The Joining of the Cowardly Lion

The Joining of the Cowardly Lion marks a pivotal expansion of Dorothy's party and introduces the third of her three companions, each defined by a perceived lack. Where the Scarecrow sought brains and the Tin Woodman a heart, the Cowardly Lion's deficiency is the most paradoxical: he is a lion, the animal universally thought of as the King of Beasts, yet he is terrified of everything. His arrival on the scene is violent, but his confession transforms him from a threat into a kindred spirit, and his decision to join the quest to the Emerald City completes the quartet of seekers who will travel together to the Great Oz.

The Confrontation and the Confession

The meeting occurs deep in the thick woods, where the road of yellow brick is covered with dried branches and dead leaves. The atmosphere is tense, with deep growls from hidden wild animals making Dorothy's heart beat fast. Suddenly, a great Lion bounds into the road and attacks. With one blow of his paw, he sends the Scarecrow spinning to the edge of the road, and then strikes the Tin Woodman with his sharp claws, making no impression on the tin but knocking the Woodman over. Little Toto, showing no fear, runs barking toward the Lion. As the great beast opens his mouth to bite the dog, Dorothy, heedless of danger, rushes forward and slaps the Lion on his nose as hard as she can, crying out, "Don't you dare to bite Toto! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, a big beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!" The Lion, rubbing his nose with his paw, does not retaliate. Instead, he admits, "I didn't bite him," and then, hanging his head in shame, confesses, "I know it. I've always known it. But how can I help it?" This immediate, unreserved confession of cowardice is the key to his character. He is not a villain but a creature burdened by his own nature.

The Nature of the Cowardice

The Lion explains his condition as a mystery, something he was born with. He is as big as a small horse, yet he is terrified of men, and only his loud roar has kept other creatures at bay. He reveals the mechanics of his fear: "Whenever I've met a man I've been awfully scared; but I just roared at him, and he has always run away as fast as he could go. If the elephants and the tigers and the bears had ever tried to fight me, I should have run myself — I'm such a coward; but just as soon as they hear me roar they all try to get away from me, and of course I let them go." His cowardice is a source of great sorrow and makes his life very unhappy. When the Tin Woodman suggests he might have heart disease, the Lion considers it, and the Woodman points out that this would prove he has a heart, unlike himself. The Lion then muses, "Perhaps, if I had no heart I should not be a coward." This exchange highlights the central theme of the journey: each companion believes a physical attribute—brains, a heart, courage—will solve their existential problem.

The Decision to Join the Quest

Upon learning that the Scarecrow is going to the Great Oz for brains, the Tin Woodman for a heart, and Dorothy to be sent back to Kansas, the Lion asks, "Do you think Oz could give me courage?" The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman affirm that Oz could do so as easily as he could grant their own wishes. The Lion then declares, "Then, if you don't mind, I'll go with you, for my life is simply unbearable without a bit of courage." Dorothy welcomes him, noting that he will help keep away other wild beasts, and suggests that those beasts must be more cowardly than he is if they allow him to scare them so easily. The Lion agrees but insists that this knowledge does not make him any braver, and that as long as he knows himself to be a coward, he will be unhappy. This logic—that external validation cannot cure an internal conviction—sets up the psychological journey he must undergo.

The New Companion and the Lesson of the Beetle

Once the Lion joins, the little company sets off again, with the Lion walking with stately strides at Dorothy's side. Toto initially does not approve of the new comrade, remembering how nearly he had been crushed between the Lion's great jaws, but after a time he becomes more at ease, and the two grow to be good friends. The very first day of their journey together provides a profound lesson in the Lion's new moral code. The Tin Woodman accidentally steps upon a beetle crawling along the road, killing it. This makes the Woodman very unhappy, and he weeps several tears of sorrow and regret. These tears run down his face and rust his jaws, locking them shut. The Scarecrow must oil them to free him. The Woodman declares, "This will serve me a lesson, to look where I step. For if I should kill another bug or beetle I should surely cry again, and crying rusts my jaws so that I cannot speak." Thereafter, he walks very carefully, stepping over even a tiny ant. The Woodman explains his philosophy: "You people with hearts, have something to guide you, and need never do wrong; but I have no heart, and so I must be very careful. When Oz gives me a heart of course I needn't mind so much." This incident establishes the Tin Woodman's extraordinary gentleness and his belief that a physical heart is the source of moral guidance, a belief the Cowardly Lion, who already has a heart that beats with fear, can only observe with envy.