Magic shoes won't make you happy

            Haven’t you ever wished that, after finding yourself fixed in what appears to be a hopelessly unfavorable situation that you could simply concentrate hard enough and literally reappear in a less stressful environment? Or, if you are at a crossroads in life, wouldn’t it be so comforting to have the ability to resume the once easy going, welcoming setting that an earlier time period once afforded you? This idea of wishing for a safer more simplistic sanctuary is a reoccurring theme in American literature and is certainly the main theme in the MGM film version of the Wizard of Oz. The main charter, Dorothy, is flung into a completely new and hectic environment at the start of the film and after passing a series of trials and adversities is able to wish herself back to a safer location, her childhood home. While this ending is fulfilling to the story of the young heroine Dorothy, it is less satisfactory when one compares it to his/her actual life experience and it is understood that this magical transportation is impossible. The magic of the ruby slippers the main character uses to travel instantly back to a more soothing comfort zone is an unavailable resource in the real world.

            The author Salmon Rushdie was, like Dorothy, a refugee running from a taunted past and in constant fear of being captured by his version of the Wicked Witch of the West. In writing his version of this classic tale, Auctioning off the Ruby Slipper, Rushdie reexamines the different levels of this concept. Greed is an evident theme in all of his works. Rather than utilize the gift of self-salvation this story’s title obviously suggests that a monetary profit is more desirable than an emotional satisfaction. Perhaps this premise suggests that since there really is no such avenue to return to a moment or period in time, it is more intelligent to simply market something like this to a crowd that believes so strongly that it is this past happiness that can make them fulfilled once more. It seems Rushdie is suggesting that even this easy way would eventually be unsatisfying.