Summary:
When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked
Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale we heard only her side of the
story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she
come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?
Review:
I picked this book up to read for purely
sentimental reasons. My Grannie and I watched Frank Baum’s classic tale The Wizard of Oz, every year, beginning with
the black and white version until it was colorized. Grannie’s favorite
character was Dorothy. Dorothy symbolized purity and innocence, necessary
ingredients for a young coming-of-age, girl. Both of us loathed The Wicked
Witch of the West, who embodied evil in a humorous cookie-cut style, with lines
like: “I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too.”
After years of growing with the understanding
the Wicked Witch of the West defined evil, I was reluctant to change this
viewpoint, but change it, I did. Gregory Maguire made me sympathize with The
Wicked Witch, adding respect to her nasty sardonic side making her intelligent
and intriguing. I begin to see her as Elphaba, which is her birth name.
Elphaba begins cursed, green, and with sharp
little teeth. She’s a monster, her mother hates her, and her father loves her
sister, Nessarose more. This is where my opinion changes, and I see The
Wicked Witch as Elphaba, a real person who wishes to be loved. Later, this
human need explodes to encompass Elphaba’s virtuous need to protect animals who
are not even considered second rate citizens in the land of Oz. Adding to
Elphaba’s virtuous character is the fact she doesn’t lie.
“To the best of her recollection she had never
lied before in her life.” Elphaba
The reader discovers Elphaba isn’t evil, more
misunderstood, and what makes her character dynamic and round is her own
soulful journey towards self-understanding. In this journey we see our
so-called witch bullied as a child, falling in love as an adult, seeking
redemption for the affair, stumbling through mother hood, grieving the loss of
her sister and friends, and making attempts at acceptance into society’s role
to condemn her as a witch. Oddly enough, the Wizard doesn’t really consider
Elphaba a witch.
“’Sir,’ she said, ‘I think you are a very bad
wizard.”
“’And you,’ he answered, stung, ‘are only a caricature
of a witch.’”
Elphaba, a mere caricature of a witch, came to
an acceptance of soul brought on by a need greater than needing to be loved,
but the need to be forgiven. She found it in Dorothy, who by the way stays
innocent and pure, but in more of annoying kind of way. The irony that both the innocent and wicked
deserved atonement fit in a twisted graceful way that made sense. In addition,
to redemption, other themes ran through this book, ones dealing with politics,
romance, animal rights, and fate vs. choice, the last one being interesting,
especially when Elphaba seemed fated at birth, in the end her choices led to
her final demise.
I didn’t mind the plethora of themes in the
novel, and I didn’t mind being preached at by McGuire. Tolstoy was famous for his
preaching in War and Peace. I also
didn’t mind the plot jumps, lunging forward for sometimes years, without
transition. William Faulkner wrote in past and present timelines jumping so
abruptly, I often had to re-read to make sure of where I was from page to page.
I still find The Sound and the Fury
one of the best books I’ve ever read. Both Tolstoy and Faulkner are classic
writers.
With McGuire’s analysis of the complexity of
redemption with the motives and grief that goes with that, and his analysis of
good vs. evil, that alone makes this feel classic classy. I found the book more
than a little intriguing making me question my theory on evil almost as much as
C.S. Lewis makes me.
“Evil is an act, not an appetite. How many
haven’t wanted to slash the throat of some boor across the dining room table?
…Everyone has an appetite. If you give into it, it, that act is evil. The
appetite is normal.”
This quote also addresses the idea of choice
over fate while addressing the theme of defining evil. Wicked by Gregory McGuire is worth reading. It’s not a fast read, and
not one easily understood, but to use an Elphaba phrase, it’s not pigspittle,
either.
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