I'm halfway through The Tin Woodsman of Oz. It's time for a soapbox. We've a boy who explores Oz, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodsman as the main characters and some secondary characters. Not all of Oz is known or peaceful. Our boy tells the Tin Man that his heart must not be kind if he abandoned his love. It starts them on the journey to find her. All is good until then.
The boy suggests that they avoid danger as much as possible. 🏆Good Idea Award👍 His companions disagree and tend to forget their goal of reuniting the Tin Man. So they ignore a warning sign, assume a house of a wicked giant is abandoned, and keep finding themselves in trouble. Now they are blaming our boy for giving them the idea in the first place. Here are my problems: 1. The boy in no way forced them to do this. 2. He warns them to not take unnecessary risks. Oz has plenty to offer that are unavoidable. 3. So far, he's been best at keeping focused. 4. He's not the vain one who insists upon going around the Emerald City out of pride.
Just because the boy is not magic, it doesn't mean he isn't wise. It's not his fault that people must eat and sleep. None of the folly comes from him.
I can commiserate with this kid. I'm often considered foolish. Yet nobody else has had to face my trials. I cruely learned to advertise my struggles as little as possible, that no matter what, my problems are less than theirs, and to take their abuse and smile. That's what I see happening to our boy. #oz #books #opinion