What is the Refusal of Call in the Wizard of Oz?

• A. Glinda sends Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road.
• B. The Wizard asks Dorothy to bring back the Witch's broom.
• C. Dorothy kills the Wicked Witch.
• D. Dorothy arrives in Oz and is confused; she worries about her family back in Kansas and wants to go home.

Answer: (D)

Refusal of the Call appears when the hero hesitates to leave the ordinary world and clings to what’s familiar, often thinking of home or safety. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s first reaction after arriving in Oz is confusion and anxiety about her family back in Kansas; she wishes to go home. That longing to return shows her reluctance to accept the adventure and leave behind the known world. It’s the moment where the impulse to stay home overrides the impulse to embark on the journey. The other moments in the story move the plot forward—guidance toward the road, a specific mission from the Wizard, or the confrontation with the Witch—while the described response captures the initial reluctance that defines Refusal of the Call.