Cowardly Lion: had it all along

The Cowardly Lion, played by the incredible Bert Lahr, conveyed a simple-minded character who cannot face the counterattack. He can put on a mean face, but cannot man up once someone stands up to him. The Lion says he lacks the courage, being that even though he is the King of the Forrest, he does not have the bravery. Who said these things to him to make him believe that? What kind of upbringing did he receive to allow such self doubt? Unfortunately, we will never full know these answers. However, through both the book and film, the Lion shows qualities of courage which nobody notices other than the audience. All along, the Cowardly Lion was not a coward, just self loathing and self doubt wrongfully applied to himself. His character, just like every other character in the film, is a metaphor of the human psyche and how we as human doubt ourselves so much that we begin to believe we don't have certain qualities. We as human have such a powerful grip on our own consciousness that we can trick ourselves into whatever we think. Realities and dreams intertwine and we confuse ourselves. The Lion obviously has courage when he says, "All right, I'll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch, guards or no guards, I'll tear them apart. I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there." If you believe in yourself, you can achieve what you want: A great lesson taught in the Wizard of Oz