The Tin Woodman's Lost Love

The Tin Woodman's tragic backstory of losing his love to the Wicked Witch's enchantment, driving his quest for a heart.

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The Woodchopper's Life

A Happy Beginning The Young Man The Tin Woodman was once a regular woodchopper, the son of a woodman. He lived with his mother until she died. He decided to marry to avoid loneliness. The Munchkin Maiden He fell in love with a beautiful Munchkin girl who lived with an old woman. The girl promised to marry him when he earned enough to build a better house. He worked hard. The Old Woman's Scheme The old woman, lazy and selfish, did not want to lose her servant. She went to the Wicked Witch of the East and offered two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. The Witch agreed.

The Enchanted Axe

The Witch's Curse The First Cut One day, as the woodchopper was chopping, the enchanted axe slipped and cut off his left leg. He had a tinsmith make a tin leg. It worked well. The Pattern Continues The Witch's enchantment made the axe slip again and again. It cut off his right leg, then his arms, then his head. Each time, the tinsmith replaced the lost part with tin. The woodchopper was determined not to be defeated. The Final Blow Finally, the axe cut him in two, splitting his body. The tinsmith made him a whole body of tin. He was now entirely made of tin, except one thing: he had no heart. As a result, he lost all love for the Munchkin girl. He no longer cared about marriage.

The Rusty Years

A Lonely Existence The Proud Tin Man Despite his loss, the Tin Woodman was proud of his shiny body. He kept an oil-can and oiled his joints regularly. He continued chopping wood. The One Mistake One day, he forgot to oil himself. A rainstorm caught him, and his joints rusted solid. He stood in the forest for a year, unable to move, groaning but unheard. The Rescue Dorothy and the Scarecrow found him, oiled his joints, and freed him. He decided to join them to seek a heart from Oz, hoping to regain his capacity to love and perhaps reunite with the Munchkin girl.

The Hope of the Heart

The Tin Woodman's Longing The Conversation On the journey, the Tin Woodman often speaks of his lost love. He tells the Scarecrow that he would rather have a heart than brains, because happiness is the best thing in the world. The Kindness Without a Heart Despite lacking a heart, he is the most compassionate of the group. He cries over a beetle, steps over ants, and saves the Queen of the Field Mice. He believes that having a heart will make him truly good. The Reward When Oz gives him a silk heart, he is overjoyed. He feels it beat (rattle) in his chest. He no longer thinks about the Munchkin girl; he is content with his new heart and his friends. His emotional journey is complete.

Before the story begins

During the woodchopper's work

After becoming tin

During the quest