Entering the Emerald City

The travelers' arrival at the Emerald City marks a pivotal transition from the perils of the journey to the heart of Oz's domain, where the city's legendary splendor is immediately revealed to be a carefully managed illusion. After following the yellow brick road to its end, Dorothy and her companions stand before a great gate studded with emeralds that glitter so brightly in the sun that even the Scarecrow's painted eyes are dazzled. Dorothy pushes a bell beside the gate, and it swings open to admit them into a high arched room whose walls glisten with countless emeralds.

The Guardian of the Gates and the Spectacles

Inside, they are met by a little man clothed entirely in green, from his head to his feet, with even his skin bearing a greenish tint. This is the Guardian of the Gates, who is astonished that anyone would ask to see the Great Oz, as it has been many years since such a request was made. He warns them that Oz is powerful and terrible, and that if they come on an idle or foolish errand, he might destroy them in an instant. However, the Scarecrow insists their errand is important, and the Guardian agrees to take them to the Palace. But first, he explains, they must put on spectacles. He opens a large green box filled with spectacles of every size and shape, all with green glasses. He explains that without them, the brightness and glory of the Emerald City would blind them, and that even the city's residents must wear them night and day, locked on by a key that only he possesses. He fits a pair on Dorothy, then on the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Lion, and even little Toto, locking each pair with the key from the chain around his neck.

The First Glimpse of the City

With their spectacles secured, the Guardian puts on his own glasses and leads them through another gate into the streets of the Emerald City. Even with their eyes protected, Dorothy and her friends are at first dazzled by the city's brilliancy. The streets are lined with beautiful houses built of green marble and studded with sparkling emeralds. They walk over a pavement of the same green marble, with rows of emeralds set closely between the blocks. The window panes are of green glass, and even the sky above the city has a green tint, with the sun's rays appearing green. The people they see—men, women, and children—are all dressed in green clothes and have greenish skins. They look at the travelers with wondering eyes, and children run away and hide behind their mothers at the sight of the Lion, but no one speaks to them. The shops offer green candy, green popcorn, green shoes, green hats, and green lemonade, paid for with green pennies. There are no horses or animals; men carry things in little green carts they push before them. Everyone seems happy, contented, and prosperous.

The Journey to the Palace

The Guardian leads them through the streets to a big building exactly in the middle of the city: the Palace of Oz. A soldier dressed in a green uniform with a long green beard stands before the door. The Guardian announces the strangers and their demand to see the Great Oz. The soldier invites them inside, leading them into a big room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. He makes them wipe their feet on a green mat before entering, then politely asks them to make themselves comfortable while he goes to the door of the Throne Room to tell Oz they are there. The travelers must wait a long time before the soldier returns. When he does, he reports that Oz has agreed to grant them an audience, but each one must enter his presence alone, and he will admit only one each day. The soldier then blows a green whistle, summoning a young girl dressed in a pretty green silk gown with lovely green hair and green eyes. She bows low before Dorothy and offers to show her to her room, beginning the process of their separate, sequential audiences with the Wizard.