The Wicked Witch of the West serves as the evil ruler of Winkie Country, ousting Oz and enslaving its people. The Wicked Witch of the East, having enslaved the Munchkins of eastern Oz and caused the amputations of Nick Chopper, appears only briefly in the novel when she is crushed by Dorothy’s falling house upon her death the Munchkins celebrate their freedom from bondage, thanking Dorothy for saving them and gifting her a pair of slippers. The Wicked Witches serve as the primary antagonists of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. The Wicked Witches serve as a metaphor for powerful interests in American politics

The Wicked Witch of the West, as portrayed by Margaret Hamilton in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Secondly, Bryan proved unable to win either the 1896 or 1900 elections, won instead by William McKinley, due in large part to the monolithic opposing votes of eastern industrial workers this defeat is reflected in the novel, wherein the Cowardly Lions claws “could make no impression” upon the Tin Man. First, the fact that Bryan himself was depicted as a lion by the political press of his day due to his tendency to elicit a roar to assembled crowds. Not only a rhyming pair – Bryan and Lion – there are significant parallels between the two which render a frequent assumption that the Cowardly Lion is heavily based on the populist politician William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic Presidential Candidate in 18. Despite this self-doubt and external displays of fear, the Cowardly Lion repeatedly performs brave deeds throughout the novel to save his friends and is invited by the other animals to be their king after defeating the Giant Spider. An African lion, albeit anthropomorphized and able to speak to humans, the Cowardly Lion believes his fear makes him adequate as a lion for he should instead be the brave king. The Cowardly Lion is the third and last of the secondary characters who accompany Dorothy on her journey in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. The Cowardly Lion actually represents Democratic presidential candidate and populist politician William Jennings Bryan The Cowardly Lion as illustrated by William Wallace Denslow in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” (1900).

Wizard of oz lion