Wicked Witch of the West in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – L. Frank Baum (1900)
The Wicked Witch of the West is the main magical antagonist in Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She rules the Land of the West, a region distinct from the East, North, and South, and her authority is feared by the inhabitants of her domain.
Baum presents her as cruel, ambitious, and determined. She seeks to obtain the Silver Shoes, which Dorothy inherited from the Wicked Witch of the East. The Witch’s desire for the shoes is motivated by their magical power, though the full extent of that power is not immediately clear to her or Dorothy.
She is described as wearing green attire, consistent with Oz’s geography where the West is often associated with darker or more intense colors. Her methods include intimidation, threat, and the use of enslaved or coerced creatures to enforce her will.
The Wicked Witch of the West pursues Dorothy across Oz, sending obstacles and dangers to impede her journey along the Yellow Brick Road. She does not act indiscriminately. Her actions are purposeful and calculated, contrasting with the accidental death of her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East.
Despite her cruelty, Baum frames the Witch’s power as limited. She cannot directly kill Dorothy at the start of the novel and relies on minions and schemes. Her ultimate defeat comes from Dorothy’s instinctive action and the use of water, demonstrating that magical beings in Oz have vulnerabilities that adhere to specific rules.
The Wicked Witch of the West is essential to Baum’s structure of Oz. She represents conflict, danger, and the challenge that allows Dorothy to demonstrate courage, intelligence, and persistence. Unlike the Good Witch of the North, she is aggressive and seeks to control others rather than guide or protect.
Her presence solidifies Oz as a land of moral dualities, where power, magic, and intention interact according to clear, if sometimes mysterious, rules.
