Wicked: The Real Elphaba

985 Words2 Pages

In Gregory Maguire's novel, Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West happen before the novel by L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In Baum’s novel of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, portrays the role of the Wicked Witch of the West being wicked. We have no background or personal preference to understand her life of the Wicked Witch of the West (as known as Elphaba). But in Maguire’s novel, Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, shows how Elphaba traits of a monster are similar to a typical monster that portrays in people's eye. Elphaba is an ideal model of what we see in a monster would be like: abnormal, scary looking, and blunt behavior. She is a target of gossip to those who do not even know her. Typically in monster tale, usually, monsters characterize as: wicked, unstoppable, destructive, and evil. Surprisingly since birth to young adulthood, Elphaba did not portray a role of any wickedness of a monster expected to be, but a caring person and cares about what she thinks is righteous.

When Elphaba was born, she was expected to be a curse to her family. For example, her father, Frex said, "It's the devil," and "The devil is coming" (Maguire 10). He is very unhappy, cruel, and neglected her ever since birth because of her physical appearance. She gets the center of attention from everyone because of uncommon characteristics such as having green skin, allergenic to water, and having razor-sharp teeth. Even though she portrays a role being the Wicked Witch of the West, she can still be a caring and loving person. When she was a college student, she deeply cares about all animals in the land of Oz and is willing to endanger herself to save them. She saved a monkey from drowning in the w...

... middle of paper ...

...g the Wizard, but it makes a difference to who oppose the idea between gender.

Monsters are always misunderstood and misinterpreted wrongly of the character. We can never be able to classify the monster as being evil or good unless we know the person well enough for judgment or assumption. Our judgment of the character can consist of their personality, behavior, values, conscience, and morals of the character. We know well enough that in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, can cause wrong assumption of our character the Wicked Witch of the West. Now, that we know more, we can use our own judgment to classify if Elphaba is really classified as the Wicked Witch of the West or not? What is our judgment and value to judge such particular character?

Works Cited

Maguire, Gregory. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Harper Collins. New York: 1995.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing the Salem Witch Trials and Modern Satanic Trials

    2443 Words  | 5 Pages

    Rosenthal. Bernard. Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692. Cambridge Mass: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

    Read More

  • Witchcraft in North America between 17th and 21st century

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    “In the Devil’s Snare” New York 2003 Pg 18 6. Dee, Ivan. “A Fever in Salem” New England, 1999. Pg. 68 - 7.

    Read More

  • Hysteria in The Crucible by Arthur Miller and in the Red Scare

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    Robinson, Enders A. & Co. The Devil Discovered: Salem Witchcraft 1692, New York:. Hippocrene Books, 1991. http://www Shrecker, Ellen. A.

    Read More

  • The Morally Ambiguity In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1901 Words  | 4 Pages

    They are characters that the audience can empathize with because a single human is born with nothing but as they walk life they will be neither purely evil nor good but a mix of both. These characters are timeless for if you want to label them as purely evil or purely good it’s impossible because they aren’t. These characters touch upon issues that society are conflicted about and allow the audience to work out these issues for their self throughout the story or play letting us decided the truth within these stories. Like how Mary Shelley had force the reader to see within the heart of the creature and the society viewpoint for us to decide for their self who we thought were the real monsters within the story of Frankenstein. These characters are also seen as more realistic because even if they are the most pure characters the audience may had read about with the purest intentions they may still fallen to their darkness in the end showing that the world isn’t filled with demons or angels that like humans these characters can feel, they can wary and fall to their temptation, that they can still hope, get hurt, cry, feel guilt, depression, happiness, and paranoia. Because like in reality the audiences are living in a morally ambiguous world where most of the world 's solutions to their problem aren’t clear and may be difficulties in choosing what the right thing to do. This makes the story more engaging, realist, and makes it easier

    Read More

  • Othello And Lord Of The Flies Comparison Analysis

    1935 Words  | 4 Pages

    Evil is defined as being profoundly immoral of malevolent. Being faced with evil is can be challenging especially when the person is unaware that it is present. In the Play Othello by William Shakespeare and the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Othello and Ralph are faced with the challenge of evil. Othello is an outsider of Venice coming from South Africa that is sometimes ridiculed based on the color of his skin; yet earned the title of respect with his intelligence, courage, and skills. Othello’s insecurities and him not knowing when evil is looking him straight in the eye, leads him to his down falling. Ralph... Both characters in the beginning act in a moral manner, until the end of the stories when both characters have been

    Read More

  • Tragic Hero in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    A monster can be characterized by an extreme deviation from the normal standards of society including an internal or external wickedness. In the case of Mary Shelley’s Creature, his appearance overwhelms those who lay eyes upon him. A mere glance can send a villager running for the hills. It was not until the Creature caught a glance of his own reflection that he understood why villagers were so afraid of him. The realization of his ghastly appearance began the monster’s journey into hopelessness. In Peter Brooks’ article he writes, “Self recognition as the ‘filthy type’ completes the mirror stage of the Monsters development.” (Brooks 377). Seeing oneself as ugly and slovenly can cast shadows on even the most compassionate of hearts.

    Read More

  • Lusus Naturae Analysis

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    The narrator explains that one night “I frightened two children in the woods, on purpose: I showed them my pink teeth, my hairy face, my red finger-nails, I mewed at them, and they ran away screaming” (Paragraph 25). That situation shows that people are understandably afraid of her, and she knows it. Another situation unfolds that show that even when the Narrator is trying to be friendly and not trying to frighten anybody that she still scares people. This happens when the Narrator reminisces “I detached myself from the brambles and came softly toward him (a man sleeping after having sex with a woman)… He woke up, he saw my pink teeth, my yellow eyes, he saw my black dress fluttering; he saw me running away. He saw where.” (Paragraph 36). This eventually leads to the Narrator’s death as the man then leads the mob of villagers to the Narrator’s house where they kill her.

    Read More

  • Dorian Gray Vs. Frankenstein

    2002 Words  | 5 Pages

    According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, a monster is a “strange or horrible imaginary creature”. But monsters don’t necessarily need to be fictional; even humans can be monsters. The only thing that distinguishes us from fictional monsters are our appearances, human-monsters are hard to detect. Therefore, it’s easy to treat people based on their appearances since the human mind gets deceived by looks.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Iago and Lucifer

    2324 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wicked, dishonorable, corrupt, villainous, malicious, and vicious all have one thing in common: they define evil. A person or a group of people that display these qualities are often defined as evil beings or creatures. Two people that have many of these characteristics developed within them are Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello and Lucifer from the Bible. Both Iago and Lucifer are developed with many “evil” qualities woven intricately into their character development. The representation of each “evil” characteristic gives them something they have in common, allowing the description and portrayal of both Iago and Lucifer in literature show the audience they share common “evil” characteristics and that they lead to chaos and downfall.

    Read More

  • Heroes and Heroines

    2038 Words  | 5 Pages

    Victor Frankenstein created the monster. Victor Frankenstein was the ambitious one who took his experiments too far. A monstrous version of Victor destroyed everything he loved. Elizabeth was sweet and mild. Elizabeth was the innocent who died because of Victor's work gone wrong. Frankenstein would have been a remarkable book if Elizabeth had taken on Victor's part, if Victor had taken on Elizabeth's part, and if the wretch had been female. Imagine Victor staying at home and being the best example of the sweetest nature anyone ever did see. Imagine Elizabeth storming acros the icy mountains after the wretch, and imagine the wretch demanding a husband to be a boon to her, sweet and supportive company when she became tired of the world.

    Read More

  • Frankenstein: Don't Judge a Monster Based on His Appearance

    1505 Words  | 4 Pages

    Do not judge a book by its cover. A famous American proverb that says a person’s character cannot by judged by their appearance. A prime example of this is the monster from Frankenstein. On the outside, he has a terrible appearance but he is a kind soul simply looking for a little compassion. He is a victim however due to his monstrous appearance and is left in bitter misery in the story. Both the book and the play present him as a sufferer in a cruel world but ultimately the book does a better job portraying his pain and creating compassion for him. The monster in the book details his suffering in greater detail, is more eloquent and persuasive and also experiences a more tragic ending and as a result a reader feels more sympathy towards him than an audience member would feel towards the monster in the play.

    Read More

  • Three Apparitions In Macbeth

    82 Words  | 1 Pages

    How can anyone arbitrate if someone is good or evil? Is it by the person’s deeds or behavior? Numerous people pose to be something their not to deceive their peers. Never judge a book by its cover. Does one action define who someone is? In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the lead character Macbeth gallivants down a pernicious path that ends his life and destroys his identity. The three witches, Lady Macbeth, and the three apparitions led to his great downfall and demise.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001.

    Read More

  • The Evil Macbeth

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth is guilty of committing treason against his king and country. He is purely and deliberately driven by dark desire, ambition, and murderous thoughts. As the play continues, it gets easier and easier for Macbeth to commit his heinous crimes. He not only kills the king, but continues to kill various people in order to secure his wrongfully obtained position. Macbeth also has many interactions with witches, who at the time are the definition of evil. One could say that Macbeth and depravity are two sides of the same coin. Macbeth is far more evil than any other character in the play, including Lady Macbeth.

    Read More

  • Essay on Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's Parenting in Pride and Prejudice

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: WW Norton &. Company, 1996.

    Read More

More about Wicked: The Real Elphaba

Open Document