The Yellow Brick Road Is Paved With Lies

The Wicked Witch of the West. A name that has been synonymous with the word evil for nearly a century. But, what if there was more to the old hag then just that sickly green skin and that hideous cackle? Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire is a novel that explores just that. The book is centered around the life of Elphaba Thropp, a clever and witty girl who is cursed with green skin, and her relationships with many of the characters from L. Frank Baum’s original masterpiece The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, including the Wicked Witch of the East, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and Glinda the Good. Maguire’s story delves into how each of these characters became some of the most well known names in fictional history. Despite what may be expected, this novel is twisted, dark and goes far beyond a pair of ruby slippers. The story that Maguire crafts explores philosophical quandaries such as what the true nature of evilness is, whether or not people are born evil, and if good and evil are that much different. Just as well the novel alludes to more relevant topics such as the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement.

When people mention names such as Glinda, or the Scarecrow, or even the Cowardly Lion our minds go straight to that dandy, old, technicolor-movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. However, in Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel some of our favorite characters take on some new, intense roles. In Wicked the protagonist is Elphaba Thropp. Nothing about Elphaba is average. She is smart, surprisingly kind, headstrong and of course, green. Her most apparent goal in the
novel is to gain equal rights for Animals in Oz. (Animals are animals in Oz who possess souls and therefore can think and speak just as humans, but are widely discriminated against by the citizens of Oz. They are distinguished in the book by a capitol letter at the beginning of the word i.e. “goat” vs. “Goat”.) Galinda (who later becomes Glinda), is presented as an heiress who cares more about roles in society and wealth than about national issues or even friendships. Her life becomes intertwined with Elphaba’s when they accidentally become roommates at Shiz University. Maguire is able to breathe life into the story-less characters we’ve all grown up knowing. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was adapted into the musical smash-hit simply known as Wicked. The show, originally starring Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda, is an astounding example of new musicals, however readers should not expect the same opportunistic attitude to be found in the book. The musical, for a lack of better words, is more “Disneyfied”. It follows the plot that Maguire created very loosely and somewhat censors the original text. In contrary, the novel is much more warped and carries a deeper meaning that attempts to answer some tough life questions.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire is much more than just a story about a witch going to college. In his novel Maguire applies reason and logic to the old good vs. evil debate, in order to attempt to reach a further understanding. He does this through his use of the character Elphaba. Elphaba symbolizes humanity, and the internal struggle of knowing whether oneself is good, or if one is evil. True, her struggle might be more outright and apparent then the majority of us, however this does not dilute the message that it conveys; wickedness is not something we are born with. The book examines the roots of evil, whether or not it is an entity on its own or a characteristic that is defined by human action. One of the key ways Maguire explores this is through the use of religion. He models several religions that he uses in the book from real world ones such as catholicism, protestantism, and even libertinism. While discussing it in terms of make-believe, Gregory Maguire is able to push forth real views on life, how we choose to live it and what the consequences from those choices might be. This novel not only discusses serious life questions through use of religion, but also alludes to real world events in order to further project it’s points.

Gregory Maguire’s novel takes on a serious tone. He turns the land of Oz that was once the essence of childhood fantasies into a corrupt, perverted world that closely mirrors Hitler’s Nazi Germany. In the novel, the Wizard turns out to not actually be so wonderful, but rather he is seen as being much more of a dictator type. One line that comes to mind when thinking of this character in fact, comes from the musical, Wicked. Elphaba has just discovered that the Wizard is not as good as he seems to be, and in reply to her accusations and ridicule he simply says, “Where I’m from, the best way to bring people together is to give them a really good enemy”. This statement rings with truth and applies to how the Wizard rules Oz in the novel. Throughout history we can find examples of this, for instance Hitler. When Hitler rose to power in Germany, he united Germans by giving them a common enemy; Jews...the mentally incapacitated...homosexuals...the list goes on. He instilled in the Germans that they were obviously better, and therefore did not need to live with these lesser, sub-humans. The Not-So-Wonderful Wizard does exactly the same. He creates propaganda against the Animals, telling the good citizens of Oz how they are weak, and do not deserve the same privileges as the mightier Ozians. The Wizard is able to distract Ozians from what is really happening in the country with this “need” for Animals to be completely separated from life in Oz, so that Oz could progress as a society. Just as well, this is how Maguire is able to relate the story to the Civil Rights Movement. Just as African-Americans and other minorities fought discrimination, the Animals of Oz attempt the same. This is where Elphaba comes in, acting as an extreme advocate of Animal rights and equality. Gregory Maguire displays his enchanting ability to demonstrate political views and opinions in his novel, without ever taking away from the text.


Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire is a novel that captivates readers with its relevance to real-world issues, and its audacity to answer the more complex life questions in a more than, lets call it sassy, tone. Overall, readers will walk away from this novel not only satisfied, but begging for more. It perfectly ties together drama, fantasy, comedy, and even a little romance. This novel is handcrafted for the reader who has ever felt like the, if you will forgive the expression, green one. Elphaba shows us to defy the status-quo, and stand for what we believe in, in this more than cruel world we live in. Maguire’s masterpiece impresses upon us that there just might have been a little bit more behind her famous last phrase, “Oh, what a world! What a world!”.