Dorothy Must Die

Dorothy is the villain of Dorothy Must Die and is based on the character from L. Frank Baum’s books, as well as the 1939 movie. When Amy first meets her, Dorothy’s beauty makes it difficult for Amy to believe Dorothy was responsible for the deaths or “any of the other atrocities I’d been told were her fault” (88). Amy’s perception of Dorothy shows how looks can be deceiving. Dorothy’s appearance is magically lovely, to the point where it almost looks artificial. She uses magic to enhance her beauty to mask the wickedness beneath, and she represents the idea that people are less likely to act out against someone who doesn’t look evil.

Paige’s interpretation of Dorothy is far from the innocent, wholesome farm girl from the books and movie. Through the twist on Dorothy’s character, Paige explores how finding fame and a new life can change us. During her first trip to Oz, Dorothy wanted to return home, despite making friends and being celebrated for killing a wicked witch. In the Dorothy Must Die story universe, Dorothy was discontent when she returned to Kansas, implying the influence of Oz changed how she viewed her old life. Dorothy’s return to Oz was likely met with joy, and that reaction made Dorothy feel important, which allowed her to rise to power. The people didn’t see what she was becoming until it was too late because their adoration of her kept them from realizing the truth.

Nox is a member of the order of wicked witches and Amy’s main love interest. Nox is completely devoted to the cause of overthrowing Dorothy, and Amy describes him as “the knife that he told me he could train me to be” (194). Initially, Nox questions whether Amy has the ability to kill Dorothy, believing that, like Dorothy and the Wizard, she will find greatness in Oz and abandon its people. As the story progresses and Amy proves her commitment to stopping Dorothy, Nox sees that Amy is Oz’s only hope. He views others as weapons in the fight but doesn’t see how much of a weapon he is himself. At the end of the book, Amy’s revelations make it unclear who really has Oz’s best interests in mind, and Nox’s devotion to the witches and their cause may lead to him being a disposable weapon in later books.

Gert is one of the lead witches of the rebellion. When Amy first meets her, she is drawn in by Gert’s kind personality, noting that, for a witch, her face “was round and kind” (122). Before Dorothy rose to power, Gert was the witch of the north. In Baum’s original story, the witches of the north and south were good, while the witches of the east and west were wicked, which brought balance to Oz. In Dorothy Must Die, the witches claim to be the goodness to counter Dorothy’s evil. Gert never states what type of witch she was before Dorothy took control and denies that she was truly good or wicked. Amy notices a warm, comfortable feeling when she’s around Gert, which suggests she was good. Though some of Gert’s actions, such as taking advantage of Amy’s emotions to spark her magic, are not typically associated with goodness. It may be that Gert was not good or wicked but rather a mix of both, which may imply that Oz’s balance was already off before Dorothy took power. Perhaps this imbalance allowed Dorothy to take control with more ease.

Mombi is another leader in the witch rebellion. She appears very old, and her face is “one big wrinkle with eyes that were coal black and seemed to go on forever” (111). In Baum’s original tale, Mombi is one of the oldest witches in Oz and plays a major part in hiding Ozma from the Wizard. Dorothy Must Die hints at similar activities in Mombi’s past, suggesting that more of Mombi’s story will be revealed as the series progresses. Like Gert, Mombi never reveals whether she was good or wicked before Dorothy’s rise to power, but she hints that she was wicked. Her actions during the novel suggest she is more good now, either because she has changed of her own will or because Dorothy’s wickedness forced her to become good. Mombi does not arrive when Nox and Amy summon the witches to fight the Lion because she was busy helping the village the Lion left behind, and after Gert’s death, Mombi is inconsolable. If Mombi truly is or was wicked, her role in Dorothy Must Die suggests nothing is absolute. Wicked people can still do good things.

Glamora is the third leader of the witch rebellion and Glinda’s twin sister. She trains Amy in Ozian culture and deportment, and “beautiful was in the way that she moved and spoke” (174). During a former battle with Dorothy’s forces, Glinda left Glamora with a scar, which Glamora hides with magic. She refuses to use the healing pool to mend the scar because she wants Glinda to have to face the mark she left upon her sister. After Gert’s death, Glamora cries diamond tears because the magic that keeps her beautiful requires a price—her insides being hard. Glamora also never says whether she was good or evil prior to Dorothy’s takeover, but her actions and attitude throughout the novel align more with wickedness than goodness. It may be that the spell that hides her scar forces wickedness upon her and that Glamora would otherwise be good.

The Wizard had a part in both Baum’s books and the 1939 movie. His character in Dorothy Must Die is based on the background offered by those two sources. He looks “like a handsome, aging movie star” (295), making it clear he is older than he was during his first journey to Oz but also that his age is complicated, as it’s never made clear how long ago he first came to Oz. In the story universe’s past, the Wizard learned magic from the witches, making him a real wizard. Before that, he, like Dorothy and Amy before they found magic, was an ordinary man who happened to be good at research and drawing conclusions. His role in Dorothy Must Die is as an eccentric side character until the final chapter, when he reveals his eccentricities are mostly a cover for the research he does into killing Dorothy. The information he’s gathered sets up the sequels and Amy’s role in restoring Oz.

The Scarecrow is another character who’s based on his book and movie versions. Amy is familiar with the jovial, human-looking Scarecrow from the movie, but the Scarecrow of Dorothy Must Die is a deranged version of the movie character with “unnervingly lifelike buttons sewn on in place of eyes” (89). In the movie, the Scarecrow wanted a brain, which he realized he already had when he met the Wizard. The Scarecrow in Dorothy Must Die possesses a brain and is obsessed with making himself smarter. On the Scarecrow’s orders, Amy inserts a vial of an unspecified substance into his brain, and it’s hinted that the Scarecrow spends hours in his laboratory trying to harvest intelligence. His fear of being called brainless drives him to improve himself through any means necessary.

In Baum’s source text, the Tin Woodman was cursed to chop off his body parts with an axe, and he was later rebuilt as a metal man. The Tin Man of the book and movie is a humanoid figure of metal plating, and like the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman of Dorothy Must Die is a twisted version of how he appears in the source work. Instead of looking mostly human, the Tin Woodman looks like “a machine that had been cobbled together out of spare parts” (78). His hands and fingers are sharpened weapons, and he commands an army of other part-human, part-machine beings that the Scarecrow constructed in his laboratory. The Tin Woodman is in love with Dorothy, who continuously shuns him. At the end of the book, the Tin Woodman confesses that he knew he was destroying Oz but that he did so because he loves Dorothy, which shows how strong feelings can override good judgment. Amy carves out the Tin Woodman’s heart at the end of the book, and it is unclear if the Tin Woodman will appear in the sequels.

The Lion has “bulging, grotesque muscles and a filthy, snarled mane” (230). Unlike the kind creature of the books and movie, the Lion feeds upon the fear of Oz’s people, allegedly to preserve his own courage. His enormous muscles represent how false bravery bolsters us. The Lion tries to make himself look strong and fearless, believing that his overly powerful appearance will keep anyone from seeing the terrified animal beneath. When Gert sucks the courage from the Lion before her death, he shrinks to the size of a small housecat, and when he runs away, all the animals in his control, despite still being physically imposing, follow. Either the Lion’s emotions control the animals and make them afraid even though they don’t appear scared or the animals are no match for a threat without the Lion in his brave form.

Pete is Ozma’s disguise until the final chapter of the book. When Amy sees Pete, she thinks he is “the kind of beautiful you don’t want to touch, because you know it might burn” (27). Amy is attracted to Pete’s otherworldly beauty even as she realizes there’s something strange about him. Ozma is also extremely beautiful, and it may be that magic is not strong enough to hide her beauty. It is unclear if Ozma will assume her Pete disguise in future installments of the series.

Indigo is one of Amy’s companions when she first arrives in Oz. Indigo used to be enslaved by Glinda to dig for magic, but she escaped and seeks a way out of Oz. Indigo is the Amy/Dorothy character in reverse. Both Amy and Dorothy wished for a way out of their boring lives in Kansas. Dorothy found a magical existence in Oz, and now Amy finds a life with purpose. Indigo hopes that being sent to Amy’s world will solve her problems, much like coming to Oz seemed to give Dorothy what she wanted.

Ollie is a former flying monkey who cut off his wings to make himself less susceptible to Dorothy’s control. Amy rescuing Ollie establishes her as a protagonist. Later on, Ollie’s dedication to saving his sister and fighting against Dorothy shows the power commitment gives us. Ollie mutilated himself and agreed with mutilating his sister because, though wings may have given the monkeys the freedom of flight, it took their free will, and to them, flying is not worth not being able to choose.

Jellia is the head maid in Dorothy’s palace and a member of the witch rebellion. Her position as head of the maids shows her commitment to the cause. She worked hard to remain in Dorothy’s good graces, despite hating her, even keeping a dead mouse on her person for days. When Jellia is blamed for helping Ollie’s sister escape, she doesn’t give up or deflect blame to Amy, making her one of the strongest characters in the novel. Jellia believes in protecting others, which is clear by her actions.

Glinda was a good witch in Baum’s books and the movie. In Dorothy Must die, she continues to wear beautiful gowns and wield pink magic even though she has gone wicked. Glinda represents how it’s impossible to tell what someone is like by looking at them. Glinda initially sided with Dorothy because she feared being the next witch Dorothy would kill. Glinda’s change shows how easy it is to give up our beliefs when we feel threatened.

Amy’s mom only appears in the first chapter, as well as a few scrying scenes later in the book, but her impact on Amy throughout the novel is substantial. Years of unpredictability and unwillingness to better herself turned Amy’s mom into someone who was either depressed or seeking high after high. It is never mentioned, but it is possible Amy’s mom has bipolar disorder, a form of mental illness in which people experience extreme highs and lows. The neglect and abandonment Amy felt from her mother growing up fuels Amy’s anger at anyone who mistreats or uses her. Her anger also initially allows her to use magic, and as the book progresses and Amy starts to forgive her mom, she finds there are more reliable emotions than anger.

Madison Pendleton is a popular girl at Amy’s school. Though she only appears in the first chapter, Madison is another formative force behind Amy’s personality. For years before the story’s opening, Madison made fun of Amy because of where she lived and what she wore. Anger at Madison makes it easy for Amy to dislike Dorothy, as Dorothy is just a bigger, more powerful bully.