OT: Wizard of Oz Wisdom or Folly?

[ha98ed14]

DD and I watched Wizard of Oz over the weekend (skipped the witch scenes) and at the end, when the Wizard is giving the Tin Man his heart testimonial, he says, "And remember, my sentimental friend, that the heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others."

Everything in me says that this is not true, and in fact that the converse is true: That our hearts are judged by our own actions, not by how other perceive us. Theist or atheist, I think this goes against the general moral understanding that we should be an agent of good in the world to the best of our (individual) abilities and not to go around seeking other people's affirmation.

To get religious:
...grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;to be understood, as to understand;to be loved, as to love;for it is in giving that we receive...What do you think?

[wellyes]

It's a lovely turn of phrase, but I have to agree with you. People who gain the respect and affection of everyone in the community are rare and wonderful. But that doesn't mean that hermits, introverts or just socially inept people are less worthy human beings.

Those of us with family and friends who love us are very very lucky. There are so many terribly lonely people in the world.

[elektra]

I agree that it's more about how much you love than how much love you get in return.
However, since the tin man's only heart was the symbolic fake one, I think the lesson was more like, "even though you don't have a "real" heart to love with, if others love you, then you have actually given them love afterall." So he didn't need the thing he sought after so much. He already had that love to give, measured by how much love he got in return.
Yah?

[lizzywednesday]

I think anything the Wizard himself says is discountable ... he's more concerned with a clever turn of phrase than he is with telling the truth!

In the book, Scarecrow gets his head re-stuffed with bran & pins - the Wizard, in his huckster-sideshow fashion, calls them "bran-new" brains (har-dee-har) like the Tin Man, Scarecrow didn't NEED the physical brains to prove he had any brains, but he was given exactly what he requested.

Also, in the book, I find it interesting that the Cowardly Lion is given "liquid courage" ... something I didn't think was particularly funny at the time, but is now hilarious, in light of the Wizard's history as a seller of patent medicines - which, for the most part, could be pretty ineffective, but useful to make a quick buck!

The Tin Man's heart is another of those symbolic objects (as a PP said) ... he doesn't have a flesh-and-blood heart (or, truly, a flesh-and-blood body) anymore, but he does have his ability to love ... proven time and time again during the travels with the group along the Yellow Brick Road. His valor and concern help the rest of the party survive the attacks of the Wicked Witch, among other dangers.

Really, the Wizard is more like Billy Flynn in Chicago than anything else: "give 'em the old razzle-dazzle ..."