1For the past however long it had been, Dorothy Gale felt as if she had done nothing but run away. First she had run away from home. Then she had run away from a tornado. Then she had run away from a wicked witch. Then she had run away from all the dangers scattered across this mystical land called Oz. Then she had run away from the wicked witch yet again. Now, though, the jig was finally up and there was nowhere left to run. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. She and her friends were trapped, surrounded on all sides by the witch's ferocious guards.
Oh! If only I had just been happy with what I had! Dorothy thought to herself, heart full of despair as she and her friends were backed steadily into a corner, the witch approaching them from the opposite side of the hallway with a sickly smile of triumph on her cruel face. This was far from the first time that Dorothy had thought this thought, and this was far from the first time that Dorothy berated herself for being such a fool. First, she'd taken her happy little life on the farm for granted, now she was wishing that she could have it all back even though it was her fault that it was all gone in the first place. She really did have nobody to blame except herself.
But even so, a tiny spark of anger managed to rise up in her chest even as she was being pinned to the wall by a razor sharp spear, the green witch cackling over her and her companions as she plotted up a magnificent way to kill them off. Even in a moment like that, Dorothy still found the nerve to be angry. Yes, she was willing to admit that it was her fault she had landed in this mess, but did she really deserve it? Did she really deserve it? Deserve this? To stand here now, threatened with death by a green-skinned witch? Did she really deserve that? And for what? For wanting a better life? Again, sure, she was willing to admit that she'd had it pretty good back home in Kansas, all things considered, and it really had been wrong of her to take her family for granted, but even so, was this really a just punishment for what she had done?
All I wanted was for life to be more… colorful! Dorothy thought miserably as the witch continued to sneer at them. Do I really deserve to die for that one simple wish? Hasn't everyone wanted to go somewhere over the rainbow at least once before? Why is that such a sin? And then that was where the spark of anger began.
Besides! she argued to herself. I didn't even run away just because I wanted to find a better life. I ran away because I wanted to save Toto! And there it was. The often-forgotten truth of why Dorothy had truly run away on that fateful day deep in the heart of rural Kansas…
Yes, the young girl had been deeply discontent with her plain and simple life on the farm, but could anyone blame her? She was a developing woman aching for the chance to fly! She wanted to explore! See the world! Make something of herself! Truly live! She didn't want to spend eternity shoveling hay and counting eggs and feeding pigs! She wanted to grow up and travel! But even so, it had not been this natural desire to find her place in the world that had led Dorothy to flee her family's farm on that dark and fateful day. It had been Toto!
That mean old lady from down the road, Almira Gultch, had finally managed to secure a warrant to take Toto away and have him either put down or sent to a pound far, far away from the Gale family farm. When the news arrived, Dorothy had been so beside herself at the thought of losing her nearest and dearest companion that she had threatened to bite Almira as hard as any dog ever could. But that had not been enough to save Toto and all she could do was watch as her precious pup was literally ripped from her arms and taken away from her… The despair she had felt had no words. All she had been able to do was weep, blaming herself for letting Toto get taken and wondering how she would survive without him.
But then, by some miracle, Toto came running back. Somehow, he had managed to escape Gultch's clutches and had, naturally, run away from her and back to Dorothy, his true owner. Dorothy had rejoiced at first, but then the fear set back in.
"She'll be coming back for you!" the girl had whispered in terror. "We've got to get away… We've got to run away!" and that was what truly had urged Dorothy to flee her family farm. It was the thought of Toto being taken away from her again (this time forever) that scared her deeply enough that she was willing to risk it all and take the leap even if it was absolutely insane. In hindsight, she wouldn't have lasted long on her own anyway, taking only a single suitcase and not having a clue where she might go, but the desire to protect Toto demanded that she take action and if running away was what it was going to take, then that was exactly what she'd do. She was not going to fail him again! Not ever!
So in reality, it had been the threat of losing Toto that started this whole ordeal (for had Dorothy not run away with Toto, she may have been able to get into her family's cellar before the tornado hit their farm), not just her selfish desire to be somewhere else. Perhaps that had been on her mind, but it certainly wasn't what spurred her decision to run. Her dreams were secondary to her love for Toto, and not nearly enough to send her flying away from the only home she'd ever known. No, she would only take such a crazy risk if something she loved was on the line.
But now look where it's gotten us! Dorothy could feel the tears rising as the witch taunted them. For all of Dorothy's courage and effort, it all fell flat in the end. All that running away and she had nothing to show for it. All that running away and she had finally run right into a dead end (which was about to become painfully literal).
"The last to go will live to see the first three go before her!" the witch declared, looking Dorothy dead in the eyes. Dorothy began to sob even harder, unable to look at her three beloved companions as they prepared themselves for their final moments. But once again, even through her tears, grief, fear and pain, Dorothy managed to grow angry.
Running away, running away, running away. All of this running away and never any distance truly gained. All of this had been done to save Toto and now they were all going to die anyway… NO! That wasn't fair! Dorothy didn't care if she sounded like a whiny little brat, but this just wasn't fair! It wasn't right! No matter what she deserved for so stupidly running away from home, surely it was not the death penalty. And even if she somehow deserved it, her friends certainly did not. Then suddenly, Dorothy had a paradigm shift.
I had never been running away… I've always been running to! It seemed like such a tiny distinction, but it made the biggest of differences. And it was the truth! No, Dorothy had never run away from anything in her life! Not nobody, not no-how! All of her life, she had only ever been running to. Running to a happy ending, running to a better life, running to freedom, running to safety. And when she had fled the farm that day to save Toto's life, she still hadn't been running away. She had been running to. She had been running to protect Toto, and she had been running to a place of sanctuary where they would never be found or separated ever again. Even if she had not quite known the destination, she knew that her mind was finally seeing clearly. She had never been running away, not once or ever. She had always been running to.
Of course I have! Dorothy suddenly decided. I am a strong, brave young woman. I may make mistakes and I may do stupid things, but I am NOT a coward and I am NOT an idiot. I have always held so much love and motivation in my heart to seek out bigger, better and brighter things, always! It was what led me to dream of somewhere over the rainbow! It was what led to be escape with Toto! It was what led me to Oz! It was what led me here, to the witch's castle!
And in her mind's eye, Dorothy remembered briefly of the time she and her friends first ran into the Cowardly Lion. At first, he had presented himself as a fearsome beast of the forest, frightening Dorothy and her friends, but then the second he went after Toto, all of Dorothy's fear vanished in a fit of blind fury. She had charged straight at the giant lion and slapped him hard across the nose, and all for Toto's sake. A young woman had challenged a large lion, whom she had previously been terrified of, all because he dared to growl at her very best friend of all. And then she had found the raw nerve to chastise him for it, picking on something so much weaker than himself. Of course, in time, the lion became a friend of Dorothy, but back then, she had been willing to fight him to save Toto, just as she had been willing to fight Almira and all the powers she had at her disposal… (which was actually quite a lot, given that she and her family owned half the county).
I have never been weak. I have never run away. Not from anything or anyone! I have always been strong, smart and so full of love and courage. I have always been running to, and now it's time to try that again one last time…
And then in a split-second reaction that only someone as foolhardy and lucky as Dorothy could pull off, she managed to grab a nearby pail of water to hurl at the witch, who had since set the end of her broom alight in order to slowly burn Dorothy and her friends to death. Dorothy only intended to put the flames out and then fight the witch by hand, if necessary, but life seemed to finally take some pity on her and made things a lot easier and faster. The water from the bucket extinguished the flames. Then it extinguished the witch.
Following a journey back to the Emerald City, Dorothy was finally offered the thing that she had wanted since she first arrived to Oz.
"A ride home!" the Wizard patted hit hot air balloon.
"Oh, how wonderful!" Dorothy clapped in awe as she stepped inside the basket. But then something caught Toto's eye and he leapt out of her arms to chase after it. Without even thinking, Dorothy ran back out of the hot air balloon and started running to Toto. In doing so, she lost her ride, the balloon taking off before she could return to the basket. The sight of it, her one and only chance to go back to the family she had come to miss so dearly, nearly broke her heart. But even in that dark moment of deepest despair, Dorothy knew that a small part of her would never regret missing that balloon, because if she had stayed in the basket, she would've gone home without Toto and it wouldn't really have been home without him.
But once again, Lady Luck rewarded Dorothy's loyalty and Glinda the Good came to her, explaining that she already had the power to go home. The same overwhelming strength and protectiveness that had given her the courage to run away would also give her the strength to run back.
"It was inside of you all along," Glinda said.
"Then why didn't you say so before?" Dorothy asked, almost a little mad that Glinda would've kept such an important detail hidden from her.
"You would not have believed me if I had," Glinda replied serenely. "You needed to learn this power for yourself…" and that was when Dorothy understood. Again, it was the same determination she had used to run away. Now she was going to use it to go back home…
Three clicks of the heels and a few chants later, Dorothy found herself standing right smack in the middle of the road leading up to her family farm. Toto was firmly in her arms. She gave a cry of pure delight.
"Look Toto! We did it! We made it! We're home!" and then without a single second of hesitation, she took off flying down the dusty path, running not away from, but to, home. She was running, running to home. (And just like it was always meant to be, Toto was at her side the entire time).
AN: This is what happens when you re-watch the Wizard of Oz and realize that even if Dorothy wanted to run away to a better life, she didn't actually flee until one of her loved ones was in danger. She didn't run away for herself, she ran away for Toto. If that doesn't speak volumes about her character, I don't know what will. (And similarly, I will never not be impressed at how quick she was to attack the Coward Lion the moment he roared at Toto, despite being terrified of him seconds earlier). Honestly, Dorothy is kind of my hero! (Judy Garland forever!)
