Glinda has a much more involved role with Dorothy's original group than simply appearing to point her toward the next destination. She travels with them and helps them work thro…

Glinda has a much more involved role with Dorothy's original group than simply appearing to point her toward the next destination. She travels with them and helps them work through the search for the Veridian Scepter. Dorothy needs someone who understands the realm, and Glinda is one of the most important sources of that understanding. But that doesn't make the journey safe. Glinda is seriously injured at the Temple of Despair, and the group suddenly has to deal with losing the person they have been relying on. They have to protect her and get her somewhere she can be helped while still trying to survive themselves. That changes the relationships within the group. Dorothy's developing ability with the scepter matters, but so do the people who can carry Glinda, get her to safety, and keep the others alive along the way. Everyone has a practical responsibility. Knowing powerful magic doesn't remove the need for other people. Glinda's involvement also gives Dorothy a view of Oz beyond the witches who are trying to capture or use her. There are people already resisting them, people who know what has been lost, and people trying to keep the realm from falling further under their control. With Glinda, the original adventure has somebody who can explain the larger danger and then become vulnerable to it herself. The others have to respond to that rather than keep expecting her to have an answer ready for every problem.