Dorothy and Wicked Witch of the West

The relationship between Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West forms the story's primary antagonistic axis, a struggle that begins with the Witch's surveillance and escalates through successive waves of magical attack, captivity, and theft, before ending in an accidental but decisive defeat that reshapes the political order of Oz.

Origins of the Conflict

The Wicked Witch of the West first becomes aware of Dorothy when, sitting in the door of her castle, she uses her single eye—as powerful as a telescope—to see Dorothy lying asleep in her country with her friends all about her. Angry to find them in her domain, the Witch blows upon a silver whistle that hangs around her neck, summoning a pack of great wolves with long legs, fierce eyes, and sharp teeth, and commands them to tear the strangers to pieces. When the wolves are all killed by the Tin Woodman's axe, the Witch blows her whistle twice, summoning a great flock of wild crows that darken the sky, ordering them to peck out the strangers' eyes. The Scarecrow defeats the crows by twisting their necks. Enraged, the Witch blows three times, summoning a swarm of black bees to sting the travelers to death, but the Scarecrow's straw protects Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion, while the bees break their stings against the Tin Woodman and die. Finally, the Witch sends a dozen of her Winkie slaves with sharp spears, but the Cowardly Lion's roar frightens them back to the castle, where the Witch beats them with a strap.

The Summoning of the Winged Monkeys and Captivity

With her wolves, crows, bees, and slaves all defeated, the Wicked Witch turns to her last resort: the Golden Cap, a charm that allows its owner to command the Winged Monkeys three times. Having already used the Cap twice—once to enslave the Winkies and once to drive Oz himself out of the Land of the West—she uses her final command. The Winged Monkeys seize the Tin Woodman and drop him onto sharp rocks, pull the straw from the Scarecrow and throw his clothes into a tall tree, and bind the Lion with ropes and carry him to the Witch's castle. But when the leader of the Monkeys sees the mark of the Good Witch's kiss on Dorothy's forehead, he stops short and declares they dare not harm her, for she is protected by the Power of Good. Instead, they carry her gently to the castle and set her down on the front doorstep. The Wicked Witch, seeing the mark and the Silver Shoes on Dorothy's feet, trembles with fear, knowing the shoes' powerful charm. But she looks into Dorothy's eyes, sees how simple the soul behind them is, and realizes the little girl does not know how to use her power. So the Witch makes Dorothy her slave, forcing her to clean pots, sweep floors, and feed the fire. Dorothy works meekly, glad the Witch has decided not to kill her.

The Theft of the Silver Shoe and the Melting

The Wicked Witch longs to possess the Silver Shoes, which would give her more power than all she has lost. She watches Dorothy carefully, but the child never takes off the shoes except at night and when bathing, and the Witch is too afraid of the dark to enter Dorothy's room and too afraid of water to approach during baths. Finally, the Witch uses a trick: she places an invisible bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor. Dorothy stumbles over it and falls, and one of the Silver Shoes comes off. The Witch snatches it and puts it on her own foot. Dorothy, angry, demands the shoe back. The Witch laughs and says she will get the other one too. In her fury, Dorothy picks up a bucket of water that stands nearby and dashes it over the Witch, wetting her from head to foot. Instantly, the Witch gives a loud cry of fear and begins to shrink and fall away. "See what you have done!" she screams. "In a minute I shall melt away." Dorothy, truly frightened, watches as the Witch melts like brown sugar before her eyes. The Witch asks, "Didn't you know water would be the end of me?" Dorothy answers that she did not. The Witch falls into a brown, melted, shapeless mass that spreads over the kitchen floor. Dorothy draws another bucket of water, throws it over the mess, and sweeps it all out the door. She picks up the silver shoe, cleans and dries it, and puts it back on her foot.

Consequences and Aftermath

Dorothy immediately runs to the courtyard and unlocks the gate of the Lion's prison, setting him free. Together they go into the castle, and Dorothy's first act is to call all the Winkies together and tell them they are no longer slaves. The Winkies keep that day as a holiday, then and ever after, spending it in feasting and dancing. The Witch's death also gives Dorothy possession of the Golden Cap, which she later uses to summon the Winged Monkeys to carry her and her friends back to the Emerald City. The Witch's defeat fulfills the task Oz had set for Dorothy, though Oz himself proves unable to keep his promise to send her home. Ultimately, the Witch's destruction—and the Silver Shoes she coveted—become the means by which Dorothy finally returns to Kansas, when Glinda the Good Witch reveals that the shoes themselves can carry her across the desert in three steps.