Wicked (Maguire novel)

Wicked

Wicked book cover
Author	Gregory Maguire
Illustrator	Douglas Smith
Cover artist	Douglas Smith
Language	English
Series	Wicked Cycle
Genre	Parallel novel, Fantasy novel
Publisher	Harper Collins
Publication date	1995
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	406 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-06-039144-8 (Hardback), ISBN 0-06-098710-3 (Paperback)
Followed by	Son of a Witch

Wicked, or Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel by Gregory Maguire. Based upon the writings of L. Frank Baum, it is a revisionist look at the land and characters of Oz, best known from Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Wicked, published in 1995 with illustrations by Douglas Smith, presents events, characters and situations from Baum's books and the film in new and surprising ways.

Unlike the popular 1939 movie and Baum's writings, this novel is not directed at children. It contains language and content which catches some readers by surprise. Wicked, the hit Broadway musical based upon the novel, is also very different in tone from Maguire's book. A sequel to Wicked, entitled Son of a Witch, was published in fall of 2005. As of October 2006, Gregory Maguire is working on a third novel in the Wicked Cycle, "The Watermark", formerly titled A Cowardly War.

Plot summary

The novel is a political, social, and ethical commentary on what good and evil really are. It takes place in The Land of Oz, before Dorothy dropped in. The story centers on Elphaba, the misunderstood green-skinned girl who grows up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West. Gregory Maguire fashioned the name of Elphaba (pronounced EL-fa-ba) from the initials of Lyman Frank Baum, L-F-B, or Elphaba. The story is divided into five different sections.

Munchkinlanders

Elphaba is born to Melena, a descendant of the Eminent Thropp, and Frexspar, an itinerant unionist minister. Frex is the seventh son of a seventh son, and also the seventh pastor in his family. Melena married beneath her family's social standing and is generally unhappy in her marriage. Though it does not become clear until much later, Melena is at some point approached by a mysterious stranger, who drugs her with a potion from a green bottle and rapes her. She later gives birth to the child Elphaba, inside a device called The Clock of the Time Dragon, as her husband is attacked by a lynch mob.

One of the nursemaids who help Melena give birth to Elphaba gives the green baby her finger to suck on, but the baby has a full set of teeth, and bites it off at the knuckle, swallowing some blood. After her birth, Frex believes the baby is a response from God for failing to protect his parishioners, and has Melena's Nanny come to take care of the little baby. Her head is strapped to keep her from biting things, and she refuses to be bathed, as she is terrified of water.

About a year and a half later, a traveling Quadling glassblower named Turtle Heart visits the home of Melena and Frex. Melena offers him food and drink, and Turtle Heart blows a beautiful glass reflecting dish for Elphaba. Turtle Heart and Melena begin a secret affair, which almost certainly produces Elphaba's younger sister Nessarose. It is also heavily suggested that Turtle Heart has a sexual relathionship with Frex. Nessarose, or "Nessa" for short, is born without arms. She also can't walk and requires constant supervision. Despite this, she is her father's favorite, and he makes that clear.

Gillikin

Some years later, Elphaba is accepted to Shiz University, and inadvertently becomes roommates with Galinda, the girl who is to become Glinda, the Good Witch (though she isn't the ruler of the Southern Quadling Country as she is in the original tales, so the 'of the South' suffix to her public nickname is omitted. In fact, Maguire follows the 1939 movie in having Glinda ultimately become the witch of the North, not the South). Galinda and Elphaba do not get along very well, since Elphaba is green and Galinda is more interested in climbing the social ladder than becoming friends with her outcast roommate. Galinda and Elphaba are taught by a Goat (a sentient version of the animal goat) named Doctor Dillamond, who shows the class that the sentient Animals are slowly being barred from access to the rest of Oz. This is further proven when Madame Morrible, the Head of Shiz University, holds a poetry soiree that turns out just to be propaganda about holding these Animals back. Dillamond tries to find proof that there is a difference between animals and Animals, and Elphaba works as his secretary and assistant over the summer.

Elphaba becomes friends with a Munchkin boy named Boq, who takes a fancy to Galinda. As she is tall, and he is a short Munchkinlander, she rebuffs him. He hopes his friendship with Elphaba will bring him closer to Galinda; however, he ends up becoming wrapped up in Elphaba's and Dillamond's causes. His crush on Galinda eventually subsides, and they all become friends with a Vinkus Prince named Fiyero, who is new to Shiz. However, their friendship is shaken when Doctor Dillamond is murdered, and Galinda's chaperone Ama Clutch allegedly witnesses Madame Morrible's servant kill him. The rattled Ama is magicked into a false stupor, and eventually dies. In memory of Doctor Dillamond, who first guessed she was named after Saint Glinda, Galinda changes her name to "Glinda." Elphaba, Glinda, and Nessarose are swayed by Madame Morrible to become silent Pawns of the Wizard's, but they refuse, and Elphaba decides that something must be done.

She and Glinda travel to Emerald City, where they meet the Wizard of Oz and plead the case of the Animals to him. He refuses to make any changes, and Glinda and Elphaba are to return to Shiz. However, Elphaba stays behind and sends Glinda back to college, after saying that she can't see her again; she has decided to take matters into her own hands.

City of Emeralds

Almost five years have passed since Elphaba has seen Glinda, Boq, or any of her friends from college. She lives in the Emerald City now, and is secretly involved in the movement to help free the Animals and get rid of the Wizard of Oz. Fiyero, now a Prince and with children, comes to the Emerald City to settle business with the politicians there. He sees Elphaba praying to a likeness of St. Glinda.

Fiyero follows her to her home, and they reconnect. He discovers she has started to take up sorcery, and tells her about Nessarose and Glinda. Nessa has taken a class in sorcery and Glinda is a sorceress, and they miss Elphaba. She and Fiyero begin to have an illicit love affair, and he neglects his wife Sarima, and his children, Irji, Manek, and Nor. The two lovers are at peace, and despite their occasionally conflicting personalities, Elphaba is actually happy with her life for once.

Her life changes one night, when she can finally fulfill her task: kill Madame Morrible. Fiyero follows her, but she can't complete her task due to a group of children interfering with Elphaba's line of fire. He returns to her apartment to wait for her, where he is attacked by the Gale Force, who are looking for Elphaba. He is kidnapped and hauled away, supposedly murdered. Elphaba escapes from the City, and runs to a mauntery, where she meets an elderly woman named Yackle, formerly the dame of the Philosophy Club.

In the Vinkus

Having been unconscious for almost a year, and then a nun for 6 more years, Elphaba goes to the Vinkus, the land where Fiyero was prince, and meets his wife and children. Elphaba brings along a boy named Liir, whom she claims no relation to, and stays at the castle Kiamo Ko for a year and a half or so. She attempts to tell Sarima, Fiyero's wife, of their affair, but Sarima refuses, saying she doesn't want to talk about her late husband. Fiyero's family, Elphaba, and Liir unexpectedly become a family unit; but when Manek convinces Liir to hide in a well and leaves him there, Elphaba's anger at Manek makes an icicle fall on him and kill him. Liir claims that while in the well a Fish told him he was Fiyero's son.

Sarima becomes upset and grieves, and the family starts to fall apart. Elphaba gets a letter from her father Frex, asking her to come help him with Nessarose, who has taken Elphaba's position of Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland. When she arrives, he asks her to help him talk to Nessa, whom Elphaba discovers has become a witch, called The Wicked Witch of the East. She leaves after Nessa promises to give her the infamous silver shoes that Frex made her (the shoes were turned red by Glinda, who had become like a sister to Nessarose in the absence of Elphaba). When she returns to Kiamo Ko, Sarima, her children, and sisters are gone; the castle had been attacked by the Wizard's soldiers. Only Nanny and Liir remain, along with the Witch's supplies and the Grimmerie, a magical text Elphaba had found in the castle.

The Murder and Its Afterlife

A storm visits Munchkinland, dropping a house on Nessa, killing her. The house contained a young girl named Dorothy and a dog named Toto. Glinda, who was nearby, stopped and sent Dorothy off with Nessa's shoes for fear of potential civil war in Munchkinland and also for Dorothy's safety. She sends her to the Wizard in hopes that he can send her back to Kansas since Glinda has never even heard of it. Elphaba comes to the funeral and is furious with Glinda for giving Dorothy the shoes, which were rightfully hers. She later has a meeting with the Wizard to bargain for the release of Nor, who was taken from Kiamo Ko by the Wizard's army.

On her way back to Kiamo Ko, she comes upon the Clock of the Time Dragon, which puts on a special show only for her. It shows her father to have been the Wizard and not Frex. Some time after returning to Kiamo Ko, she finds out that Dorothy and a few friends are headed to Kiamo Ko, presumably to kill her. Upon her arrival, Dorothy tells her that the Wizard did indeed send her to kill the witch, but she came to apologize for killing her sister. Furious, the witch waves her now burning broom in the air (she lit it to scare Dorothy) and a piece lands on her dress, setting it on fire. Innocently, Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her to save her, but instead the water kills her. Dorothy returns to the Wizard with the green potion bottle the wizard used to subdue Elphaba's mother during her conception. Dorothy does not bring back the Grimmerie because it was too heavy. Rumors abound through Oz about the whereabouts of Dorothy (and her irritating dog), few actually believing that she returned to Kansas.

Characters

• Elphaba is the primary protagonist of the story, who eventually becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West. She acquires this nickname more as a result of her sister's nickname (the Wicked Witch of the East, who was so named by her political opponents) than for any wicked deeds. Wicked adds details regarding the social and political climate of Oz which make Elphaba a more sympathetic character. She is driven into conflict with The Wizard out of concern for the welfare of sentient and linguistically adept Animals who are suffering under the discriminatory and increasingly genocidal policies of The Wizard. Dorothy unwittingly becomes embroiled in the conflict after her house kills Elphaba's sister Nessarose; Glinda gives Dorothy Nessarose's famously magical shoes, which Elphaba fears may cause immense harm if they fall into the hands of the Wizard. Elphaba's name comes from sounding out Oz author L. Frank Baum's initials, "LFB". She is allergic to water which causes her to clean herself with coconut oil instead.
• Nessarose is Elphaba's sister. She eventually inherits the position of Eminent Thropp, leader of the state of Munchkinland. Through this position, she coerces Munchkinland into seceding from Oz. As a political leader of Munchkinland, she has both supporters and detractors. Her unhappy subjects nickname her "the Wicked Witch of the East." Nessarose is also the apple of her father Frexspar's (Frex) eye, and his most favored child out of three. She was born without arms, possibly as a result of her mother's attempts to prevent another green child, and the multi-hued glass shoes are charmed by Glinda to help her to become more independent.
• Galinda, later Glinda, is Elphaba's roommate at Shiz University. She at first hates Elphaba as she sees her as a hindrance to her social climbing agenda. As she matures, she and Elphaba become close friends. It is implied as well that perhaps Galinda has feelings for Elphaba; indeed, she cares for her deeply, and Elphaba for her in return. However, the two are separated for fifteen years when Elphaba goes into hiding. Glinda is part of the high society in Gillikin, Oz's northern state.
• Fiyero is the prince of the Arjiki. He meets Elphaba at Shiz, and later has an affair with her while she is involved in a resistance movement against the Wizard of Oz. This leads to his murder by the Gale Force, the Wizard's secret police. Elphaba and Liir later take residence in Fiyero's widow's home, Kiamo Ko.
• The Wizard is the dictator of Oz and primary villain of the story. He originally came to Oz from Earth in a hot air balloon seeking the Grimmerie, but became sidetracked when he discovered he could orchestrate a coup in Oz. It is heavily implied that he fathered Elphaba while her mother was under the influence of the Magical Elixir, which may explain Elphaba's green skin, aversion to water, and ability to occasionally read parts of the Grimmerie, which originated in the Wizard's world. After Elphaba's death and Dorothy's return to the Emerald City, the Wizard hastily leaves Oz for America in another (or the same) hot air balloon, and plans his suicide. After taking the Magical Elixir herself, Elphaba sees visions of the future, in which the Wizard fails to drown himself in the ocean. This is consistent with Baum's books, in which the Wizard later returns to Oz, alive. She also sees a sign in a shop window that says "Irish need not apply", hinting, that much like Elphaba, The Wizard faced prejudice.
• Madame Morrible is the headmistress of Elphaba and Galinda's college (Crage Hall) in Shiz. She is suspected by Elphaba and her friends to be responsible for the murder of Dr. Dillamond. At one point, she proposes that Elphaba, Galinda, and Nessarose become future behind-the-scenes rulers in Oz, a proposal which they never willingly follow. Elphaba suspects that Madame Morrible has at least some magical powers and may have indeed controlled the fates of the three women. It is possible that she spies on Elphaba and sends messages to Liir through the Carp in the well at Elphaba's home in the Vinkus; the Carp dies at about the same time as Morrible. Morrible dies of natural causes minutes before Elphaba attempts to murder her.
• Doctor Dillamond is a talking Goat and professor at Crage Hall in Shiz. Assisted by Elphaba, Dr. Dillamond performs research on the differences between animals and Animals (sentient animals). He suspiciously dies from a slit throat; Madame Morrible claims that this is an accident, but her account is contradicted by Galinda’s Ama (chaperon), Ama Clutch, who claims she witnessed the event.
• Boq is a Munchkin who grew up with Elphaba and reunites with her at Shiz University. At first, he is only interested in talking to Elphaba in the hope that it will help his crush, Galinda, notice him. However, over time Boq and Elphaba become close friends and help Dr. Dillamond with his research, along with his college mates Crope and Tibbett. Later in life, Elphaba meets Boq while she is on the hunt for Dorothy along the Yellow Brick Road. He is now married to Milla, one of Glinda's friends from the University and has many children.
• Dorothy Gale is a 12 year-old girl who lands in Oz in her house, which crushes Nessarose. She takes Nessarose's shoes under the advice of Glinda. These shoes are seen by many as a symbol of power over Munchkinland. During her travels, many citizens of Oz are superstitious about her because of these shoes and her name. Her first name sounds like a reversal of the name of the "king" of her land (Theodore Roosevelt). Because her name means "Goddess of Gifts" (the opposite of Theodore, "Gift of God"), it is implied that Dorothy may be the second coming of Lurline, who was also known by that title. The Gale Force fear her for her last name. The Wizard sends Dorothy to kill Elphaba, but Dorothy's intention is to ask her for forgiveness for killing Nessarose. Elphaba does not know whether to treat Dorothy with kindness or to fear her. Dorothy accidentally kills Elphaba by pouring water on her in an attempt to put out a fire on Elphaba's dress.
• Liir is a boy who leaves the mauntery with Elphaba for the Vinkus. It is strongly implied that Liir is the son of Elphaba and Fiyero. She does indeed admit that there is a year of her life she does not remember, during which she could have borne Liir. Extremely chubby, Liir played with his supposed half-siblings while he and his mother stayed with Fiyero's widow. He is also the protagonist of Maguire's sequel to Wicked, Son of a Witch. Gregory Maguire has described Liir as "Elphaba's son" in interviews.
• Yackle is a mysterious crone who appears frequently in Elphaba's life and who Elphaba suspects may be exerting control over her fate and be Kumbrica, the ambivalent goddess of Ozian myth. She is first mentioned by Nanny as an old gypsy woman from whom she bought the medicine which would stop Melena's second child being born green. Later, she appears as an old woman guarding the door to the Philosophy Club and later still, she appears as Mother Yackle, a maunt (a sort of Ozian nun) at the mauntery (a unionist nunnery) who takes care of the homeless Elphaba.
• The dwarf claims to be an immortal sent to Oz to prevent the Grimmerie from returning to Earth. With his Clock of the Time Dragon, he seems to Elphaba to either be able to control fate or predict it.
• Grommetik is a tik-tok creature, servant to Madame Morrible. It is strongly implied he is involved in a sinister plot orchestrated at least in part by her. From what is described in the novel, it is similar to Tik-Tok from Baum's original Oz series.
• Nanny is a member of the Thropp family, though whether by blood or employment is never explicitly revealed. By the conclusion of the book, she has raised three generations of the Thropps, most notably having acted as chaperon to Nessarose, Elphaba and Glinda during their years at Shiz. She is still vital well into her eighties. Her attitude reflects this, as she is stoic, speaks her mind, and holds to somewhat inflammatory 'Lurlinistic' pagan beliefs.
• Frexspar is Elphaba, Nessarose, and Shell's father (at least in the emotional and physical sense; there are questions of whether he shares biology with some of the children). Frex is a devout Unionist priest. Nessarose was his favorite child, and to her he gave the famous jeweled slippers.
• Chistery, Killyjoy, the Bees, and the Crows are the animals which accompany Elphaba on the way to Kiamo Ko by coach which also become her familiars. The Bees are taken along as a source of honey for the travelers, and it is suggested that through dormant magical talent, Elphaba unconsciously sets them upon the coach cook, whom she dislikes and is later found stung to death at the edge of a cliff. Killyjoy, the cook's dog, takes an instant liking to Liir, who decides to keep him. The Crows are given to Elphaba by Princess Nastoya, who then specifically states that Elphaba is to send them to her if she needs help with anything. Princess Nastoya also tells Elphaba directly that they are to be her familiars. On the way to Kiamo Ko, they run across Chistery, an abandoned infant snow monkey, whom Elphaba rescues through another unconscious act of magic (creating ice under her feet as she runs across a pond to save him from Killyjoy). Later in the book he is taught by Elphaba to speak in hopes of completing Dr. Dillamond's study of how all life is connected. However, he only manages to mimic what others say, although he gains the ability to speak in full, comprehensible sentences in Son of a Witch. Elphaba sews wings onto the backs of him and the other monkeys, in a combination of Doctor Dillamond's studies and her practice of magic.
• Melena is Elphaba, Nessarose, and Shell's mother, and comes from a high class family. She has mostly pagan traditions, which contradicts Frex's statements. She has very loose morals, and dreams of her days as a pampered girl, despite her rebelling against it at the time. She has a taste for alcohol and pinlobble leaves.
• Avaric is a friend of Boq's, and Galinda's. He is described as being the "perfect asshole". Late in the novel, Elphaba visits him, and they have a discussion about evil with some of his friends.
• Crope and Tibbett are boys who attend Shiz University along with Boq. They later become members of the main group of friends that features in the first part of the book. It is heavily suggested that the two are homosexual; however, it is never explicitly proven, only through sexual comments passed by the two about each other or other boys. While Crope eventually becomes a sort of valet for 'Lady Glinda', Tibbet goes mad from his experiences at the Philosophy Club (being publicly raped by a Tiger) and later dies under Elphaba's care while she is at the mauntery.
• Turtle Heart is a wandering glassblower from Quadling country. He comes upon Melena's home while Frex is out preaching. Melena and Turtle Heart have an extended affair, and it is suggested that Frex may have had intimate relations with him, as well. It is also strongly suggested that he is the father of Nessarose.
• Ama Clutch is Galinda’s caretaker at Shiz. She is present throughout Galinda and Elphaba's time at Shiz. Ama Clutch "loses" her sanity in a suspicious way when she witnesses the murder of Doctor Dillamond. It is strongly suggested that Ama Clutch was hexed by Madame Morrible in the specific way that Galinda initially lied about upon her arrival to Shiz (in an effort to get a private room), talking to inanimate objects as if they were people.

Objects

• The Grimmerie (derived from grimoire) is a book of Magic that originated on Earth but was taken to Oz by a wizard to prevent it from being used for evil. It is sought by the Wizard of Oz and is the reason he traveled to Oz. It ends up in the possession of Elphaba. While in the musical adaptation it is suggested that the Grimmerie is a sole book with no others of the same title, it should be noted that in Gregory Maguire's original, Elphaba describes it as being 'a' Grimmerie, meaning that Grimmerie is probably an Ozian word for a book of magic and that it most likely has a more distinguishing title. The book is bound in black leather with worn, purple pages written upon in glittering silver ink.
• The Magical Elixir is a bottle of potion that Elphaba keeps with her throughout her life. It was presented to Elphaba's mother once who took it and had bizarre dreams. It may have been the Wizard who gave it to Elphaba's mother and fathered Elphaba at that time. Elphaba takes some of the Elixir late in life and has many prophetic dreams. Some are so disturbing to her that she rarely sleeps for the rest of her life. This may contribute to her loss of wits near the end of her life. This is the object Dorothy takes to the Wizard as proof of Elphaba's death. While in the musical it is suggested that the Elixir is responsible for Elphaba's colouring, it is not so stated in the book.
• The Clock of the Time Dragon is a travelling show which contains many magicked tiktok puppets that act out prophetic scenes. At the top of the tower-like container that holds the show, there is a painted clock, hands perpetually at one minute to midnight, and above that, a tiktok dragon so lifelike as to strike not a little awe in the hearts of all who see it. It is the center of the pleasure faith religion and is accompanied by the dwarf. Elphaba is born inside the Time Dragon, and receives the revelation that the Wizard is her father from the Dragon. Many of the characters in the Dragon's shows are later hunted down and killed or at least harassed, including Elphaba's parents and Turtleheart.
• A looking-glass, made of green glass by Turtleheart. This is one of the first toys Elphaba is given as a toddler, and she uses it in divination during her early childhood and just before her death.
• A flying broom, given to Elphaba by Yackle, with the understanding that it was a part of her destiny.
• The slippers, made by Yackle and decorated by Frex using techniques learned from Turtleheart. These were given to Nessarose shortly after she went away to school, making Elphaba jealous of their father's affections. They were later repaired and enchanted by Glinda, and become a major source of emotional, personal, and political conflict in the last part of the book.

Sources

• Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West Study Guide The *social concerns section was used as a source.

External links

• GregoryMaguire.com - the author's official website, which includes a discussion forum.
• Wicked the Novel and Wicked the Musical details on the official Stephen Schwartz fan site