The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Chapter 20 Summary

Summary

The travelers—Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto—finish scaling a white wall with a ladder the Tin Woodman fashions and look down into a country whose floor is smooth and shining like a platter. Below are houses, barns, fences, animals, and people all made of china, none taller than Dorothy’s knee. After descending, they discover how fragile everything is: a china cow kicks, breaking a milkmaid, a pail, and its own leg; a clown named Mr. Joker approaches showing many cracks from previous mending; and a beautiful china Princess explains that when taken from their country the toys’ joints stiffen and they become mere ornaments.

The party proceeds cautiously, mindful of the damage their size can cause. Dorothy offers, in childlike affection, to carry the Princess back to Kansas, but the Princess declines, preferring the active life of her homeland to the posed existence of mantel ornaments. The companions move through the brittle landscape, causing a few accidental smashes—most notably a church knocked down by the Lion’s tail—before reaching a second, lower china wall which they scale and leave the Dainty China Country behind. Throughout, concern and gentleness from Dorothy and the Tin Woodman emphasize the travelers’ respect for other beings, however small and fragile.

Key events

1. Tin Woodman builds a ladder; the group climbs the first wall into the china country.
2. They discover an entire land of people, animals, and buildings made of china.
3. A china cow kicks, breaking a milkmaid and utensils, showing the country’s fragility.
4. Dorothy meets a china Princess who refuses to leave for being preserved on a mantel.
5. Mr. Joker the clown appears, visibly cracked and mended from past breaks.
6. The group carefully crosses; the Lion accidentally smashes a china church before they exit.

Analysis

This chapter emphasizes fragility—physical and cultural—by placing the large, living travelers into a miniature world of delicate porcelain inhabitants. The contrast highlights themes of size, power, and responsibility: the party’s very presence threatens the china people, and they must temper curiosity with care. Dorothy’s instinct to protect and her offer to carry the Princess home show empathy and the novel’s repeated interest in home and belonging, while the Princess’s refusal reframes domestic display as a form of imprisonment rather than honor. The mended clown, Mr. Joker, functions symbolically: visible cracks mark a history of repair that diminishes aesthetic perfection, suggesting that preservation comes at a cost to identity and vitality.

Structurally, the episode provides a self-contained vignette that tests the travelers’ character, especially the Tin Woodman’s prudence, the Scarecrow’s comic vulnerability, and the Lion’s clumsiness. Baum’s detailed, whimsical imagery—china houses, spotted gowns, and the platter-like floor—reinforces the book’s fairy-tale atmosphere while foreshadowing ethical dilemmas about treating other beings as objects. The narrative voice remains gently ironic and instructive, using small dialogues (like the Princess’s explanation) to reveal cultural values and to pause the movement southward for a moral lesson about respect and the consequences of size and force.

Important quotes

“I cannot think why this wall is here, nor what it is made of.”

ScarecrowThe Scarecrow expresses puzzlement at the mysterious wall that leads to the china country, prompting the group to climb over it.

“My lady fair, Why do you stare At poor old Mr. Joker? You’re quite as stiff And prim as if You’d eaten up a poker!”

Mr. JokerA taunting, rhymed greeting from the cracked clown that showcases his saucy character and the country’s concern with appearance.

Characters in Chapter 20

• Dorothy Gale
• Scarecrow
• Tin Woodman
• Cowardly Lion
• Toto
• china milkmaid
• china Princess
• Mr. Joker
• purple china dog