Dorothy possesses many of the qualities that define a person as good. Along her journey through the Land of Oz, Dorothy is faced with many situations which allow her to reinforce what it is to be a good person. Dorothy plays an active, initiative role as heroine; she is the vehicle for other characters to fill their potential and saves them from their crippling bondages represented in many forms.
- Willingness to help others.
For example, Dorothy helps Scarecrow down from his pole in the cornfield and she oils the Tin-man's joints so he can move and wipes away his tears so he won't rust.
- Kind/caring and morally excellent.
For example, Dorothy doesn't let the Lion starve when he is being held captive by the Wicked Witch of the West, who won't feed him until he obeys her commands. Dorothy sneaks out food to him, preventing the Lion from having to be at the mercy of the witches' demands to harness him.
-Innocent.
For example, Dorothy is innocent by the way of not expecting the worst of others, which is clearly shown when she is astonished and appalled by the wicked acts of the witches and even the wizard's dishonest ways.
-Honest and reliable.
Dorothy never lies or deceives others in her intentions and her actions are always honest and full of integrity and she can be relied upon to complete a task or be there for others when needed.
Dorothy is a great example of good fighting evil and conquering!
Similar to Dorothy, Scarecrow is classified as a good character but he shows different types of good qualities. Scarecrow doesn't actively go out and fight evil but instead takes a more passive position and deals with the different situations as they affect him.
-Selfless
For example, Scarecrow always puts himself in jeopardy before others. This was especially evident when the witch sent the crows to peck Dorothy and her friends' eyes out; Scarecrow stood alone and wrung their necks, risking his own fate for the protection of others.
-Morally excellent
Scarecrow's selfless qualities prove that he has morals and is willing to do the respectable and right thing by others.
-Innocent
For example, Scarecrow is unsuspecting of evil and wickedness in others, especially as he hasn't had any life experiences, as he has spent his life on a pole in the cornfield. It is only once he begins his journey to Oz that he begins to understand the difference between good and evil people and what it means to be either one.
Tin-man would be described as a good character as he possesses those qualities that define the term. However, he isn't innocent like the Scarecrow or Dorothy, as he already knows about evilness, experiencing it first hand when he was turned into tin by the Wicked Witch of the East.
-Protective figure
For example, Tin-man is always reliable with his axe and manages to help save the fellowship by wielding his axe to the groups' advantage when faced with conflict.
-Selfless
For example, Tin-man is always willing to sacrifice himself for others, which is clearly apparent when the witch sent out the forty wolves to try and destroy them, Tin-man stood strong and chopped their heads off with his axe protecting the others from attack.
-Bravery
For example, the Tin-man faces danger no matter how frightening it is, this being especially evident with the wolves and the bee attack ordered by the Wicked Witch of the West.
Although the Lion admits to not having any courage, he has other elements of goodness in him that makes him a decent and good character in the story.
-Honesty
Even though the Lion is ashamed, he is still honest to himself and others, admitting to the fact that he is a coward and is afraid of danger.
-Selfless
For example, the Lion places himself in danger in order to protect the group, as he scares away the Winkies when they try and capture the group to take to the evil witch of the west.
-Helpful
For example, the lion transported the Scarecrow, Tin-man and Dorothy on his back as he jumped over the ditch so that they could continue their journey.
Also once the Lion gained the courage, he was able to kill the terrible beast for the creatures of the South in the forest, allowing them to live in peace again.
The Good Witch of the North, as her name implies is a good character as she has the many preferred traits that good people possess. In particular, the Good Witch of the North is seen as:
-A Protective figure
The witch takes on the caring, helpful and protective role in the story, which is clear when she gives Dorothy ‘The Kiss from The Good Witch of the North' to protect her from being injured by anyone along her journey.
The Good Witch of the South possesses many good qualities:
-Morally excellent
For example, the witch gives back the Golden Cap to the King of the Winged Monkeys so that the creatures can be free once more and not be slaves to the owners of the cap.
-Willing to help others
For example, the witch is willing to help the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin-man arrive back at their homes safely and she tells Dorothy how to use her shoes charm so that she can go home also.
-Honourable
The Good Witch of the South is an honourable person as she shows respect to her people and doesn't enslave them, treat them harshly or exploit them.
