Wicked (Maguire novel) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wicked

First edition
Author	Gregory Maguire
Illustrator	Douglas Smith
Cover artist	Douglas Smith
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Wicked Years
Genre	Fantasy
Publisher	ReganBooks
Publication date	1995
Media type	Print (hardback)
Pages	560
ISBN	0-06-039144-8
OCLC	32746783
Dewey Decimal	813/.54 20
LC Class	PS3563.A3535 W5 1995
Followed by	Son of a Witch

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is a fantasy novel published in 1995. It was written by Gregory Maguire and has illustrations by Douglas Smith. This book is the first in The Wicked Years series. Other books in the series include Son of a Witch (2005), A Lion Among Men (2008), and Out of Oz (2011).

Wicked tells a different, darker version of the classic story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It explores the characters and places from the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film. The book is like a biography of the Wicked Witch of the West, who is named "Elphaba" in this story. It follows Elphaba from her birth through her school years and later life. Maguire shows this character, usually seen as a villain, in a way that makes readers understand her. The story looks at why people do bad things and whether people are born good or bad. It also explores ideas like spreading false information and finding meaning in life.

In 2003, Wicked was turned into a popular Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. This musical was then made into a two-part movie series. The first movie was released in November 2024. The second movie is expected in November 2025.

How the Book Was Created

In the early 1990s, Gregory Maguire started thinking about why people do bad things. He wondered if being called "evil" could make someone act that way. He thought about how people might just give up trying to be good if everyone always called them bad names.

Maguire, who usually wrote children's books, found it hard to write about evil. He felt that children's books often showed villains as simple, one-sided characters. Then, he had a big idea: he could write about the Wicked Witch of the West. He had always loved The Wizard of Oz book and film. He decided to tell the Witch's life story in a grand way, like the novels of Charles Dickens.

Story Summary

The story begins in the Land of Oz. A minister's wife, Melena Thropp, gives birth to a daughter named Elphaba. Elphaba has green skin, sharp teeth, and is afraid of water. The book describes Elphaba's difficult childhood. Later, it shows her at Shiz University with her roommate, Galinda. Galinda later becomes Glinda.

At Shiz, Elphaba and Galinda learn that Oz has many political problems. The headmistress, Madame Morrible, suggests they work with her to help fix things. Elphaba wants to take more direct action. She and Glinda go to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard. They try to explain their concerns to him. When the Wizard doesn't listen, Elphaba decides to act on her own. She goes into hiding and joins a secret group working against the Wizard.

Five years later, Elphaba meets her old schoolmate Prince Fiyero again. He is now married with children. Elphaba and Fiyero start a secret relationship. Elphaba tries to stop Madame Morrible. During this time, Fiyero is caught in Elphaba's hideout and killed by the Wizard's secret police. Elphaba blames herself for his death. She then hides in a convent. Seven years later, she visits Fiyero's family at their castle, Kiamo Ko. She hopes they will forgive her. She brings a boy named Liir, who might be her son with Fiyero. Fiyero's family lets her stay, but his wife Sarima won't forgive her. While there, Elphaba finds the Grimmerie, a book of spells. She starts to study magic and becomes known as a witch.

Elphaba's father asks her to help her sister Nessarose. Nessarose has also become a witch and taken Elphaba's family position as ruler of Munchkinland. Elphaba is tired of being used by others and doesn't want to rule. She gives up her claim to the position. Nessarose promises Elphaba her special silver shoes after she dies. When Elphaba returns to Kiamo Ko, she finds that the Wizard's troops have captured Fiyero's family.

Seven years later, a storm hits Munchkinland. A farmhouse falls on Nessarose and kills her. The farmhouse carries a little girl named Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto. Elphaba and Glinda meet again after many years, soon after Nessarose's death. Elphaba learns that Glinda sent Dorothy away with Nessarose's shoes. Glinda feared the shoes' power would cause a war in Munchkinland. Elphaba is very angry because the shoes were hers by right. She worries the Wizard will get them and use them to gain more power.

Elphaba meets the Wizard. She begs him to release Fiyero's family in exchange for the Grimmerie. The Wizard explains that he killed them all except for Fiyero's daughter Nor, whom he keeps as a servant. He tells Elphaba he is from a different world, the same world the Grimmerie comes from. He says he is not bound by Oz's laws. Elphaba then goes to find the elderly Madame Morrible to try and stop her, but discovers Madame Morrible had just died. After hitting the old woman's body in anger, Elphaba learns from a magical clock that the Wizard is her biological father. This means she is from two different worlds and will never truly fit in anywhere. She returns to Kiamo Ko. Liir tells her that soldiers nearby said the Wizard sent Dorothy and her friends to kill Elphaba.

When Dorothy and her friends arrive at Kiamo Ko, Dorothy tells Elphaba that the Wizard sent her to "kill the Wicked Witch of the West." But Dorothy came to apologize for killing Nessarose. Elphaba is furious that Dorothy is asking for forgiveness, something she herself has been denied. Elphaba waves her burning broom in the air and accidentally sets her skirt on fire. Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her to save her. Dorothy does not know that Elphaba is allergic to water. The water melts Elphaba away.

Dorothy returns to the Wizard with a green bottle. The Wizard recognizes it as a potion he used on Melena years ago. He quickly leaves the Emerald City for his own world. He leaves just hours before a group would have taken over and killed him. The book ends with political chaos in Oz.

Main Characters

• Elphaba Thropp: She is the main character of the book. Elphaba is a green-skinned girl who becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West. Later, it is revealed that she is the Wizard's daughter. L. Frank Baum did not name the Wicked Witch of the West in his books. Maguire created the name Elphaba from Baum's initials, LFB.
• Galinda Arduenna Upland (later Glinda): Elphaba's roommate at Shiz University. She later becomes the Good Witch of the North. At first, she dislikes Elphaba, but they become close friends.
• Nessarose Thropp: Elphaba's younger sister. She becomes known as "the Wicked Witch of the East." Nessarose was born without arms. She is very beautiful and more liked than Elphaba, which makes Elphaba feel jealous.
• Fiyero Tigelaar: The prince of the Arjiki tribe. He meets Elphaba at Shiz. Later, he has a secret relationship with her while she is part of a group fighting the Wizard.
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The main bad guy in the book. The Wizard is a human who came to Oz from Earth in a hot air balloon. He was looking for the Grimmerie. But he realized he could take over the government and gain power for himself.
• Madame Morrible: The headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University, where Elphaba and Galinda study. She is also a powerful person behind the scenes in Ozian politics.
• Dr. Dillamond: Elphaba's favorite professor and mentor at Shiz. He is a Goat. He is later killed as part of the Wizard's plan against talking Animals.
• Melena Thropp: The mother of Elphaba, Nessarose, and their brother Shell.
• Frexspar: Melena's husband. He is a traveling minister and the father of Elphaba, Nessarose, and Shell.
• Shell: Elphaba and Nessarose's younger brother.

Main Ideas

Understanding Different People

According to author Gregory Maguire, Wicked is mostly about understanding someone who is treated as an outsider. The Gazette newspaper called Wicked "a warning story." It shows what happens when society decides to label anyone different as "evil."

Before writing Wicked, Maguire wanted to look at why people do bad things from the point of view of someone considered bad. He noticed that in the original Oz stories, the Wicked Witch of the West was shown as a typical "witch in her castle." Her only trait was being wicked. The novel asks if badness is something you are born with or something you learn. Elphaba is an outcast even though she comes from a good family. This makes her wonder how much control she has over her own life.

Spreading Ideas and Fighting Back

Rebecca Onion, writing for The American Experience, said Wicked is "a long thought about power and politics." Maguire has pointed out that the words "wicked" and "Hitler" sound similar. He said it was "no accident" that he chose this title. He remembered reading a newspaper headline in 1991 that compared Saddam Hussein to Adolf Hitler. He felt how powerful it was to spread ideas to influence people. Maguire wanted to "look at the language and ideas used to gather force against people or groups who might have been against a war." In the book, one of the Wizard's main goals is to control talking Animals. Madame Morrible helps spread this idea using a type of moral poem. Elphaba immediately sees this as a way to influence people.

The website Tor noted that groups using violence to achieve political goals, both by and against the government, are important in the second half of the book. The Wizard has a secret police force that uses violence to carry out his strict plans. Elphaba also uses violence to fight them, though she tries to avoid harming children.

Finding Life's Purpose

Maguire, who is Catholic, remembered the nuns who taught him in school. He admired their strong sense of purpose and dedication. He said their honesty and mystery made them seem like witches to him. Elphaba finds her own purpose as a student at Shiz University. When her favorite professor, Dr. Dillamond, is killed, it inspires her to join the fight for Animal rights. As the story goes on, she becomes more dedicated to her cause. She even becomes a political exile for her beliefs.

A New Look at Old Stories

Wicked is a story that retells The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Independent newspaper compared it to other books that revisit famous stories. These books question the originals while also showing affection for them. While earlier authors accepted the moral ideas of the Oz stories, Wicked loves the originals but also questions everything they stood for. Maguire shows a villainous character in a way that makes you feel for her. He tells her life story and helps the reader understand how "an innocent, if rather green and biting child" can become "a still moralistic fighter." He also changed the Land of Oz itself. He turned what he saw as a small, isolated world into one where different groups and their political plans meet and mix.

Adaptations

The Musical

In 2003, the novel was turned into the Broadway musical Wicked. Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics, and Winnie Holzman wrote the script. Universal Pictures produced the musical, and Joe Mantello directed it. Wayne Cilento created the musical staging. After Broadway, the musical had long runs in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in the United States. It also played in London, Germany, and Japan. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won three. It is the 4th longest-running Broadway show ever, with over 7,400 performances. The original Broadway show starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda.

Unproduced TV Show

In 2009, Maguire said he had sold the rights to ABC to make a TV show based on Wicked. This show would not be a musical. In 2011, Entertainment Weekly reported that ABC would work with Salma Hayek to create a TV miniseries based only on Maguire's novel. However, this miniseries was never made.

Movies

In September 2010, Filmshaft reported that Universal Pictures was starting to work on a movie version of the stage musical. In December 2012, after the success of Les Misérables, Marc Platt, who also produced the stage version, announced the movie was happening. He later confirmed the movie was planned for a 2016 release. In 2016, Universal announced the movie would be released on December 22, 2021, with Stephen Daldry directing. Production stopped during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. Daldry then left the project due to other commitments. Jon M. Chu replaced him as director. Cynthia Erivo was cast as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Galinda. Jonathan Bailey was cast as Fiyero. To tell the story fully and make sure no important parts were cut, the movie was split into two parts.

The first movie of the two-part adaptation was released on November 22, 2024. It was successful with critics and audiences. It also received ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The second part, Wicked: For Good, will be released on November 21, 2025. The movie series has now become its own media franchise. Theme park rides based on the movies are being developed at Universal Destinations & Experiences. Future movies are also being considered.

Graphic Novel

In March 2025, William Morrow Paperbacks will publish the first part of a graphic novel version of Wicked. It will have illustrations by Scott Hampton.

See also

In Spanish: Wicked: Memorias de una bruja mala para niños