Kathy+West+Literary+Paper

Katherine West English 3391 Dr. Dail March 8, 2009 When readers first meet Elphaba in Wicked, her characteristics imply that she is very different. It is revealed that she has green skin, sharp teeth, crude behavior, and an allergy to water, not your typical Munchkin Lander baby. Evil is implied early on when it is revealed that her physical abnormalities are likely a result of her Mom’s bad behavior. Elphaba’s differences cause her to be treated differently, not only by others around her, but also her family. The way Elphaba is treated throughout //Wicked// scars her for life. Do these scars bring about good or evil in Elphaba, also known as, The Wicked Witch of the West? Elphaba is obviously different and her Mom struggles with this, but her father tries to treat her as normal as possible, until Nessarose comes along. Early on in her life, Elphaba is shunned in favor of her sister, who also has an abnormality, but at least her skin is not green. The fact that Nessarose is pious and Elphaba has no religion further complicates things. Nessarose is seen as beautiful in her father’s eyes. Elphaba has never been seen as beautiful. Thus, the first scar in Elphaba’s life. This scar becomes deeper when Elphaba goes away to college and is treated poorly by the other girls at Shiz University, but on the surface Elphaba seems to “hold her own.” She has an on again, off again relationship with her roommate Galinda, that mistreats Elphaba more often than not. After a few years at Shiz, Nessarose arrives and later receives a pair of jeweled slippers from their father. Elphaba received nothing. These slippers become a point of contention between the sisters and the scar runs deeper, maybe even to Elphaba’s soul. Will these scars lead to evil deeds by Elphaba? When Elphaba realizes the mistreatment and disdain for The Animals, we see the compassionate side of Elphaba. Could this be a result of her very own mistreatment in her life? She advocates for The Animals and goes to great lengths to seek justice for The Animals, but meets resistance from the political power head, The Wizard. Elphaba’s passion for The Animal’s tends to make her a more sympathetic character. A character we can better relate to and feel compassion for. Her scars are deep, but they are helping her to help others. We also see that despite her scars, Elphaba is capable of love. She meets up with Fiyero, who is now married, in the midst of her activist days and has a lustful, sexual encounter with him. Despite the good she is attempting to do with her life, he is murdered as a result of her cause. The murder of Fiyero causes her to run and hideaway in a convent. This is quite ironic because she has fled from piety her entire life. Elphaba finds herself in despair, bearing even more scars. Will her wounds ever heal? Next, Elphaba continues her obsession with finding a connection between The Animals and humans. This obsession causes her to neglect the one that is closest to her, her son Liir. She had always longed for a close family, but now she was missing that opportunity in the name of helping The Animals. Despite her effort to help The Animals, and others she never really finds peace. Her unrest is a result of human tragedy, politics, social upheaval and the pure evil she has endured from others because she is different. Her scars cover her body, inside and out. Finally, a falling house inhabited by Dorothy kills Nessarose. Elphaba’s old friend and roommate Glinda, gives the slippers to Dorothy to help her find her way home. This act enrages Elphaba. Once again, Elphaba’s past and dysfunctional relationship with the Wizard causes her actions to become more desperate and resort to desperate measures to defeat the Wizard and retrieve the slippers. Dorothy simply wants to return home and ask forgiveness for killing Elphaba’s sister, but Elphaba does not feel any compassion at this point for Dorothy. After years of mistreatment and good deeds gone bad, Elphaba is accidentally doused with water by Dorothy and dies. Her miserable life has ended. Elphaba is somewhat of a tragic hero that begins life under difficult circumstances that haunt her for the rest of her life. She tries to overcome her sad life by helping The Animals and others, but it was not meant to be. Elphaba’s scars are just too deep and affect her inside and out. She never overcomes the tragedies in her life and winds up resorting to evil to retrieve what is rightfully hers, the jeweled slippers. The slippers represent so much of the turmoil in Elphaba’s life and tragically she dies before she retrieves them. Elphaba tries desperately to do good in her life, but just can’t seem to overcome the scars on her physical and emotional body.