48 pages • 1 hour read
Elizabeth LettsFinding Dorothy
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 14-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 14 Summary: “Syracuse, NY 1886”
In the earlier timeline, Maud gives birth to their second child, Robert. She develops sepsis, and it nearly kills her. The doctors and her family save her, but her recovery takes so long that she becomes a stranger to her family. Her firstborn hesitates to be around her, and her newborn doesn’t know her at all. She can no longer have children.
Frank becomes stifled living in New York. They decide to move to Dakota, where there will be more opportunities and Maud can be closer to her sister.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Hollywood 1939”
In the later timeline, Judy struggles to maintain her composure while filming a scene with Bert Lahr, who plays the Cowardly Lion—she cannot get through the scene without laughing. The director slaps her to get her attention, and Maud reprimands him for it. The director agrees he should not have slapped Judy, but the scene needed to be filmed. After filming is done for the day, Arthur Freed, the assistant director, thanks Maud for stepping in; Maud says it was her duty and asks for a script.
The next day, Maud goes to Freed’s office to get the script, where she finds him with another film star on his lap. His secretary escorts Maud out. Later in the day, Judy films a scene with the Wicked Witch of the West and breaks down. Instead of the director slapping her again, Freed takes her for a walk to help her calm down. Soon after they leave, Maud finds Judy crying again—her dress is rumpled, and her blouse unbuttoned. Freed made a sexual advance on her in the elevator to Mayer’s office. Maud tells Judy not to tolerate behavior like that. She gives the girl a pin to jab studio officials with.
Chapter 16 Summary: “Aberdeen, Dakota Territory 1888”
In the earlier timeline, the Baum family settles into their new home in the Dakota Territory. Maud wants nothing more than to see her sister, but Julia lives 80 miles away. Her sister cannot commit to a visit until Frank buys the train tickets to bring her and the kids up to them. The years in Dakota are rough on Julia, who looks worn down.
When Julia and her two children visit, Julia’s daughter, Magdalena, forms a close relationship with Maud. Maud bathes her, combs her hair, and cleans up her doll, Dorothy. Meanwhile, Julia’s sick baby Jamie gets worse. A doctor checks on the baby, but the remedy does not work. Maud writes to her mother, who says that the baby needs a wet nurse. When they find one, the baby’s health improves as expected. Maud knows that Julia and the kids must return home soon, but she does not want to lose Magdalena.
Julia’s husband demands that she come home—he has not eaten a decent meal since she left because it’s her job to make him one. Maud tries to convince Julia to stay. The two argue; Julia’s husband James expects obedience, unlike Frank. Meanwhile, Frank celebrates Baum’s Bazaar’s opening; his store is a place for toys and general curiosities for people of all ages. Magdalena loves the store and notices a tea set that her doll, Dorothy, loves. The next morning, the tea set waits for Magdalena and Dorothy at home.
The day Julia plans to leave arrives. Maud asks if Magdalena can stay. Julia refuses, saying she’s selfish. Magdalena’s company is the only thing that keeps Maud sane. Frank steps in and lets the argument die with assurance that the door is always open for them all. Within the next few days, Frank receives notice that the cargo ship with his wares has sunk. He has no way of recovering the money or the goods. Christmas morning, Maud and the boys find a block kingdom built under their tree, and Maud receives an “emerald ring,” which is only a paste display over a tin interior. When Maud forgets to remove the ring while washing dishes, the illusion breaks and exposes the tin.
Baby Jamie does not live more than a few months after Julia’s return home. Maud makes the trip to their homestead to help with funeral arrangements, and during the funeral, Magdalena throws her doll into Jamie’s grave. That night, James, in a drunken stupor, goes out and starts shooting at wolves before aiming for the window where his daughter and wife sleep. Maud convinces him to come inside without harming anyone; she wants Julia to leave him and come live with them. Julia refuses. When Maud returns home to Frank, she decides she will willingly risk her health to have another child.
Chapter 17 Summary: “Hollywood 1939”
In the later timeline, Maud pays a visit to Ida Koverman’s office, which is an unused but beautifully decorated ladies’ restroom. Koverman is Mayer’s executive secretary. The two discuss how the men treat Judy—Maud wants to protect the girl, as does Ida, but they both must accept the restrictions of Hollywood. Judy and her mother willingly signed a contract, knowing the price of rising through the ranks. Ida says Judy’s only hope is that The Wizard of Oz will do at least half as well as the executives believe it will. If she can become a star, she can make rules for herself. Until then, the two women must simply do what they can without risking their positions.
Chapters 14-17 Analysis
Elizabeth Letts explores The Position of Women in Hollywood by focusing on two situations in Chapter 15. The first is the filming scene where Judy cannot control her giggles working with Bert Lahr. Judy not only plays Dorothy in the movie but embodies the spirit of Dorothy in the novel. She acts the way a kid would in this situation, letting herself be a child. The adults force her to act like an adult—when she cannot, the director attempts to use physical pain as a deterrent. Though a minor, Judy’s position as a “woman” in Hollywood means that she must adhere to the expectations placed on her.
Maud, as a woman outside of Hollywood, can step in. Here, she shows how she has embraced being Judy’s protector: “A man does not lay a hand on a woman in my presence […] I’m not speaking as a businesswoman here. I’m speaking as a mother and as a human being” (178). The way Judy is treated in Hollywood and by her own mother, who encouraged the slap, draws attention to how child stars frequently miss out on being kids because they bear the burden of living up to unrealistic adult standards.
The narrative explores The Power of Stories and Storytelling as Maud continues her quest to read the script. She tells Arthur Freed that “[long] before this film got started, I vowed to protect Frank’s story, to ensure that Oz stayed true to Oz” (179-180). When Freed exclaims that Oz is a fantasy and cannot stay “true” to anything, Maud explains that stories are more than just words. There are many children “who believe Oz is a real place. Who need to believe that Oz is a real place. Because Oz is hope, and children can find themselves in dark places” (180). The power of storytelling is not just about crafting a good tale—it’s about crafting an escape from the mundane and letting people find moments of happiness. When Freed promises to keep Oz true to itself, what he is really promising is to craft an escape for kids.
Freed is duplicitous. He talks to Maud about the importance of protecting Judy Garland, Dorothy, and hope for better days to come. However, when his opportunity comes, he fails to protect Judy and instead does harm by making a sexual advance. He does not make the connection between protecting the fictional Dorothy and protecting the real actor who plays the role. Judy fears no one will believe her, but Maud does.
The story connects the past and the present timelines. As Maud tells Judy: “It’s not easy being a young woman. It wasn’t when I was young, and it isn’t now” (185). The story shows how being a woman in the world has always been a struggle. Even though women like Matilda Gage have fought, and continue to fight, for the improved position of women in the world, it is still an uphill battle.
