Once upon a time, in the western provinces, there was a wicked witch who ruled with an iron fist. She was feared by all and known for her cruel and merciless ways. The witch had gained her powers from a dark curse and had been wreaking havoc on the land for many years. The people lived in constant fear under her rule, always afraid of incurring her wrath. Any sign of dissent or opposition was swiftly dealt with, often resulting in severe punishment or even death. The witch seemed to delight in the suffering of others, finding pleasure in their pain and misery.
The witch seemed to delight in the suffering of others, finding pleasure in their pain and misery. Her reign of terror extended to all aspects of life. The economy was in shambles, with the witch taxing the people heavily while giving nothing in return.
It’s Not Easy Being Green : An alternate history of the Wicked Witch of the West : WICKED: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, By Gregory Maguire (ReganBooks/HarperCollins: $24; 406 pp.)
Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked” reveals the untold history of the Wicked Witch of the West, including her years as the alienated college roommate of a vain, social-climbing beauty named Glinda. All of which sounds deliciously high camp--like a Charles Busch take on the Oz mythos.
But “Wicked’s” subversive strategy is to suck you in with such juicy pleasures and then hit you with the hard stuff. For “Wicked” is ambitious; it sets out to explore the circumstances that create evil (if evil can even be said to exist). That it does so by utilizing a character from children’s literature, rather than a historical figure, is part of its genius. After all, the Witch is as recognizable to us as any historical tyrant, yet we know her only as evil incarnate, a construction-paper villainess. Can we now, as adults, accept a retrofitted history of how an otherwise well-meaning woman went so wrong--to the point of actually sympathizing with her? (And if we can, what unsettling things can we infer about “absolute” evil in our own world?)
Late in the novel, before our pea-green heroine, here named Elphaba, has any idea that she will one day become a witch, she overhears a traveling companion comment tartly on a folk tale. “To the grim poor there need be no pour quoi tale about where evil arises,” the traveler says, “it just arises; it always is. One never learns how the witch became wicked, or whether that was the right choice for her--is it ever the right choice?” By the end of “Wicked,” we’ve seen that it is indeed the right choice for Elphaba, because the particular brand of evil that has defined her for us--hostility to an entrenched authority--is shown to us in a new light. In Maguire’s Oz, the real evil is the totalitarian Wizard and, to a lesser extent, Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, who is known as the Wicked Witch of the East not because she’s diabolically bad, but because she’s angelically good--she’s horrifically holier-than-thou.
AdvertisementElphaba, by contrast, is self-effacing, a woman who scorns power and claims not not even to have a soul. We meet her first as the deformed infant daughter of a humorless preacher, Frexspar, who tries to convert Munchkinlanders from “paganism” (they believe in the fairy goddess Lurline) to the worship of the “Unnamed God.” Frexspar sees Elphaba’s green skin as that god’s judgment on his failures--or on his promiscuous wife, who’s so addled from chewing narcotic leaf that she can’t remember exactly who fathered Elphaba. For all she knows, it could have been an elf. (We’re clued in to Elphaba’s real sire later, and it’s a shocker.)
We next see Elphaba at the university, being scorned (at least initially) by the spoiled heiress Glinda, with whom she’s forced to room. But during this period, Elphaba takes up the cause of Animal rights--that’s upper-case A, denoting sentient Animals as opposed to dumb animals. (Think of the cowardly cap-L Lion.) The Animals in Oz are being systematically stripped of all civil rights (in a risky parallel to events in our own century), which ultimately sets Elphaba dead against the Wizard.
Later, after a frightening attempt to recruit her to join the Wizard’s side, Elphaba flees to the Emerald City to join an underground extremist group dedicated to toppling the tyrant and restoring Animals to citizenship. But she’s sidetracked by a love affair with an old college chum, now chieftain of the western province of Vinkus (home of the “Winkies”). When he’s killed by police because of the attachment, Elphaba abandons her politics and travels to his craggy homeland to beg forgiveness from his widow. But the widow, while accepting her as a house guest, refuses to hear her petition. Elphaba, unable to depart without clearing her conscience, remains self-exiled in a tower, becoming increasingly witchlike, until the Wizard’s long arm reaches her--and his appointed assassin, Dorothy, arrives. And we all know what happens then. Or rather, we thought we did.
“Wicked’s” flap copy compares it favorably to both J.R.R. Tolkien and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and for once that’s not just P.R. lip flap. Maguire fills in L. Frank Baum’s broad outlines to create a fully realized fantasy realm that coheres politically, culturally, sexually--and magically. It’s a staggering feat of wordcraft, made no less so by the fact that its boundaries were set decades ago by somebody else. (I’d imagine that, quite the opposite, that would’ve made it all the more difficult.) I was devoted to the Oz books when I was young, and it’s thrilling to see the familiar places and personages fleshed out with added literary depth. (One small aside: Although Maguire generally remains faithful to Baum’s books, his Witch and Dorothy owe much more to Margaret Hamilton and Judy Garland. The performances of these two actresses in MGM’s 1939 “Wizard of Oz” movie are apparently too indelibly etched in our communal imagination ever to be effaced, even for literary fealty; I know this is true for me.)
Maguire’s larger triumph here is twofold: First, in Elphaba, he has created (recreated? renovated?) one of the great heroines in fantasy literature: a fiery, passionate, unforgettable and ultimately tragic figure. Second, “Wicked” is the best fantasy novel of ideas I’ve read since Mervyn Peake’s “Gormenghast” or Frank Herbert’s “Dune.” And with its Oz connection, it’s almost certain to sell well. Would that all books with this much innate consumer appeal were also this good. And vice versa.
No one will ever forget that Margaret Hamilton was the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 classic, ‘The Wizard of Oz.’
The once beautiful landscapes were now desolate and barren, as the witch had drained the land of its resources for her own gain. The people yearned for freedom from the oppressive rule of the wicked witch. They dreamt of a day when they could live without fear, when justice would prevail and the witch's power would be broken. However, their hopes seemed futile, as no one had been able to challenge the witch and survive. But one day, a young girl from a distant village decided to take a stand. She had witnessed the devastation caused by the witch and could no longer bear to see her people suffer. The young girl gathered her courage and set out on a journey to confront the wicked witch. Along the way, she encountered many obstacles and faced countless dangers. But the girl persevered, driven by her determination to free her people from the clutches of the wicked witch. She sought out allies in unlikely places, finding strength in the unity of those who had also suffered under the witch's rule. Finally, the day of reckoning arrived. The young girl and her allies made their way to the witch's lair, ready to face whatever challenges awaited them. The battle was fierce, with magic flying and curses being cast. But in the end, it was the girl's bravery and unwavering belief in justice that prevailed. With one final blow, the wicked witch from the western provinces was defeated. The people rejoiced, celebrating their newfound freedom and the end of their suffering. The young girl became a symbol of hope and courage, a reminder that even in the face of the darkest evil, there is always a chance for light to prevail. And so, the tale of the wicked witch from the western provinces serves as a cautionary reminder of the dangers of unchecked power and the importance of standing up for what is right. It teaches us that even the most formidable adversaries can be defeated with determination, unity, and a belief in justice..
Reviews for "The Wicked Witch from the Western Provinces: A Symbol of Feminine Power or Subversion?"
1. John - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with "The wicked witch from the western provinces". The storyline was confusing and lacked depth, leaving me feeling disconnected from the characters. The dialogues were poorly written and felt unnatural. The whole book felt rushed and unfinished. I had high expectations for this book, but unfortunately, it fell short.
2. Emily - 1/5 - I couldn't even finish reading "The wicked witch from the western provinces". The writing style was extremely confusing and the plot made no sense. The characters felt one-dimensional and I couldn't relate to any of them. It's rare for me to not finish a book, but this one was simply unbearable. I would not recommend wasting your time on this novel.
3. Sarah - 2/5 - I found "The wicked witch from the western provinces" to be tedious and uninteresting. The author tried to create a unique fantasy world, but it fell flat. The descriptions were excessive and took away from the actual story. The pacing was slow and it felt like nothing was happening for the majority of the book. I was disappointed with this read and wouldn't recommend it to others unless you enjoy wasting your time on dull and uninspiring novels.
4. Michael - 2/5 - Sadly, "The wicked witch from the western provinces" did not live up to the hype for me. The writing felt amateurish and lacked polish. The plot was predictable and offered no surprises. I struggled to connect with any of the characters and their actions often felt forced and unrealistic. Overall, I found this book to be a lackluster attempt at a fantasy novel that didn't bring anything new to the genre.