Dorothy's Aunt Em's lips, cheeks and eyes had turned grey from the heat of the sun. Em was thin and gaunt, and never smiled, and Uncle Henry never laughed. He worked hard from morning till night and did not know what joy was. A cyclone came and whisked Dorothy away to the land of Oz. After a grand and successful journey our little hero returned home to a freshly built farmhouse, and to the embrace and kisses of her loving Aunt.
Work is dull.
Similarly, Dorothy's life was dull until she visited the city of towers, and when she returned to her normal life everything was better. An examination of tower mythology beyond that of the Wizard of Oz throws up a range of interesting tales and associations. The Egyptian Obelisk of Luxor, constructed at the time of Moses, was erected as a monument to sun worship. However, its hieroglyphic decorations which were added afterwards are commemorative of battle victories. Three thousand years later Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel designed a 300m tower for the world exposition of 1889 in the belief it symbolised the century of industry and science.