Does "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" have a hidden message? - David B. Parker

Da li "Čarobnjak iz Oza i čudesna zemlja Oz" ima skrivenu poruku? - Dejvid B. Parker (David B. Parke

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

In the summer of 1963,

U leto 1963,

a high school teacher changed the way the world looked at "The Wizard of Oz."

srednjoškolski nastavnik je promenio to kako je svet video "Čarobnjaka iz Oza".

His name was Henry Littlefield,

Zvao se Henri Litlfild

and he was teaching an American history class.

i predavao je američku istoriju.

He'd made it to the late 19th century, a time called The Gilded Age,

Stigao je do kasnog XIX veka, perioda nazvanog pozlaćeno doba,

but he was struggling to keep his class interested

ali se mučio da održi pažnju razreda

in the complex social and economic issues of the time.

oko složenih društvenih i ekonomskih pitanja tog doba.

Then one night, while he was reading

Onda je jedne noći, čitajući

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" to his daughters,

"Čarobnjaka iz Oza i čudesnu zemlju Oz" njegovim kćerkama,

he had an idea.

javila mu se ideja.

In the 1890s, farmers wanted to add silver to the gold standard

Tokom 1890-ih, zemljoradnici su želeli da dodaju malo srebra zlatnom standardu

to put more money in circulation

kako bi više novca bilo u cirkulaciji

and make it easier for farmers to borrow.

i kako bi zemljoradnicima bilo lakše da uzimaju zajam.

In the book, Dorothy walked to the Emerald City on the Yellow Brick Road

U knjizi, Doroti je hodala Putem od žute cigle do Smaragdnog grada

in her silver shoes.

u svojim srebrnim cipelama.

The movie's ruby red slippers started out as silver.

Crvene "rubi" baletanke iz filma su u početku bile srebrne.

Silver and gold on the road to prosperity.

Srebro i zlato na putu prosperiteta.

L. Frank Baum had published the book in 1900

L. Frenk Baum je objavio knjigu 1900.

at the height of The Gilded Age,

na vrhuncu pozlaćenog doba,

and the analogy didn't seem out of the question.

te se analogija nije činila besmislenom.

No one else had seen these connections,

Niko drugi nije video ovu vezu,

but that didn't deter Littlefield.

ali to nije odvratilo Litlfilda.

He taught his class about The Gilded Age using the book,

Podučavao je razred o pozlaćenom dobu koristeći knjigu,

and soon he and his students were finding more connections.

i uskoro su on i njegovi đaci otkrili nove veze.

For instance, in the late 1890s,

Na primer, kasnih 1890-ih

the U.S. had recently recovered from the Civil War

SAD su se tek bile oporavile od Građanskog rata

and integrated vast new territories,

i integrisale su ogroman broj novih oblasti,

bringing an era of prosperity for some.

donoseći nekima eru prosperiteta.

But while industry and finance in the North and East prospered,

Međutim, dok su industrija i finansije na Severu i Istoku cvetali,

farmers across the South and Midwest struggled.

zemljoradnici širom Juga i Srednjeg zapada su se mučili.

This led to the Populist movement,

Ovo je dovelo do Populističkog pokreta

uniting farmers and workers against urban elites.

koji je ujedinio zemljoradnike i radnike protiv gradskih elita.

By 1896, the movement had grown into the People's Party,

Do 1896. pokret je prerastao u Narodnu partiju,

and its support of Democrat Williams Jennings Bryan

a podrška demokrati Vilijamu Dženingsu Brajanu

put him in reach of the presidency.

ga je smestila nadomak predsedništva.

Meanwhile in Oz, claimed Littlefield,

U međuvremenu u Ozu, tvrdio je Litlfild,

Dorothy is a typical American girl

Doroti je tipična američka devojka

whose hard life in Kansas is literally turned upside down

čiji je težak život u Kanzasu bukvalno okrenut naglavačke

by powerful forces outside her control.

zbog moćnih sila van njene kontrole.

The munchkins are the common people oppressed by the Witch of the East,

Mančkini su obični ljudi koje tlači veštica sa istoka,

banks and monopolies.

tj. banke i monopoli.

The Scarecrow is the farmer,

Strašilo je zemljoradnik,

considered naive but actually quite resourceful,

smatra se naivnim ali zapravo je prilično snalažljiv,

the Tin Woodman is the industrial worker dehumanized by factory labor,

Limeni drvoseča je industrijski radnik koga je fabrički rad onečovečio,

and the Cowardly Lion is William Jennings Bryan

a Strašljivi lav je Vilijam Dženings Brajan

who could be an influential figure if only he were brave enough

koji je mogao da bude uticajna ličnost, da je samo bio dovoljno hrabar

to adopt the Populist's radical program.

da usvoji radiklani program Populističke partije.

Together, they travel along a golden yellow road

Oni zajedno putuju zlatnim žutim putem ka velikom gradu

towards a grand city whose ruler's power turns out to be built on illusions.

gde se ispostavlja da je moć njegovog vladara izgrađena na iluzijama.

Littlefield published some of these observations in an essay.

Litlfild je u eseju objavio neka od ovih zapažanja.

His claim that this fantasy was actually a subversive critique

Njegova tvrdnja da je ova fantazija zapravo subverzivna kritika

of American capitalism appealed to many people in 1960s.

američkog kapitalizma se svidela mnogim ljudima u 1960-im.

Other scholars took up the theme,

Drugi akademici su preuzeli temu

and the proposed analogies and connections multiplied.

i predložene analogije i veze su se umnožile.

They suggested that Dorothy's dog Toto

Predložili su da Dorotin pas Toto

represented the teetotalers of the prohibition party.

predstavlja trezvenjake iz prohibicione partije.

Oz was clearly the abbreviation for ounces,

Oz je očigledno skraćenica za uncu,

an important unit in the silver debate.

važnu jedinicu iz debate o srebru.

The list goes on.

Spisak raste.

By the 1980s, this understanding of the book was accepted so widely

Do 1980-ih, ovo razumevanje knjige je toliko široko prihvaćeno

that several American history textbooks

da su u nekoliko udžbenika iz američke istorije

mentioned it in discussions of late 19th century politics.

ove rasprave pomenute u vezi s politikom kasnog XIX veka.

But is the theory right?

Međutim, da li je teorija tačna?

L. Frank Baum's introduction claims the book is just an innocent children's story.

L. Frenk Baum u uvodu tvrdi da je knjiga tek nevina dečja priča.

Could he have been deliberately throwing people off the trail?

Da li je namerno navodio ljude na krivi put?

And is it fair to second guess him so many decades later?

I da li je pošteno sumnjati u njega toliko decenija kasnije?

There's no definitive answer,

Nema konačnog odgovora,

which is part of why authorial intent

što je delom i razlog zašto su namere autora

is a complex, tangled, fun question to unravel.

složeno, zamršeno, zabavno pitanje za otkrivanje.

And some recent scholars have interpreted "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"

A neki skorašnji akademici su tumačili "Čarobnjaka iz Oza"

in the opposite way as Littlefield.

na suprotan način od Litlfilda.

They claim it's a celebration of the new urban consumer culture.

Oni tvrde da je knjiga svetkovina nove gradske potrošačke kulture.

Historian William Leach argued that the dazzling Emerald City of Oz

Istoričar Vilijam Lič je tvrdio da je bleštavi Smaragdni grad Oz

was meant to acclimate people to the shiny, new America.

trebalo da privikne ljude na svetlucavu, novu Ameriku.

In the end, all we know for sure is that Baum,

Naposletku, sve što zasigurno znamo je da se Baum,

inspired by European folk legends,

inspirisan evropskim narodnim legendama,

had set out to create one for American children.

uputio bio da stvori sličnu za američku decu.

And whether or not he intended any hidden meanings,

A da li su ili nisu skrivena značenja namerna,

its continuing relevance suggests he succeeded

trajni značaj knjige nagoveštava da je uspeo

in creating a fairytale America can call its own.

da stvori bajku koju Amerika može da nazove svojom.