The Shaggy Man's Welcome explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Hospitality and Generosity

  Ozma provides the Shaggy Man with luxurious apartments, fine clothing, and jewels, showing extraordinary hospitality.

• Home and Belonging

  The Shaggy Man, who has never been welcomed anywhere, finds a sense of home and comfort in Ozma's palace.

Characters to notice

• Shaggy Man

  Receives a grand welcome, bathes in a marble pool, and dresses in elegant shaggy attire provided by Ozma.

• Princess Ozma

  Orders the apartments prepared for the Shaggy Man and awaits Dorothy in the drawing-room.

• Dorothy

  Dresses in a grey gown with silver embroidery and goes to the drawing-room with Button-Bright and Toto.

• Button-Bright

  Dressed in a blue-and-gold satin suit, accompanies Dorothy to meet Ozma.

• Toto

  Wears a new green ribbon around his neck and follows Dorothy to the drawing-room.

Key passages

• “The shaggy man stood in the great hall, his shaggy hat in his hands, wondering what would become of him.”

  The Shaggy Man stood nervously in the grand hall, uncertain of his fate.

  Highlights his initial anxiety and unfamiliarity with palace life.

• “He had never been a guest in a fine palace before; perhaps he had never been a guest anywhere.”

  He had never stayed in a palace or been welcomed as a guest before.

  Emphasizes his past homelessness and the significance of Ozma's welcome.

• “Strangely enough, everything about it was shaggy, although so new and beautiful, and he sighed with contentment to realize that he could now be finely dressed and still be the shaggy man.”

  The new clothes were all shaggy in style, allowing him to remain true to himself while being elegantly dressed.

  Shows that his identity is preserved even in luxury.