Emily Reyes

10/2/2023

Period 5

Juarez

Reading Journal 3

Prompt 13

Are you puzzled or confused about anything in the story? What is it that confuses you, and

why do you find it confusing?

Whenever I read a book, there’s always a question that haunts my dreams, a question that

I’m desperately trying to find the answer to, a question that’s never answered in the book. In

“Dorothy Must Die,” the beloved Dorothy isn’t so beloved anymore. She’s power hungry, she

needs magic, she needs Oz’s magic. The young, innocent girl from a farm in Kansas, the kind

soul, the person who freed the Munchkins, the person who demolished Oz, the person who

sucked its power and sent it into chaos, the princess of Oz, Dorothy. Dorothy was hurt, she must

have been destroyed to do what she did to Oz. How does someone go from Oz’s savior to the

person who tore it down? Why would she turn the vibrant land of comfort, the enchanting land of

Oz, into a billion different shades of grey?

The once-magical land of Oz, a land of wonder and dreams, now stands as a testament to

Dorothy's insatiable greed, her hunger for magic. Oz’s vibrant colors are a mere memory

replaced by a palette of greys, a visual metaphor for the darkness that has enveloped this once-

thriving land. This unrecognizable land is a result of Dorothy. How did the once-kind-hearted

girl from Kansas evolve into this power-hungry force, desperate for the magic that Oz held?
What series of events led to this drastic shift in her character, from Oz’s last hope to the one who

drained the very lifeblood of the land? The story claims that once Dorothy got a taste of magic,

she needed more. But, what first convinced Dorothy to mine the magic out of Oz? As I delve

deeper, I find more questions, uncovering hidden chapters of Dorothy's life.

By reflecting on Dorothy's character in "Dorothy Must Die," I'm met with a series of

unanswered questions. Dorothy's unending thirst for magic leaves Oz, once a realm of dreams,

on the brink of collapse. How did the girl from Kansas become this power-hungry force? What

events caused this dramatic shift, from Oz's beacon of hope to the one draining the land's life

force? The more I ponder each question, the deeper the mystery becomes. Dorothy is an example

of the inescapable human desire for power and mastery. But no person would tear apart their

land, rip it to shreds, and call themself a princess, call themself a savior.