*The Wizard of Oz* as a metaphor for narcissism - 03/13/10 09:04 PM
Just something I thought of while watching *The Wizard of Oz* yet again:
The condition of narcissism is named for a character in a Greek myth, Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflected image in a pool and pined away for it until he died.
This has led to the idea that narcissists love only themselves, but that�s not exactly what the story means. Because he was so empty on the inside, Narcissus only existed when he saw himself reflected somewhere else. And that�s how someone with the condition called �narcissism� goes through life: An empty hole on the inside, with no sense of self-worth or self-validation to make them feel whole and human and good. Instead of looking inward for those things, they only look outward � to other people � to give them what a healthy person has learned to create from the inside.
But of course no other person can give them what they need, and so narcissists spend their lives as bottomless pits for attention, admiration and validation. And they only end up more and more and more empty, because that sort of pit cannot be filled from the outside. It can only be filled from within.
In *The Wizard of Oz*, our famous four characters search for the things which every human needs: A brain, a heart, courage, and a home. But just like the narcissist, they make the mistake of searching for others who can give them those things instead of looking within.
The Munchkins represent well-meaning friends who actually encourage the narcissist to search outwardly instead of inwardly. �Follow the yellow brick road!� they say, because the yellow brick road leads you to the ones who can give you what you seek � namely, it leads to the Wizard.
Glinda the Good represents a true friend who wants to help but knows she cannot, because she understands that she cannot give the characters what they seek.
The Wicked Witch represents full-blown narcissism run rampant. She is surrounded by evil, misshapen characters like the Flying Monkeys who try to bring her what she wants � namely, attention and admiration that she has not earned � and by thralls, the Winkie Guards, who are enslaved by her cruelty but don�t know how to break free of her.
In the end, the Wicked Witch is vanquished by simply washing her away with honesty and courage. And then the Flying Monkeys are gone and we see that the Guards were not really loyal to her at all.
The Wizard is a fraud, of course, because no one can give you what you must create and nurture from the inside � courage, wisdom and love.
Glinda finally tells Dorothy that she had the power to go home all the time. �Why didn�t you tell me?� Dorothy cries, and Glinda says, �Because you would not have believed me. You had to learn it for yourself.�
And so they did. As we all do.
The condition of narcissism is named for a character in a Greek myth, Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflected image in a pool and pined away for it until he died.
This has led to the idea that narcissists love only themselves, but that�s not exactly what the story means. Because he was so empty on the inside, Narcissus only existed when he saw himself reflected somewhere else. And that�s how someone with the condition called �narcissism� goes through life: An empty hole on the inside, with no sense of self-worth or self-validation to make them feel whole and human and good. Instead of looking inward for those things, they only look outward � to other people � to give them what a healthy person has learned to create from the inside.
But of course no other person can give them what they need, and so narcissists spend their lives as bottomless pits for attention, admiration and validation. And they only end up more and more and more empty, because that sort of pit cannot be filled from the outside. It can only be filled from within.
In *The Wizard of Oz*, our famous four characters search for the things which every human needs: A brain, a heart, courage, and a home. But just like the narcissist, they make the mistake of searching for others who can give them those things instead of looking within.
The Munchkins represent well-meaning friends who actually encourage the narcissist to search outwardly instead of inwardly. �Follow the yellow brick road!� they say, because the yellow brick road leads you to the ones who can give you what you seek � namely, it leads to the Wizard.
Glinda the Good represents a true friend who wants to help but knows she cannot, because she understands that she cannot give the characters what they seek.
The Wicked Witch represents full-blown narcissism run rampant. She is surrounded by evil, misshapen characters like the Flying Monkeys who try to bring her what she wants � namely, attention and admiration that she has not earned � and by thralls, the Winkie Guards, who are enslaved by her cruelty but don�t know how to break free of her.
In the end, the Wicked Witch is vanquished by simply washing her away with honesty and courage. And then the Flying Monkeys are gone and we see that the Guards were not really loyal to her at all.
The Wizard is a fraud, of course, because no one can give you what you must create and nurture from the inside � courage, wisdom and love.
Glinda finally tells Dorothy that she had the power to go home all the time. �Why didn�t you tell me?� Dorothy cries, and Glinda says, �Because you would not have believed me. You had to learn it for yourself.�
And so they did. As we all do.