Living being in The Oz Series
farmhouse man
Also known as the man with the hurt leg.
A man of the green-country farmhouse where the travelers spend the night, lying on the couch in a corner with a hurt leg. He has been to the Emerald City many times and supplies the party with key information about the Great Oz: that no living person has seen Oz's true face, that Oz never goes out of his Throne Room, and that Oz can take any form he wishes.
Appears in 1 chapters, first in chapter 10, last in chapter 10.
This encyclopedia covers chapters 1 to 100 of the story and shows the world as it stands at chapter 100, so it contains spoilers up to that point. To read it spoiler free, one chapter at a time, open the interactive codex.
What the story establishes
| Affiliation | Household of a green-country farmhouse in the Land of Oz, near the Emerald City (as of ch. 10) |
| Being nature | Ordinary human man of the green country of Oz |
| Body conditions | hurt leg |
| Conflict | His doubt against their hope: he challenges whether Oz will even see them, warning that the Wizard admits no one and usually has his own way — a gentle assault on the premise of their whole journey. (as of ch. 10) |
| Current goal | To rest his hurt leg on the couch while satisfying his curiosity about the strange company — questioning each traveler about their errand and telling them what he knows of Oz. (as of ch. 10) |
| Dialogue style | Curious and talkative: opens with direct questions to the strangers, then answers their questions at length, thoughtfully and with vivid detail, exclamations of surprise (“Oh, indeed!”, “Where is Kansas?”), and confident, slightly tall-tale assurances about what Oz can do. (as of ch. 10) |
| Gender identity | man (as of ch. 10) |
| Health condition | Injured: a hurt leg keeps him lying on the couch (as of ch. 10) |
| Is alive | yes (as of ch. 10) |
| Maturation stage | adult |
| Motive | Sociable curiosity and helpfulness: laid up with his leg, he wants to hear the strangers' story and share what he knows of Oz and the Emerald City from his many visits. (as of ch. 10) |
| Personality | Inquisitive, sociable, and thoughtful; enjoys sharing what he knows, is easily surprised by novelty, and is obliging toward the strangers, even addressing a friendly question to the dog Toto. (as of ch. 10) |
| Referential profile | masculine (as of ch. 10) |
| Sex profile | male (as of ch. 10) |
| Social status | Common farm householder in the green country of Oz (as of ch. 10) |
| Status | Laid up at home with a hurt leg, resting on the couch while hosting the travelers (as of ch. 10) |
Relationships
- located in → Land of Oz ch. 10The man lives in the green-country farmhouse in the Land of Oz with the woman and two children, lying on a couch in the corner with a hurt leg when the party arrives.
- warns → Dorothy's Traveling Party (ended) ch. 10The farm man warns the whole company that their errand may be in vain: Oz never lets anyone come into his presence, sits unseen day after day in the Throne Room of his Palace, and getting to see him will be a hard task, for the Great Wizard usually has his own way.
- communicates with → Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 10Hearing the Lion wants courage, the farm man tells him Oz keeps a great pot of courage in his Throne Room, covered with a golden plate to keep it from running over, and will be glad to give him some.
- communicates with → Dorothy (ended) ch. 10Over supper the farm man questions Dorothy about her journey and tells her all he knows of the mysterious Oz — that no one has seen him, that he can take any form, and that Oz can do anything, so he may well find Kansas for her.
- communicates with → Scarecrow (ended) ch. 10The farm man answers the Scarecrow's questions about Oz and, hearing that the Scarecrow wants brains, assures him Oz could do that easily enough, for Oz has more brains than he needs.
- communicates with → Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 10Hearing the Tin Woodman wants a heart, the farm man assures him it will not trouble Oz, for Oz has a large collection of hearts of all sizes and shapes.
- warns → Dorothy (ended) ch. 10The injured farm man warns Dorothy that seeing Oz will be a hard task: the Great Wizard never lets anyone come into his presence, no living person has seen him, and he usually has his own way.
From the text
“Why, it is said that he never lets anyone come into his presence. I have been to the Emerald City many times, and it is a beautiful and wonderful place; but I have never been permitted to see the Great Oz, nor do I know of any living person who has seen him.”Chapter 10
The man had hurt his leg, and was lying on the couch in a corner.Chapter 10
See farmhouse man chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →