Self-Sufficiency

I was cruising down my lineup of cable channels one day, and I sat idly only to end up watching Nickelodeon. The archetypical plot of a good versus evil was so obvious to me now, unlike the days of my youth when I was so fascinated and intrigued, or rather distracted by the flashy animation and setting, only to become totally oblivious to the concept of good versus evil and self-sufficiency. As in any children’s story, the good vs. evil phenomenon is noticeable to even the most inattentive reader or watcher. Take the Wizard of Oz for example. Here, the Witches of the North and South and Dorothy play the role of ‘good.’ They have superior power and control over the ‘axis of evil,’ which is portrayed through the Witches of the East and West, and the Winged Monkeys in some parts of the novel. When these creatures come to assault Dorothy and her friends, they take notice of the ‘kiss’ that the Witch of the North gave to Dorothy, and stops attacking. The concept of self-sufficiency also proves to be as prevalent as the theme of good versus evil. The major characters of the novel, Dorothy, the Tin Woodsman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow seek to obtain qualities that they already possess through magical power. The Tin Woodsman initially believes he lacks human qualities, especially feeling emotions. This is proved wrong, however. There is a scene in which he cries and the tears forces his jaws shut. This reflects the fact that he does indeed possess a human heart. He also kills a beetle lying around, and cries in lament. The Scarecrow, also yearning for a brain, demonstrates that he can think analytically as humans do in chapter six. The Scarecrow reacts to the Tin Woodsman’s problem by loosening his jaw with oil in an amazingly swift manner. This, in turn, proves the Scarecrow’s appropriate use of logic. The Lion is constantly found thinking to himself that he is a coward; however, he does not realize that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the ability to act despite the fear. He displays sheer courage when killing the giant spider. Dorothy is met with a want for an abstract idea: the path to home. At first, she is stressed out and lost. However, she provides the stepping stones to return home by acting crisp and clear, and by showing a resolute attitude toward her goal. She is serendipitously given the Silver Shoes to help her meet the Wizard of Oz, and through a hard fought battle, she ends up reaching Kansas. These characters demonstrate what self-sufficiency is in a manner that I have yet to realize. The simple nature cartoons and animated shows were of seldom significance and hardly a source for understanding the big picture of life in any way. However, I have yet a long way to go, since I have only now realized the inner values and ideals simple cartoons and G-rated shows can provide.