As far as most fairytales go, The Wizard of Oz is one of the most well-known stories. The tales of Dorothy and her variously afflicted pals has found its niche in pop culture. Thus, it’s no surprise that it has also inspired countless renditions in various mediums including film and several novels. I, personally, enjoy an exciting retelling of a classic story, and that’s exactly where Wicked delivers. Additionally, the novel plays off both the original children’s story by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film version starring Judy Garland.
To begin, it’s important that you understand that this story considers the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the East, or Elphaba as she is called in the novel. Yes, it’s time we hear from the villain’s side of the story we all know and cherish. For example, Elphaba is born in the novel to a rather lackluster mother and an unknown father (well, it’s implied that Melena probably cheated on her husband, Frex). Therefore, we don’t ever really definitively know who her real father is in the novel. Perhaps her father really is Frex, even if Melena seems to merely tolerate him, but it could have also been the mysterious stranger who passes through their home, or even the Wizard of Oz himself (hello, plot twist!). Of course, if it was the Wizard, it also seems like that encounter was actually a rape which is rather dark for a children’s story.
Regardless, Elphaba’s story really begins when she begins school at Shiz (yes, interesting name) in Gillikin country. It’s nice of Mr. Maguire to give some more substance to the mysterious places that make up Oz. Although, if I’m being honest, Oz itself doesn’t really sound too different from our own world. In fact, I think that’s one of the main themes of the novel, to reflect the problems of our world onto this mysterious made-up one. For example, discrimination against the Animals (with a capital ‘A’ because they can talk, unlike regular animals) is probably meant to reflect the ongoing issue of racism in our world.
But I digress.
Now, it is at Shiz where Elphaba meets most of her friends, including Galinda (who will later just name herself Glinda), and some of the novel’s main issues start to become more apparent. Like the conflicting circumstances surrounding Dr. Dillamond, one of Elphaba’s favorite teachers, who is tragically murdered one night. Nobody is able to figure it out, although Elphaba highly suspects Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz, who she believes is working for the Wizard (who turns out to be the real bad guy in this novel, who would have guessed!). We discover that Dr. Dillamond is a huge advocate for Animal rights (yes, that’s what they call it), but the Wizard doesn’t think Animals should have the same rights as everyone else (this sounds familiar). In fact, the Wizard would much rather prefer to banish the Animals from the Emerald City and forced them to return to the fields. Dr. Dillamond, who was trying to prevent this from happening, was close to completing his research which would have proved the genetic similarities between Animals and Humans, hence why he was suddenly murdered.
Despite everyone else’s seeming indifference, Elphaba is dead-set on resuming Dr. Dillamond’s research and becomes a huge advocate for Animal Rights. The next section of the novel largely concerns Elphaba’s life after leaving Shiz and basically becoming the equivalent of a freedom fighter. She and a small minority of Animal Rights activists (whom we never really meet, as this section of the novel is narrated by someone else) commit various acts of terrorism in the Emerald City. Sadly, while she is attempting to fulfill her goal of taking out Madame Morrible, a group of children interfere and ruin her plot. Elphaba’s lover, Fieryo, happened to follow her that evening and witnesses all of this (he also attended Shiz with Elphaba). However, when he returns to her apartment to wait for her, he is attacked by the Gale Force and presumably killed. This destroys Elphaba who then abandons her activism to live in a convent.
Ah, yes, our fierce Wicked Witch of the East had a passionate love affair with Fiyero, a Prince of the Vinkus (well he was already married, but okay). I actually didn’t think this whole love situation was necessary, as it certainly really didn’t do much for the novel other than encourage Elphaba to visit the Vinkus after Fiyero’s death. Was it to make Elphaba seem more human? Because I already believed she was human and liked her quite a lot because of her admirable actions at Shiz. Was it to teach us a lesson that we need to judge her based on her character as opposed to how she looks? Well, as opposed to the characters in the novel, I never once disliked Elphaba because of her green-colored skin. Regardless, Elphaba feels immense guilt over Fiyero’s death, especially considering the rather scandalous nature of the affair.
Thus, the novel’s final section finds Elphaba journeying to the Vinkus where Fiyero was born (and where his wife and children live). Elphaba claims she wants to apologize to Fieryo’s wife and ask for her forgiveness since Elphaba basically became Fiyero’s mistress. However, Elphaba never really has the opportunity to do so, which I suppose is really only an important plot element later on when Elphaba finally meets Dorothy. I guess, by this time, Elphaba has garnered some sort of “wicked” reputation (which I don’t really understand because Elphaba never did anything remotely wicked, I guess it’s simply because of how she looks). Nevertheless, Dorothy’s introduction in the novel is meant to basically pick up where Frank L. Baum’s story began. Slowly, Dorothy makes her way to the Vinkus, where the Wizard has apparently sent her to kill the witch (which we now understand is because Elphaba was always against the Wizard’s actions).
Here is where we really start to see the parallels between Dorothy and Elphaba, a clever bit of writing on the part of Gregory Maguire. It is most apparent when Dorothy finally arrives at the castle and Dorothy asks Elphaba to forgive her for killing her sister, Nessarose (we all know the infamous scene where Dorothy lands in Oz and basically flattens the Wicked Witch’s sister). Elphaba is furious because Dorothy is asking for the forgiveness which Elphaba herself could not attain from Fiyero’s wife. See, I told you that bit of information would later come into play. It’s actually a really amazing testament to Maguire’s skill as a writer.
Of course, as we all know, Dorothy accidentally douses the Wicked Witch with a bucket of water after her skirts catch fire. Elphaba is killed because of the incident, even though water seems to be a rather lackluster weakness, and Dorothy returns to the Wizard. The remainder of the novel passes by rather uneventfully, but I do recall that the Wizard himself returns to Kansas just before a Gale-Force led coup might have actually killed him. Oz is left in political turmoil, with Munckinland ready to lead a rebellion against the Emerald City. Perhaps it might be considered unsatisfying to leave the world we fell in love with in such disarray, but it’s actually a clever way of commenting on our own modern society. After all, there’s always a war and conflict present in different countries across the globe. When will these sorts of issues ever be resolved? How can they be resolved? Perhaps not even Gregory Maguire can provide those answers, as his own fictional society is left on the brink of ruin.
However, I don’t intend to leave this review on a sad, philosophical note, so I offer you the novel’s final, and spine-chilling, last words:
“And there the wicked old Witch stayed for a good long time.”
“And did she ever come out?”
“Not yet.”
