The Heart of the Tin Man

The Tin Woodman as Illustrated by W.W. Denslow, 1900 

"When a man's an empty kettle, he should be on his mettle. And yet I'm torn apart. Just because I'm presumin' that I could be kind of human, if I only had a heart." ---Words by E.Y. "Yip" Harburg

The Wizard of Oz, MGM Pictures, 1939

The most beloved figure in the history of folklore is perhaps the one who desired a heart the most. The Tin Man first appeared in literature in 1900 with the publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a companion to the immortal Dorothy Gale. He is the expression/exploration of one of three simple dynamics, where the Scarecrow lacks a brain and the Cowardly Lion lacks the Nerve (Courage), he lacks a physical heart. The invention of three companions who each desire something we inherently possess as human beings establishes many existential thoughts. What would it mean if we were missing a brain or a heart? How would we function? Could one work with out the other? As the Oz tales continue in later works by L. Frank Baum the Tin Man and the Scarecrow become inseparable best friends and there is metaphorical irony in the success of their further adventures, for surely when the brain and the heart are united nothing is impossible.

Fred Stone as the Scarecrow & David Montgomery as the Tin Man, 1902

The Tin Man is notably one of the first bionic/mechanical men to appear in literature. Surely L. Frank Baum was inspired by the Industrial Revolution and the romanticism of a changing world. Long before he started writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Baum worked as an editor for a magazine specialized in store window displays. It is said that Baum was once asked to set up a hardware store window "He wanted to create something eye-catching...so he made a torso out of a washboiler, bolted stovepipe arms and legs to it and used the underside of a saucepan for a face. He topped it with a funnel hat and what would become the inspiration for Tin Woodman was born." --- As told by Harry Neal Baum about his father to the Indianapolis Times, May 3rd, 1965.

Oliver Hardy as the Tin Man, The Wizard of Oz, 1925

The Tin Man develops as a noble figure in the later Oz tales. He becomes Emperor to the Winkies who were once conquered by the Wicked Witch of the West (The Gilikins are the people of the North, the Munchkins are the people of the East and the Quadlings are the people of the South) and resides within the castle where the witch was destroyed.

The Marvelous Land of Oz, John R. Neill, 1904

In the 1904 book titled The Marvelous Land of Oz the Tin Man is given the name Nick Chopper. 'The name came from the 1902 musical extravaganza, in which Nick (from "Niccolo") Chopper sang an interpolated song "Niccolo's Piccolo." David C. Montgomery portrayed him in that production, and Oliver Hardy in the same role was the highlight of the 1925 Chadwick silent picture of The Wizard of Oz.' --- Michael Patrick Hearn, The Annotated Wizard of Oz, 1973

Poster for the 1902 Extravaganza at the Chicago Opera House

In the Wonderful Wizard of Oz the Tin Man tells his story: "I was born the son of a woodman who chopped down trees in the forest and sold them for a living. When I grew up I too became a wood-chopper, and after my father died I took care of my old mother as long as she lived. Then I made up my mind that instead of living alone I would marry, so that I might not become lonely."

"There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soon grew to love her with all my heart. She, on her part, promised to marry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better house for her; So i set to work harder than ever. But the girl lived with an old woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for she was so lazy she wished the girl to remain with her and the the cooking and the housework. So the old woman went to the wicked Witch of the East, and promised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. Thereupon the wicked Witch enchanted my axe, and when I was chopping away at my best one day, for I was anxious to get the new house and my wife soon as possible, the axe slipped all at one and cut off my leg."

"This seemed a great misfortune, for I knew a one-legged man could not do very well as wood-chopper. So I went to a tin-smith and had him make me a new leg out of tin. The leg worked very well, once I was used to it; but my action angered the wicked Witch of the East, for she had promised the old woman I should not marry the pretty Munchkin girl. When I began chopping again my axe slipped and I cut off my right leg. Again I went to the tinner, and again he made me a leg out of tin. After this the enchanted axe cut off my arms, one after the other; but, nothing daunted, I had them replaced with tin ones. The wicked witch then made the axe slip and cut off my head, and at first I thought that was the end of me. But the winner happened to come along, and he made me a new head out of tin."

Tin Man by Barry Moser , 1985

"I thought I had beaten the wicked Witch then, and I worked harder than ever; but I little knew how cruel my enemy would be. She thought of a new way to kill my love for the beautiful Munchkin maiden, and made my axe slip again, so that it cut right through my body, splitting me into two halves. Once more the winner came to my help and made me a body of tin, fastening my tin arms and legs and head to it, by means of joints, so that I could move around as well as ever. But, alas! I had no heart, so that I lost all my love for the Munchkin girl, and did not care whether I married her or not. I suppose she is still living with the old woman, waiting for me to come after her."

"My body shone so brightly in the sun that I felt very proud of it and it did not matter now if my axe slipped, for it could not cut me. There was only one danger---that my joints would rust; but I kept an oil-can in my cottage and took care to oil myself whenever I needed it. However, there came a day when I forgot to do this, and, being caught in a rainstorm, before I thought of the danger my joints had rusted, and I was left to stand in the woods until you came to help me. It was a terrible thing to undergo, but during the year I stood there I had time to think that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of my heart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth; but no one can love who has not a heart, and so I am resolved to ask Oz to give me one. If he does, I will go to the Munchkin maiden and marry her."---The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1900

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, W. W. Denslow, 1900

The Tin Man's plight is clear, for how can he exist completely without a heart? His tale makes us wonder what life would be like without one of our core strengths. Baum's inspiration for the Tin Man might have stemmed from witnessing, as a youth, the invention of prosthetic limbs for amputees of the Civil War. His own Uncle was tortured by his experiences in the war. The modern advancement in medicine and technology established a multitude of questions regarding humanity. Baum himself suffered a heart condition for his entire lifetime, the Tin Man is perhaps an extreme metaphor for his existential thoughts.

The Marvelous Land of Oz, John R. Neill, 1904

"Reality and unreality are so intertwined that it is often difficult to know where one leaves off and the other begins."---L. Frank Baum, "Why the Wizard of Oz Keeps on Selling.", The Annotated Wizard of Oz, 2000

The Tin Woodman of Oz, John R. Neill, 1918

Baum's novels often carry an even balance of light hearted wonder and macabre experiences. In a later Oz tale titled: The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918) Nick Chopper meets a Tin Soldier named Captain Fyter who suffered a similar fate when he too became made of tin and fell in love with the same Munchkin girl. Together they journey to find the tinsmith who might still posses their original body pieces (,as you can not be killed in Oz). Nick Chopper discovers that what was saved of his body parts has now been combined with that of Captain Fyter's to make a whole new man altogether. Like Frankenstein's monster the man is pieced together with the spare flesh and blood body parts. Chopfyte as he is called is Baum's exploration of technological overdevelopment. Thereafter the Tin Men discover the beautiful Munchkin maiden, Nimmee Aimee, who has ironically fallen in love with Chopfyte, the man of spare body parts. The most interesting part of the tale is when the Tin Man looks upon his former head and thinks upon which is better.

John R. Neill, 1918

The most beloved depiction of the Tin man is certainly the portrayal in the 1939 film by Jack Haley. Jack brought a sentimental quality to the Tin Man that is unprecedented. You believe in his desire for a heart. The tone of voice that Haley developed for the Tin Man was taken directly from reading bedtime stories to his son.

Cover by John R. Neill, 1918

The Tin Man might have been the inspiration for the character Lieutenant Commander Data in Star Trek the Next Generation (1987-1994). Data is a fully functional android who is self aware, he experiences ongoing difficulties with not being able to fully comprehend human emotion. An  episode in 1991 was even titled: Tin Man

Brent Spiner as Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Paramount Television

The Tin Man appears in the revisionist tale Wicked (1995). 'In the book, Nessarose - the Wicked Witch of the East - is seen enchanting the axe to swing around and chop off Nick Chopper's limbs. She does this for a peasant woman who wishes to stop her servant, probably Nimmie Amee, from marrying Nick Chopper. This seems to be close to the Tin Man's origin in the original books, but from the Witch's perspective.' ---Wikipedia

Wicked Witch of the East, John R. Neill, 1918

In 2005 the Muppet's made their interpretation of the classic tale with Gonzo as the Tin Man. 

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Walt Disney Pictures, 2005

A notable revisionist cinematic experience was developed by the Sci Fi Channel in 2007 titled: Tin Man. This mini-series was a futuristic take on the land of Oz with a steampunk twist giving the 'Tin Man' (played by Neal McDonough) a more heroic position. The movie starred Zooey Deschanel, Richard Dreyfuss, and Alan Cumming.

"I've heard that anyone can be conquered with kindness, no matter how ugly they may be." ---Tin Woodman, The Marvelous Land of Oz, 1904 

Jack Haley, MGM Pictures, 1939

The most significant words spoken about the Tin Man are by Frank Morgan who played the Wizard in the 1939 film, when he says: "You want a heart! You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be made practical until they can be made unbreakable. And remember my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." 

Source Material:

• The Annotated Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum, Michael Patrick Hearn, 2000, W.W. Norton & Co Inc, New York, NY
• All Things Oz, Edited by Linda Sunshine, 2003, Clarkson Potter/ Publishers, New York, NY
• The Wizard of Oz: 75 Years Along the Yellow Brick Road, Life Books, 2013
• The Wizard of Oz: 75th Anniversary, I-5 Publishing, Irvine, CA, 2014
• The Wizard of Oz (Film), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, 1939
• The Marvelous Land of Oz, L. Frank Baum, Dover Publications Inc. 1969, New York, NY
• The Tin Woodman of Oz, L Frank Baum, Dover Publications Inc. 2000, New York, NY
• Wikipedia.com