Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Wicked #5
The defining moment for Elphaba is when she and Glinda sneak off to the Emerald City to see the Wizard. When they are there, Elphaba tries to persuade the Wizard to stop the segregation against Animals, animals who can speak and posses human intelligence. The Wizard had been passing laws that restricted the rights of Animals, such as taking away their right to hold jobs and use public transportation. Elphaba confronts the Wizard about this and tells him that his decisions are wrong. The Wizard gets very angry and Glinda tries to make Elphaba leave and apologize to the Wizard. Up until then, Glinda and Elphaba had been close friends, but this one moment shows the beginning of there separation. Glinda goes on to become a wealthy public figure, while Elphaba, still fighting for what she believes in, becomes poor and alone. Elphaba's fight with the wizard was the defining moment of her new life, for afterwards, she drops out of school and disappears for many years, all the while working undercover to try and assassinate the Wizard and his minions. Glinda and Elphaba's differences are the main factors controlling how their lives unfold, and that one moment with the wizard was necessary to show Elphaba what she was meant to use her life for, fighting the Wizard for Animal rights and a ridding Oz of his and other's rule.
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It's kind of odd to know the musical before you read the book because it distorts your vision of the true story. The book is much darker than the play, but you can still see the connections. (I'm writing this about your entire blog) I really like your idea about Elphaba's aversion to water being a metaphor for her aversion to being baptized. I think there's a lot of underline meaning in the book. Me gusta.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember when we always used to sing Wicked songs outside on the benches at Arbor? Those songs seem a little too upbeat nowadays.