Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is the last and most formidable of the four witches in the Land of Oz, a malevolent tyrant who rules the western Winkie Country with cruelty and fear. She is the primary obstacle Dorothy must overcome before the Wizard Oz will fulfill his promise to send her home to Kansas, and her destruction by a simple bucket of water becomes the story's decisive turning point.
Identity and Appearance
The Wicked Witch of the West is described as a powerful and wicked sorceress who has held the Winkies in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day. She possesses only one eye, yet that eye is as powerful as a telescope, allowing her to see everywhere across her domain. From her castle, she can observe the approach of any intruder. The Witch is so ancient and wicked that the blood in her body has dried up, and she never touches water nor lets water touch her in any way. She carries an old umbrella, which she uses to threaten Dorothy, and she wears a silver whistle around her neck to summon her minions. Her most prized possession is a Golden Cap, set with a circle of diamonds and rubies, which contains the charm to command the Winged Monkeys three times.
Rule and Enslavement of the Winkies
The Wicked Witch of the West rules over the Winkies, the people of the western land, with absolute cruelty. She has made them her slaves, forcing them to work hard for many years and treating them with great cruelty. When the Winkies, armed with sharp spears, are sent to destroy Dorothy and her friends, they prove to be a cowardly people who flee at the first roar of the Cowardly Lion. The Witch beats them with a strap for their failure and sends them back to their work. The Winkies' liberation comes only when Dorothy melts the Witch, and they celebrate by keeping that day as a holiday, spending their time in feasting and dancing.
Conflict with Dorothy and Her Companions
When Dorothy and her companions enter the western country, the Wicked Witch immediately sets out to destroy them. She first sends a pack of forty great wolves with long legs and fierce eyes, but the Tin Woodman kills them all with his axe. She then sends a great flock of forty wild crows, but the Scarecrow twists each of their necks. Next, she sends a swarm of black bees to sting them to death, but the Scarecrow's straw protects the others, and the bees break their stings against the Tin Woodman and die. Finally, she sends her Winkie slaves with spears, but they are frightened away by the Lion. Exhausting her other powers, the Witch finally uses the Golden Cap for the third and last time to summon the Winged Monkeys. The Monkeys destroy the Tin Woodman by dropping him on sharp rocks, pull the straw from the Scarecrow and throw his clothes into a tall tree, and bind the Lion with ropes, imprisoning him in a small yard with a high iron fence. However, they dare not harm Dorothy because of the mark of the Good Witch's kiss on her forehead, and they carry her gently to the castle.
Captivity and Theft of the Silver Shoe
Once Dorothy is a prisoner in the castle, the Wicked Witch forces her to work in the kitchen, cleaning pots and sweeping the floor. The Witch is both surprised and worried by the mark on Dorothy's forehead, knowing she cannot harm the girl directly. She also trembles with fear at the sight of the Silver Shoes, aware of their powerful charm, but she sees that Dorothy does not know how to use them. The Witch attempts to harness the Cowardly Lion like a horse, but he roars and bounds at her so fiercely that she retreats and decides to starve him instead. Every night, Dorothy secretly brings the Lion food from the cupboard. The Witch's great desire is to possess the Silver Shoes, and she devises a cunning trick: she places an invisible bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor. Dorothy stumbles over it, and one of the Silver Shoes falls off. The Witch snatches it and puts it on her own skinny foot, gaining half the power of their charm.
Melting and Death
Enraged by the theft of her shoe, Dorothy picks up a bucket of water that stands nearby and dashes it over the Witch, wetting her from head to foot. Instantly, the wicked woman gives a loud cry of fear and begins to shrink and fall away. She screams that she is melting away like brown sugar, revealing that water is the end of her. The Witch falls down into a brown, melted, shapeless mass that spreads over the clean boards of the kitchen floor. Dorothy, seeing that she has really melted away to nothing, draws another bucket of water and throws it over the mess, then sweeps it all out the door. The only thing left of the old woman is the silver shoe, which Dorothy cleans, dries, and puts back on her foot. With the Witch's death, Dorothy is free to unlock the Lion's prison and call the Winkies together to tell them they are no longer slaves.
Narrative Role and Significance
The Wicked Witch of the West functions as the ultimate external threat that must be eliminated for the story's resolution. She is the embodiment of wickedness and tyranny, a foil to the Good Witches of the North and South. Her defeat is not achieved through great strength or magic, but through a simple, accidental act—a bucket of water—which underscores the theme that even the most terrible evil can be overcome by the most ordinary means. Her death fulfills the condition set by Oz, allowing the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion to receive their desired gifts and enabling Dorothy to finally learn the secret of the Silver Shoes and return home to Kansas.
