Wicked #6

Now that I have finished the book, I think that the ending was very unsatisfactory. In the end, like in the movie, Dorothy throws water on the Elphpaba, or the Wicked Witch of the West. This causes Elphaba's death. It was never clearly stated that the water made her melt, but I am assuming that that is what happened. I found it interesting, though, that in the book Dorothy throws water on the Witch in an attempt to put out a fire that had started on her robes. In the movie, however, Dorothy throws the water in order to kill the Witch, though I might be remembering that wrong. The book really plays up Dorothy's innocence, and with that, her ignorance of cruelties in the world. Another interesting anomaly is that in the Broadway play, Fiyero, Elphaba's lover, does not die. He is transformed into the scarecrow by a spell performed by Elphaba in order to save his life after he has been brutally beaten. In the book, Fiyero is beaten, but Elphaba is not there to help and it is assumed that he dies. When Elphaba comes across Dorothy and her trio of friends, she plays with the idea of the scarecrow being Fiyiero in disguise, but she soon thinks nothing of it. Also in the play, Elphaba does not die. She falls down a trap door when Dorothy throws water on her, sneeks out, and joins Fiyero the scarecrow as they walk into the sunset. The play's ending is defenitely happier than the book or movie's.
The ending was so unsatisfying because nothing was really resolved. The Wizard of Oz, who Elphaba was trying to rid of power, was still in power; Elphaba never found out why Glinda had enchanted the ruby slippers to stay on Dorothy's feet; Elphaba was never able to save her friend Nor from the Wizard's imprisonment or find out what had happened to the rest of Nor's family; and Elphaba never found out what happened to her long lost lover, Fiyero. These were all big questions within the book, and some of them were never even addressed in the slightest. The Witch's death was very untimely to say the least.
But overall, I really enjoyed this book and found it provided very interesting insight into the book "The Wizard of Oz", the movie, and the play.