Nathanson, Paul. Over the Rainbow: The Wizard of Oz as a secular myth of America. SUNY Press, 1991

This book is written by Dr. Paul Nathanson and entitled, “Over the Rainbow: The Wizard of Oz as a Secular Myth of America”. Dr. Nathanson believes that the story is comparable to the religious view that human beings have been exiled from the Garden of Eden or the Promised Land and are on a long tumultuous journey of finding it back. He attributes its enormous popularity as people attributing it to some kind of secular myth. In 1939, a “golden year” for Hollywood, America was still in the midst of its depression and people needed stories of hope. However, as time went on and we left the Depression, the film remained very popular. Nathanson argues that the film created a sense of security for people.He goes on to make a political and social commentary on the state of America and how it has lost its way. He warns that Americans have constantly looked for quick solutions to complex problems, but this is not the way.

When we are first introduced to the Wizard in the movie, it seems to allude to this idea that technology and computers were sought after for the answers to problems. If this was a common idea in 1939 it is even more prevalent today. People are more dependent on technology today than ever and people are constantly looking for it to solve its problems. In the midst of the financial crisis, we hear corporations cutting costs through technological integration. This, they think, is one way out of our current economic mess. Nathanson insight into the stories allure in proposing that The Wizard of Oz may provide for the secular, what religion provides for the religious. This is mainly the ideas of hope for a better tomorrow or a return to the “promised land”. In addition it is a reminder to society that there is almost never an easy solution, although the solution to your problems may be closer in hand than you might think.