In the Wizard of Oz, the communicator is author Frank Baum himself. As a writer well known for his children’s stories, Baum would be expected to write to an audience of American children for the main purpose of entertainment. Even though one intended audience group is children, there could also be a broader audience of adults who can “take in” the messages communicated throughout the novel and make connections to the context of the novel being written (ie. industrialization, the American populist movement, etc.). Since the novel may be perceived either at a surface-level or deeply, the audience consists of both children and adults.
In chapter 6 of the novel, the word “wild” is used to describe an “animal hidden among the trees” when Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Woodman, and Scarecrow are making their way through the woods. In this use of the polysemous word, “wild” is used to describe animals that live in the natural world without human interference. Furthermore, Baum paints this “wildness” to be something unknown, dangerous, and fear-invoking. By describing the lack of birds and sunlight in this part of the woods, the author paints the scene to be dark and lifeless. Additionally, Baum includes the sensory imagery of “the little girl’s heart beat[ing] fast” to describe how Dorothy reacts to the presence of wild animals in the woods. In doing so, Baum evokes a sense of fear and suspense in the audience as these wild animals cannot be seen, yet they are heard. In his novel, Baum adds an element of fright and suspense to the formal definition of “wild” in order to introduce a vital character in the story- the “Cowardly Lion”. By using something “wild” to scare the protagonist of the story, the author expresses the importance of courage within a person to overcome this fear.
Vivian Nguyen