Plot - summary
A hurricane tears down the van in which Eliya and Totoshka are hiding, takes them to a magical land and kills the evil sorceress Gingema.
Ellie takes Gingema's shoes and goes to the Emerald City so that the wizard Goodwin will return her home.
On the way, Ellie is joined by her new friends - the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion.
Goodwin turns out to be a deceiver, but promises to send Ellie home if she defeats the sorceress Bastinda.
Ellie is captured by Bastinda, but miraculously kills her by throwing a bucket of water on the sorceress.
Goodwin flies away in a hot air balloon, fulfilling the dreams of Ellie's friends, and the sorceress Stella suggests how Ellie can return to Kansas.
“The Wizard of the Emerald City” - a summary for the reader’s diary
“The Wizard of the Emerald City” is a fairy-tale story by Alexander Melentyevich Volkov, written in 1939.
Theme of the work
- friendship and mutual assistance.
Story idea
— friendship is one of the greatest values in life; with true friends you can overcome any difficulties.
Issues
— faith in one’s own strength without the use of magic; the importance of truth; courage; courage; compassion; closeness to the common people.
The main characters of the work.
Ellie is a girl from Kansas, brave, resourceful, and kind.
Totoshka is Ellie’s loyal and brave dog.
The Scarecrow was a kind-hearted straw man who dreamed of getting brains, but, as it turned out, he was very smart.
The Tin Woodman is a reliable friend, honest and brave.
The Cowardly Leo is a devoted friend and was able to overcome his cowardice in order to save his friends.
Goodwin is an imaginary wizard, the ruler of the Emerald City, who managed to take over the consciousness of its inhabitants. In reality, he is an ordinary person, and in this capacity he turns out to be much more interesting.
Bastinda is an evil sorceress, the ruler of the Violet Country, who was afraid of water and died from it.
The plot of the work.
An unprecedented hurricane swept through Kansas, caused by the sorceress Gingema. The hurricane tore down the house in which Ellie and Totoshka were and took them far away, to the Magic Land. You can return from there only with the help of the wizard Goodwin from the Emerald City. In addition, to return, Ellie must fulfill the wishes of three creatures.
The girl went to the Emerald City, Toto suddenly began to talk, and he also brought Ellie silver shoes from the Gingema cave. Along the way they met the Scarecrow - a straw man dreaming of brains. They went together. On the way they came across a rusty Tin Woodman. His dream was a real kind heart. The woodcutter was oiled and the three of them set off. After some time, the friends met the Cowardly Lion. The dream of this character was to gain courage and bravery. Leo joined the company to also meet the Great Goodwin and tell him about his trouble.
Many dangerous adventures happened to the travelers on the road. They were attacked by the Ogre, they met with the Saber-toothed Tigers, they had to cross the river, overcome the poppy field, which turned out to be treacherous. The trials made the heroes friends. Finally, they reached their goal and came to Goodwin. He agreed to fulfill their dreams if they made the Violet Country free from the domination of the evil Bastinda. Friends had to agree.
The struggle was long and difficult. Ellie was helped to survive by Gingema's silver shoes, which were hunted by Bastinda, who knew their magical power. One day, the witch almost took the shoes, but Ellie doused the villainess with water, and she melted. After the victory over Bastinda, friends came to Goodwin demanding that he fulfill his promise. The wizard is in no hurry, and it turns out that he is an ordinary person who accidentally flew into the Magic Land in a hot air balloon.
However, the dreams of each of Ellie's companions came true. Having overcome many obstacles, they have long ago received the desired qualities. The Scarecrow became smart, the Woodcutter acquired kindness, and the Lion acquired courage. Goodwin flies home in a hot air balloon, leaving the Scarecrow as his successor. And Ellie and Totoshka and their friends, not without adventure, get to the Pink Country, where the good sorceress Stella revealed the secret of the silver slippers. It turns out that with their help you can travel to anywhere in the world. Ellie says goodbye to her friends and, together with Totoshka, returns to Kansas, to her parents.
What does the work teach?
The story teaches you to be a true friend, to help those who are in trouble.
Review of the work.
“The Wizard of the Emerald City” shows that a person, without any magic, through his own efforts, can gain intelligence, become kind, and get rid of cowardice.
More brief contents of the works of Volkov A.M.:
- "The Mystery of the Abandoned Castle"
Proverbs for the work
A tree is held together by its roots, and a person is held together by its friends.
A true friend is better than a hundred servants.
Don't have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends.
A man without friends is like a falcon without wings.
A faithful friend is better than a precious stone.
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Main characters
Ellie is essentially an ordinary girl from the USA who is carried to a magical land by a tornado. She wants to return home and searches in vain for ways to get to the real world. One day Ellie learns that a wizard named Goodwin can help in this matter. The girl decides to go to him. Along the way, she makes true friends who decide to go with her. Despite her young age, Ellie is quite sensible, brave, decisive and even has some makings of an informal leader. Moreover, she is quite sociable, responsible, knows how to resolve conflicts and achieve goals.
Totoshka is Ellie’s puppy, who was transported to a magical land with her. He is very friendly and playful. After changing location, he begins to speak in a human voice. Despite the fact that Totoshka is quite kind, he knows how to stand up not only for himself, but also for his comrades, if the need arises.
The Scarecrow is another one of the main characters that Ellie meets on her way to Goodwin. This is a straw man who dreams of gaining some intelligence. Despite his name, the Scarecrow is not at all scary. On the contrary, he is very kind and sweet. A good friend, but simple-minded and stupid. However, his qualities include determination, because he nevertheless became wiser, and in the end he became the ruler of the Emerald City.
The Tin Woodman is a representative of the Munchkin people, who was bewitched by an insidious witch. That is why it has an iron body. Quite brave and not as stupid as the Scarecrow. But it also has a drawback. Despite his determination, excellent physical and friendly qualities, to complete the picture, he really lacks a heart.
Leo - contrary to established ideas about predators, this hero of the novel is cowardly. This fact really depresses him. He dreams of gaining courage to become the same as all his relatives. Has hidden potential - after all, even before visiting Goodwin, he begins to show courage as a result of life circumstances. He is quite loyal to his friends, always ready to help. But for this it is important to overcome fear. We can say that the actions of the book are a kind of test of strength for him.
Goodwin is a powerful wizard (at least that's what they say about him). In fact, he is an ordinary circus magician. Rules the Emerald City. Has authority. Kind, wise, reasonable.
Option 2
Ellie
One of the main characters in the work is a girl who finds herself in a magical land and is dragged there by a huge tornado. In this country, the girl learned that in order to return home, she needed to find one wizard.
On the way to the wizard, the girl Ellie found friends with whom she moved on. Later they will have to fulfill the demands of the wizard Goodwin. The girls' new friends eventually found something. What they had been looking for for a long time, and the heroine herself returned home with the wizard.
Despite her young age, the heroine throughout the work has courage and prudence, she also has the qualities of a leader and is purposeful.
Toto
The little character is a black dog named Totoshka. After he and his mistress found themselves in a magical land, they found a human voice. He is a very loyal friend and also a helper.
Scarecrow
Another important character is the straw scarecrow, who wants to gain intelligence. He is kind and sweet and is a good friend. He also, along with other heroes, went to the wizard Goodwin to help him fulfill his dream. At the end of the work, the straw scarecrow becomes the leader of the magical Emerald City.
Tin Woodman
This hero is engaged in cutting down forests. A witch bewitched him and turned his body into iron. He always wanted to have a real heart, like a person, so he went with everyone else to Goodwin.
a lion
This character is weak and cowardly, and went to Goodwin to gain a sense of courage. But along the way I was able to show courage.
Goodwin.
This hero ended up in a magical land a little earlier than the main character. Before that he was a circus worker. And in the land of Oz, Goodwin is mistaken for a wizard. Everyone believed that he could fulfill even wishes and dreams. But in fact, the hero is just an ordinary person. Still, he was able to help the other heroes find what they had long wanted. At the end of the work, he returned to his home, and left the Scarecrow in his place.
Gingema
There are also minor characters in the tale, such as the witch Gingema. She bewitched the poor woodcutter. Her plans included the extermination of the entire human race.
Villina
In the fairy tale there is also a good fairy named Villina. He mainly uses white magic, but can also use black magic for protection purposes. She helps the heroine Ellie.
Bastinda
Another evil witch is Bastinda, who plotted against Ellie and wanted to deprive her of her magic shoes.
Stella
Another powerful sorceress in the work is Stella, she is a good witch. I also helped the heroine get back home.
Minor characters
Gingema is an evil witch. Insidious, treacherous, vile. She dreamed of drinking undiluted power, being the mistress of the Blue Country. Depresses munchkins. Has a sister, Bastinda.
Villina is a good fairy. Able to move in space. Uses several types of magic. An excellent and faithful assistant. Kind, fair, reasonable.
Bastinda is just as evil, unpleasant, and capable of deceit as her sister Gingema. Capable of very vile acts. Represents a danger to the heroes - but only at first.
Stella is a powerful goddess. Knows the secret of eternal youth. She is the one who helps Ellie find her way home. Fair, decisive, kind, attractive, sympathetic. It’s a shame for the residents of her country to complain - after all, unlike Gingema and Bastinda, she treats them very well.
Main characters
The main idea of the work is revealed in the friendship of several characters whom the girl meets on the way to solving her own problem. The author answers the question of how Ellie ended up in a magical land. A strong hurricane moved her home and her dog to an unfamiliar place. After that, she had difficulties on the way to returning home and to her own family.
The main characters of the fairy tale “The Wizard of the Emerald City” by Volkov are:
- Ellie is a kind and determined girl who dreams of returning to her own family;
- Totoshka is the heroine’s little dog, a brave and devoted comrade;
- Scarecrow - a stuffed animal made of straw;
- The Tin Woodman is an honest and brave character;
- The Cowardly Lion is a devoted friend who was able to overcome his cowardice in order to save his companions;
- Goodwin is an imaginary magician;
- Bastinda is a very evil witch.
In his work, the writer talks about a little girl who was suddenly faced with many problems. But this did not stop her, but made her even stronger. Ellie's friends from the Emerald City helped her get out of a dead end in life. The enterprise of each character teaches the reader to be brave and not lose loved ones.
The meaning of the fairy tale is to fight for your own well-being until the black streak ends.
Ellie Smith
Ellie is the main character of the first three fairy tales about the Wizarding World by Alexander Volkov. This is a little girl from America. She lives with her mom, dad and her dog Toto in an old van in Kansas. At the time of the events described in the story, Ellie was only 9 years old. During a terrible hurricane, her family's van was lifted into the sky by a stream of air and carried away to the Magic Land. It just so happened that Ellie and Totoshka were in it at that moment, and not together with their parents in the shelter. A van with a girl and a dog fell directly on Gingema’s home. Due to this, he destroyed the evil witch and saved the munchkins from her rule.
From the good fairy Villina, the heroine learned that only Goodwin could help her get back home . But we still need to reach him, because he lives in the Emerald City. On the way to the wizard, the girl met the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Woodman - all together they went to Goodwin so that he would fulfill their deepest desires. Along the way, the heroes had to endure many difficulties. Thanks to this, they rallied, showed their best side and became true friends.
By nature, Ellie is a very kind, sensitive and brave girl, she was always ready to help those in need. She is very honest, modest, even slightly shy, but at the same time, the little girl is able to protect herself and repel her enemies.
After Ellie and her friends reached Goodwin, they had to carry out his tasks. At the end, the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Woodcutter got what they wanted, and the girl, along with the Great and Powerful, returned to Kansas.
Ellie's last name, Smith, did not appear in the work right away. The author first mentioned her only in the third book of the series, entitled “Seven Underground Kings,” published in 1964. Until this moment, the girl and her parents - John and Anna - were known only by their names.
Ellie's image had its own prototype. Alexander Melentyevich based the main character, as well as her three friends, on characters from Lyman Baum’s books “The Wizard of Oz.” True, in his works a different name was used - Dorothy. Girls also have different personalities. If Ellie from Volkov's story looks more like a brave, good-natured heroine from some Soviet cartoon, then Dorothy Bouma is more reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's Alice from Wonderland. She was also surprised by everything that was happening around her.
Summary by chapter
Volkov's abstract says that this amazing story tells about the girl Ellie, who managed to get into a magical land. There the little girl made friends with the Lion, the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow, and together they managed to experience many adventures and make their dreams come true.
Hurricane over Kansas
Farmer John lives in a small van with his family - his wife and daughter Ellie. Their van was located in Kansas in the middle of the steppe. Hurricanes are commonplace here. When they happen, the family hides in the cellar.
In a distant magical land behind the high mountains, an evil witch decided to cause the most terrible hurricane with the help of her potion. The hurricane reached Kansas. The family decided to hide in the basement. But Ellie’s favorite dog, little Totoshka, took off and ran into the van. The girl rushed after him. Suddenly, a current of air lifted the van into the air and carried it into the distance.
First part
When the van landed, Ellie took Toto in her arms, got out of it and saw the area around her of extraordinary beauty. Several men in blue robes came out to greet the girl, and with them an old woman in a white robe. This woman's name was Villina, she was a sorceress.
The sorceress explained to the girl that she had flown to a magical land, which was divided into four parts: Purple, Pink, Yellow and Blue. The territory of each of them is ruled by its own sorceress. Villina is the ruler of the Yellow Country, and Stella is the ruler of the Pink Country. They are both good witches. But the sorceresses of the Violet and Blue countries - Bastinda and Gignema - are evil.
It was Gingema who wanted to send a destructive hurricane. Having learned about this, Villina directed all his power towards the van. She read in her magic book that during a storm it is always empty, so she chose it and wanted to throw it on the head of the evil witch. The van not only killed Gingema, but also sent Ellie and Totoshka to the magical inhabitants.
The inhabitants of the Blue Country were called Munchkins because of their habit of moving their jaws. They called Ellie the Fairy of the Killing House and their liberator. The author's description says that they wore blue clothes and hats with bells.
The magical land was separated from the other world by High Mountains and the Great Desert. In this country, the dog Totoshka began to talk and understand what people were telling him. Villina's magic book said that only Goodwin, the great wizard and ruler of the Emerald City, could help Ellie return home. He will be able to do this after the girl helps three creatures fulfill their deepest desires.
Then Ellie decided to go to Goodwin. The path to the wizard led along a road paved with yellow brick. But Ellie’s shoes were old and could not withstand such a road. Then Toto brought silver shoes from Gingema's cave to his mistress. These shoes are endowed with magical powers, but what kind of power is unknown to the Munchkins.
Meeting with the Scarecrow
Ellie and Totoshka began their journey to the city of Goodwin. The road passed through a wheat field guarded by a straw effigy. It called the girl and asked her to take it off the pole. Ellie helped the scarecrow. It turned out that his name is Scarecrow and he sincerely dreams of getting brains. After all, they told him that if he had them, he would be like a real person. The Scarecrow decided to go with Ellie to Goodwin to ask him to fulfill his wish. While the wanderers were walking, night fell, and they decided to stop for the night in a forest hut. The Scarecrow did not need sleep or food, so he guarded Ellie and Toto.
Tin Woodman
In the morning, the wanderers continued their journey through the forest and heard groans. They belonged to the Tin Woodman. For almost a year it has been standing, rusting in one place, and no one is helping it. Ellie decides to help the poor guy, finds an oil can in a nearby hut and lubricates his iron joints.
Hearing where the friends were going, the Woodcutter asked them to take him with them. He dreams of asking Goodwin for his heart, the warmest and most loving in the world. When he was a man, he wanted to marry a girl from his village. But her relatives were against this union and turned to Gingema for help. The sorceress cast a curse on his ax, which deprived him of his leg. The blacksmith gave him an iron one, and the girl loved him as before.
But the girl’s evil aunt and Gingema did not give up and enchanted the ax again and again until he was left without a second leg, arms, head and torso. Each time the blacksmith made him new body parts, and the girl continued to love him. But then he was left without a heart, and without it a person is not able to love. And then he abandoned the relationship with the girl, even though she promised to love him and wait forever until he came to his senses.
Time passed, the Woodcutter got caught in a rainstorm in the forest and became rusty. Now he knows nothing about his bride and her fate, but wants to regain his heart.
Captivity and meeting with a lion
A dispute ensued between the Woodcutter and the Scarecrow, which is better - brains or heart. They were arguing so desperately that they didn't notice Ellie was missing. The girl saw an inscription that said that all wishes would come true ahead, and followed the sign, where she was captured by the cannibal. The forest animals saw this and informed the Scarecrow and the Woodcutter, after which the friends hurried to Ellie’s aid. The squirrel chewed through the rope with which Ellie was tied, and the guys started running. The cannibal ran after them, but the scarecrow tripped him, and the woodcutter cut off his head with his axe.
Having escaped, the friends continued on their way, and a huge Lion ran out to meet them. He attacked the Scarecrow and the Woodcutter and wanted to eat the dog. But Ellie stood between them and called the animal a coward. Leo himself considered himself this way and decided to go with his friends to ask for courage.
With the help of Lev, the guys managed to:
- overcome a large ravine;
- fight and defeat evil tigers;
- build a raft with which they wanted to cross a wide river.
On the way, the wanderers ended up in a poppy field, in which Ellie and her dog fell asleep, so the scarecrow and the Woodcutter had to carry them in their arms. The lion did not have time to run through the poppy thickets and fell asleep at the very edge of the field. Then the woodcutter asked the mouse queen to save him. She called thousands of her subjects, who together pulled Leo out of the poppy field. When everyone was outside the poppy, the mistress of the mice gave Ellie a gift - a whistle, with which she can now always call her for help.
Emerald City
The very next morning, friends come to the Emerald City. Not far from the city, they asked to stay with a farmer for the night. He told them that no one had ever seen Goodwin's true face. He appears in public every time in a new guise.
At the entrance to the city, the guard gives them the glasses that each resident wears and takes them to Goodwin's residence. All residents wear green robes, and the city itself is decorated with thousands of stones. Everyone approached the ruler in turn. Ellie visited him first. Goodwin appeared before her in the guise of a huge head and ordered the liberation of the Violet Country and the death of Bastinda.
For the next three days, other heroes took turns visiting him. Each time Goodwin took on a new look:
- for the Scarecrow - the Sea Maiden;
- for the Woodcutter - a terrible beast;
- Fireball for Leo.
The wizard gave each of his friends the same order - to help Ellie. The guys decided that they had no other choice, and went to the Violet Country to fulfill the will of the wizard.
The purple country is inhabited by blinkers, they wear only purple clothes and blink all the time. As soon as the friends set foot on the lands of the Violet Country, Bastinda immediately found out about this and called on terrible animals for help:
- ravens with steel beaks;
- poisonous bees;
- wolves;
- flying monkeys.
The travelers were able to defeat all but the last ones. The monkeys gutted the scarecrow, got rid of the Woodcutter and imprisoned the Lion. But they could not do anything with Ellie, because they were afraid of her shoes, so the leader of the pack only took her to the palace of the evil sorceress.
Bastinda forced the girl to work in the kitchen. This allowed her to feed Lev and Toto. While Ellie was working, she noticed that the sorceress was afraid of water. Then, during the conflict, she poured a bucket of water on her, and it melted.
After Bastinda was destroyed, the grateful Winks freed the Scarecrow and the Woodcutter and asked them to rule over them. The Tin Woodman accepted the offer, but said that he needed to meet Goodwin and then he would return.
Leaving the city, Ellie takes Bastinda's Golden Cap, with which she summons monkeys and they take her friends to the Emerald City. Goodwin refused to accept friends , but after the Scarecrow threatened to call the Flying Monkeys, he agreed to meet them. The next day they learned that Goodwin was not a wizard at all, but a simple charlatan. Once upon a time he lived in Kansas and worked as an actor, but one day he was carried to a magical land and its inhabitants mistook him for a sorcerer. And the City is not so green, as everyone thought because of the green glasses.
