A Bit Like Dorothy

My red shoes made me ponder about Dorothy and Oz which turned my thoughts to Alice and Wonderland. What is it about stories of displaced young girls who encounter frightening and strange new worlds that relates to so many nubile females? It is a common theme in Sofia Coppola's films--fledgling women who have difficulty relating to the world around them. Whether it was Charlotte (Scarlett) trying to cope as a newlywed in Japan, Marie (Dunst) dealing with becoming a foreign queen, or a group of sisters separated from society by their strict mother; all these young women are distant, contemplative, and confused. To all, the world is strange, difficult, and nearly too much for them. Perhaps it is a common feeling in young women as they mature--how they once saw the world is no longer accurate. Sometimes you wake up and you feel as if you are in Oz, things are so alien (or maybe we feel we are the aliens) that it's terrifying.

Ultimately, I don't feel the characters in these books and movies triumph over these fears. Dorothy abandons Oz in favor of Kansas and Alice is grateful to get back through the looking glass. While they learn to appreciate what they had before (a valuable lesson) don't we also get the message that change is frightening and challenges are dreaded? Instead of seeing the world as frightening and beyond us, should we not embrace all the strangeness that there is to wonder about? Shouldn't we look as this world as full of potential and exciting? If we live in fear we might miss out on the mysteries and wonders to be found in Oz...