Lion symbolizes political leaders — full of bluster, but often lacking the real courage to act.
The Wizard? He is the illusion of authority — the one we are told has the answers, but who, in reality, is just a man behind a curtain pulling levers.
The story becomes a mirror for society — a message that the solutions we are looking for are not “out there,” but “in here,” i.e., within ourselves.
Coincidence or Cosmic Clue?
Ever heard of syncing The Wizard of Oz with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon? Commonly known as The Dark Side of the Rainbow. If you start the album at the same time as the film, the music eerily aligns with the story. Roger Waters insists it is a “cosmic coincidence” — but that party trick adds another layer of mystery and synchronicity to an already deeply symbolic tale.
Coincidence or not, it’s another reminder that some stories — like The Wizard of Oz — continue to echo across time, adapting to our changing world, and offering us new ways to understand ourselves.
The Healthcare Industry: A Modern Oz
Let’s take this idea further — into modern healthcare.
The Scarecrow is the farmer again — unaware that today’s industrialized agriculture is degrading soil, fueling chronic illness, and feeding the health crisis.
The Tin Man now embodies medical technology and artificial intelligence — powerful tools, but ones that risk stripping healthcare of its human touch.
The Cowardly Lion is still the policymaker — full of big promises, but often failing to enact real change.
The Wizard is the healthcare system itself — presenting complexity and authority, while the true healing often happens with simple, natural solutions.
But what if Oz is not just a metaphor for society at large, but also for how we experience health, illness, and care today?
As a doctor of physical therapy, I see it every day: the best medicine is not found behind a curtain. Rather, it is movement, education, and lifestyle. It is exercise, nervous system regulation, manual therapy, and nutrition. Real healing happens when we return to the basics — and trust in the body’s innate power to recover and thrive.
Navigating illness can be overwhelming — especially when you are searching for answers but are instead met with confusion, delays, or vague recommendations. Many healthcare professionals genuinely want to help, but they often operate within a system built around profit, not prevention. The modern medical model hides behind prestigious titles and institutional authority, yet even well-meaning providers are constrained by flawed incentives and shifting public policy.
While clinical expertise matters, we now live in an age of open access — where information is abundant and self-education is possible. With focus, discernment, and common sense, individuals can cut through the noise and begin making smarter, more personalized choices for their health.
To avoid the pitfalls of America’s "sick-care" model, seek out practitioners who believe true healing comes from within — like those at the Health Hive. A better life is not built on prescriptions alone. It is built through daily choices – consistent sleep, fruit over pastries, movement over screen time, sunlight over the couch, stairs over elevators, water over soda, and hands-on care like dry needling before injections. Medications should be a last resort — and when your habits are aligned, they rarely become necessary.
Whether viewed as a fairy tale, allegory, or roadmap for self-discovery, The Wizard of Oz reminds us that the answers we seek often lie within. Perhaps it is time we chose to believe in our own ability to return home — stronger, wiser, and well. And maybe, just maybe, that is the message we need now more than ever.
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