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Overall Premise
Wicked, written by Gregory Maguire, is about the life of the witch. The setting takes place all over Oz. We get to know a bit about the Good Witch(Glinda), her father(Frex), mother(Melena), sister(Nessarose), brother,(Shell) and many others. I chose this book because I heard the musical was great, and I was curious if the book was good. -
Event 1-The Wicked Witch of the West is born
When Melena—the mother—was pregnant, Frex—the father—had to go into town because he was a priest and deliver a message his brother had sent him about the Clock of the Time Dragon. His brother told him after the show it put on, his whole town was robbed. Then the Time Dragon showed up, and during the show, Melena goes into labor and has Elphaba. This propels the action because it tells us the beginning of how the Witch came to be. Thinking-I've wondered how the Witch came until after reading this -
Event 3- Turtle Heart
Turtle Heart is a glassblower and a Quadling. Quadlings were considered lyers and thieves, but Turtle Heart came to Munchkinland because the government was building the Yellow Brick road to Emerald City. While Frex is away, Turtle Heart and Melena are alone together with Elphaba, but they leave her be and did their own personal needs. I thought this information was important because it showed us what Melena is willing to do behind her husband's back. Thinking- Will Frex ever find out? -
Event 4 - College
At the beginning of the new section, we change views to the Glinda who is the good witch. Glinda's chaperone hurt herself on the way, so when Glinda got to the college, the girls with their chaperones were seperated into roommates while the ones who didn't have one shared a room with another person. Since Glinda's chaperone wasn't there, Glinda had to share a room with Elphaba. Over time, they became friends. Thinking-I wondered if the good and the bad witch knew each other before Dorothy came. -
Event 5 - Madame Morrible
Madame Morrible is the principal at the College that Elphaba and Glinda go to—Shiz. During the funeral of Glinda's chaperone, Madame Morrible askes Glinda, Elaphaba, and Elaphba's younger sister, Nessarose, to be part of the government of Oz. Madame Morrible had an influence on Elphaba's life because Glinda and Elaphba went to see how the Wizard like. Elaphba, not liking him, decided to drop out of Shiz and move to Emerald City, leaving everyone. Thinking- Why was she only adressing the three? -
Event 6 - Fiyero Tiggular
Fiyero Tiggular is a prince from Vinkus, and he followed Elphaba into her home. Since Elphaba hasn't been with her friends, Fiyero tells her what he knows. After a couple of weeks of being together, they start an affair (Fiyero was married at the age of 7). While Elphaba is away Fiyero is killed by the Wizard's police force. Eventually, we learn the Fiyero is the Scarecrow. Because of her love for him, Fiyero is very important to her. Thinking- The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. -
Event 7 - Kiamo Ko
Kiamo Ko is the castle that Fiyero lived in. This part of the story, we get to learn about his wife and kids. When Elphaba arrives at the castle, she wants to tell Sarima that she was in an affair with Fiyero, but Sarima didn't want to hear anything about his death. After studying magic, Elphaba leaves when Sarima's family is arrested for setting up the police force. This propels the story because it's giving us a hint that the she is going to use magic. Thinking- When will she use magic? -
Event 8 - House from the Sky
This is when Dorothy comes into play. When her house landed, it crashed and killed Nessarose. When Elphaba goes to her funeral, she talks with Glinda. Glinda tells her about Dorothy, and that she gave her the slippers and casted a spell to protect Dorothy. Furious, Elphaba tries to get the shoes, but Dorothy is with the Wizard. The Wizard commands Dorothy to kill the Witch. As a result, thinking the Scarecrow is Fiyero, Elphaba guides Dorothy to her castle. Thinking- What will she do to Dorothy? -
Event 9 - Dinner with the Guest
When Dorothy gets to the castle, Elphaba made dinner for them to eat. While talking, Elphaba realizes that her and Dorothy are much alike because they have been misunderstood by people. Elphaba brings Dorothy into tower and asks for the slippers, but Dorothy tells her she can't take them off. Dorothy asks for forgiveness. Thinking- Elphaba asked for forgiveness from Sarima, but was never able to. -
Event 10 - Accidental Death
When Elphaba accidentally caught herself on fire, Dorothy spotted a bucket of water, and she throws the water at Elphaba. Instead of helping Elphaba, Dorothy accidentally killed the her. This is important because we know why Elphaba never liked water, and we learned if the death was on purpose or accidental. Thinking- The movie and book are alike when the Witch dies. -
Reflection
I thought the book was good. I had to be mature at certain points of the book. I would only recommend this book to those I know who can be mature when it comes to the subject. After reading the book, I really want to see the musical now, just to see what changed. At certain times though, the wording was unusual, so I got kind of confused. Overall, I think the book was good to read.
