Freud's Oz: Freudian Views In The Wizard Of Oz

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according to
Freudian Daniel Dervin ( Over The Rainbow 163 ), is Dorothy witnessing the
"primal scene". The "primal scene" refers to a child witnessing sexual
intercourse between mother and father; an moment that is both terrifying
and confusing to the child. According to Dervin, this event sends Dorothy
towards her final stage of childhood development ( Freud believed in three
stages of childhood development ) the phallic phase. Terrified of the idea
of being destroyed by father's phallus, Dorothy projects ( another of
Freud's ides was that of projection, turning a feeling into something other
than itself ) her fear into the form of the tornado. In deed Dervin even
suggests that this tornado "may well be a remarkably apt representation of
the paternal phallus in its swollen, twisting, penetrating, state which is
part of the primal scene." The question then becomes, where did this
primal scene take place? In the movie Dorothy has her own room, but in the
book she shares a ...

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The fact that it is accidental saves Dorothy from any feelings
of guilt.
Dorothy also needs to deal with her feelings towards her father (
or father figure ) in a less dramatic manner. This is done by making her
father into the Wizard. According to Dervin ( Over The Rainbow 165 ),
there is a connection between the Wizard and the storm in Kansas. The
Emerald City could be used as an example of this because of the verticality
of the bars that make up the city drawing distinct comparisons with the
verticality of the tornado. In addition, when Dorothy meets the Wizard for
the first time, his image is accompanied by flashes of lightning and shouts
of thunder. The storm is obviously ...

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