Finding Dorothy

Frank Baum is Maud Gage Baum’s husband and the author of the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Frank is a dreamer who wants to believe that chasing one’s passions will lead to success. At first, Maud admires this quality, but as their marriage continues it becomes a point of contention for the couple, who view the world so differently.

Like Judy, Frank is a flat, static character who changes little from beginning to end. Though he tries to change himself for his family by being practical, he always reverts to chasing his latest passion. Through him, the novel explores The Importance of Education Versus Experience. Matilda embodies education, wanting her daughters to attend college and receive the degree she never could. By contrast, Frank believes that education cannot replace experiences. He would rather be out in the world learning how it works and finding what he can offer in return than read books he has no interest in.

Frank is a foil to practical Maud. He dreams big, hopes big, and believes that stories have the power to change the world. He pursues his passions, first by writing and performing in theater, then by working for newspapers and magazines, and then finally by becoming a published author. Maud, in contrast, keeps her feet firmly on the ground. She and Frank experience conflict when Frank cannot understand her frustration at being the only person home all day taking care of the kids and house while Frank chases fantasies.

Finally, Frank serves as a mentor for Maud. Though he is not alive in the present timeline, his legacy and teaching guide Maud’s moral compass. He teaches her that people matter more than anything, which inspires her to protect Judy, a vulnerable girl in Hollywood. She does not crush Judy’s belief in magic because she recognizes the impact of stories and fantasies on people and the world, something Frank has taught her. Though he is not physically present for half of the novel, he remains a guiding presence at every turn.

Matilda Gage is Maud and Julia’s mother. Beyond the family she is most known for her activism in the women’s suffrage movement. She casts a dark shadow over the lives of her daughters and expects them to follow in her footsteps to make drastic social changes. Her role in the novel is cautionary. While her ideals are commendable, her approach leaves her daughters feeling as though they must do whatever it takes to get out from under her thumb. Matilda embodies both idealistic passion and focus as well as being a controlling and dominating figure.

Initially, Matilda is strict and focused on her purpose. She believes her two daughters should follow her ideals, ones that will provide them and their future children with more rights. Though she believes in self-actualization for women, her drive makes her oblivious to the people her daughters want to be. Julia feels trapped and chooses an abusive marriage rather than staying in her mother’s shadow; Maud almost cannot marry Frank because her mother believes acting is not a worthy profession.

Matilda is a dynamic character who grows: She learns what it means to listen and to accept and adopt different perspectives. She conveys a key message of the novel: Don’t hold onto what you want so tightly that you miss what’s in front of you. This lesson becomes crucial to Maud, who begins to fall into the same trap and loses focus on what is in front of her.

Judy Garland serves as Maud’s moral compass throughout the present timeline. She is the living, breathing Dorothy whom Magdalena imagined and whom Frank wrote into his books. The novel initially focuses on her age. Maud believes she is too old to properly play Dorothy. However, Judy’s personality and sense of childlike wonder slowly reveal themselves. Her simplicity masks a deeper complexity: She wants to honor her father, she wants to believe in the magic of Oz, and she wants to do right by everyone. Despite her age, her personality is similar to the fictional Dorothy’s.

Judy Garland is a flat, static character. She does not change throughout the events of the novel. Her purpose is to remind Maud of what she should focus on, and what she protects when she claims to protect Oz. Judy represents Magdalena, Maud’s niece who inspired Oz. Maud did not protect Magdalena in her youth and now wants to atone by protecting Judy from the horrors of the film-making industry. Judy also represents the generic child—someone who believes in magic and signs from the universe. Though she appears “too old” to play Dorothy, Judy holds that childish wonder in her, as she is a dreamer who wants to escape the humdrum for the fantastical.

Finally, Judy serves as a mentor for Maud. Judy believes in magic and the spiritual. She does not see coincidence; she sees connection. For Judy, the magic of Oz is real, and she must teach Maud to believe in it again to make the movie the best it can be. After Frank died, Maud lost her sense of magic and resorted to the sense of practicality that Matilda instilled in her. Judy restores the part of Maud that died with Frank—the ability to wonder, to dream, and to let yourself be taken away to a magical world.