Journal #4- Book Review

The engaging novel Wicked revolves around the life’s story of a young lady named Elphaba. In the first chapters of the novel, we learn about Elphaba’s childhood and how her parent’s examples of behaviour may have influenced her character. The next section is about her experiences at Shiz University. It is here that she meets some helpful friends; Galinda, Boq and Fiyero. After her first encounter with the horrible wizard of Oz, she decides to stay in the Emerald city to try and stop his evil-doings. She then worked undercover while having an affair with her university friend Fiyero. The next part of her life is the turn point of her mannerisms. She travels to a place called the Vinkus where she is still undercover, but now as a witch. This is where she will stay with Fiyero’s widow for many years. As explained in these chapters, she discovers her ability to accidentally kill using magic if she is angered at someone and she officially becomes the wicked witch of the West. The last section of the story is her encounter with Dorothy, they alien girl from another world and how the death of her sister might be the end of her.

There are many main characters that arise at different points in the novel. Elphaba who is the main character, she is a very smart and kind person at heart, though she was destined to be a witch, so this fades into evil later on. Galinda was Elphaba’s roommate when they attended Shiz. She is a very posh girl that is almost the complete opposite of Elphaba. Boq was a boy that went to Shiz University as well; he is a very sweet boy who just so happened to have a crush on Galinda. Nessarose (Elphaba’s sister) I believe is the final main character; she had a very important role in moving the plot along though she was not talked about as often as other characters. For example, her death was the final push to turn Elphaba into the wicked witch that she ended up to be. She is a very thoughtful and holy girl that is much attached to her sister though she doesn’t always get these feelings back. These are all very realistic characters that behave as we do. I cannot say that I like every main character in the novel, but I like most of them.

I believe that the novel Wicked is trying to tell us is that it doesn’t matter what life throws your way. It matters what you do with those things. Elphaba didn’t have to be evil just because she was cursed to be a witch. She could have used those powers to be good, like Galinda. Instead she uses them to be a vile person that only ends up being her own worst enemy.

I enjoyed the book because it was a good adventure to get gripped into. It created a good mental picture of how things might look in your head. It affected me by making me realize that bad experiences shouldn’t make you do wrong things in return. Elphaba had to learn this lesson over the course of her life. She never quite realized that she had made this mistake, but she did experience the consequences of it at the end of the novel when her friends/family turned on her or left her in some way.

Disscussion #4 - Summarizer

This week’s reading (all of Gilikin) starts us off where Elphaba and Galinda get settled into Shiz University. Galinda is a very posh girl, quite the opposite of Elphaba and so they have a hard time becoming friends at first. It was seen as a tragedy when Galinda’s chaperone had her foot impaled by a rusty nail on their travels to the University because this would mean that she would have to room with Elphaba. Even though Galinda sees Elphaba as social suicide, over the course of the first year they finally connect and learn to deal with each-other.

In current issues, there is one teacher that Elphaba has for a science class named Dr. Dillamond. The problem arising is that the new man in power of Oz (the wizard) feels that Animals should be seen and not heard and Dr. Dillamond happens to be an Animal, not an animal. All of his research has been trying to convince the wizard that Animals are just as much a being as humans.

Another issue socially facing the two girls is that they have a friend named Boq. He happens to be very fond of Galinda but however he is a lowly Munchkinlander and her a Gilikinese. In the Gilikinese culture, it is not proper to see anyone but another Gilikinese. He would also not pass her ‘standards’ of a proper boy- though he is very sweet and kind.

The next crisis for the young men and women at Shiz is that Dr. Dillamond is murdered, though the story is covered up. No-one is sure who the murderer is because the cover story is that he slipped and self inflicted the death. Elphaba, Galinda and Boq all suspect that it had something to do with the fact that he is an Animal.

These chapters also hold the first appearance of Nessarose. ‘Nessie’ is Elphaba’s crippled sister. Though she can walk, she has no arms. She is very sweet and kind and also very religious; just like her father. Her appearance is surprisingly beautiful, so Galinda approved. Nanny is the one that was designated to take care of her as she has no way to take care of herself as others could.

The final push for the girls to do something about the current issue happened shortly after Ama Clutch’s death (Galinda’s chaperone.) They rode away in a carridge into the Emerald City. They ended up seeing the wizard about Dr. Dillamond, though he refused to listen. Elphie decided that she would not stay at Shiz University with the evil Mme Morrible, so she stayed in the Emerald city without Galinda; she went back.