The Tin Woodman (also called Tin man in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz) is a character in the Literary Army.
The Tin Woodman staring at a painting of the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy, and the Scarecrow
Background[]
The Tin Woodman (or 'Tin Man') is a fictional character from the Oz Books by L. Frank Baum[1]. He first appears in Beyond the Kingdoms, chapter 13.
For more on Baum's Tin Woodman, click here.
Appearance and Personality[]
"He was unusually tall, and very thin. He had a long, pointed nose and wore a pointed cap. As they brushed the debris off of him, they discover that everything from his clothes to his skin was made of metal."[2]
The Tin Woodman is made out of tin. He believes he is hollow inside and dreams of having a heart. Like in the Oz Books, he is unaware that he already has one.
Story []
The Tin Woodman has always been a woodman, as his father and his father's father before him. He was once a real man, but he fell in love with a Munchkin girl who agreed to marry him. The girl lived with a mean old woman who didn't want to live alone, and who bribed the Wicked Witch of the East to hurt him. She enchanted his axe to cut off his limbs and his head- a local tin smith 'rebuilt' him with tin appendages until he was entire made out of tin.[3]
When Conner, Alex, Jack, Goldilocks, Mother Goose, Red, and Lester are transported into the Land of Oz by a cyclone, they land right on top of the Tin Woodman. After he is oiled and able to move and speak, he tells them he had been rusted to that very spot for a year. He usually carries an oilcan with him in case he gets wet.
Alex tells him they are on a secret mission for the Wizard of Oz. They ask if he can guide them to Winkie Country, where Lloyd is most likely to be to recruiting the Wicked Witch of the West and her allies. Using his knowledge of the book, Conner promises the Tin Woodman that the Wizard will give him a heart if he helps them.[4]
Red almost jeopardizes their mission by questioning if the Tin Woodman doesn't already have a heart, but is quickly silenced by Conner, as they would lose their guide if the woodman found out.[5]
The Tin Woodsman helps the party fight off the Kalidahs and, when all but him are affected by the fumes of the deadly poppies, he drags them out of the field into safety with the help of the Field Mice Queen. Then, thinking they are dead, he cries himself into a rust. When everyone wakes up and the Tin Woodman is oiled, they all hurry to Winkie Country. From there, they follow Llyod into Neverland, and then on to Wonderland (where the Woodman really enjoys the Castle of Hearts' décor, as there are hearts everywhere). Always one step behind Llyod, the party has to split up, and the Tin Woodman joins Conner and Peter Pan as they travel into Sherwood Forest. Together, they help Conner create the potion that can bring them back to the Land of Stories, where they make plans on how to stop Llyod.
Quotes[]
"But living without a heart means you cannot feel at all," the Tin Woodsman said. "It may spare you from grief, or loneliness, or misery, or longing, or fear, - but you do not enjoy, or laugh, or excite, or love. And one who cannot love is just an object."[6]