I think I've talked about this before with you SER, but I have serious reservations about somebody reimagining characters developed by another person in a way that is canonically inconsistent (although I admit I am a hypocrite on the subject).
This seems to be a convoluted backstory that doesn't really even flit around the margins of the main plot of Oz. Shouldn't it have been the witch of the East that Dorothy kills that we learn more about?
All I know is that the way Black women are relating to Elphaba is going to turn this movie into an all time classic before everything is all said and done.
Respectfully, I disagree. The source material is vital here.
The novel was written during the Clinton administration. The musical tracks the novel closely, which is quite a trick given the sprawl and length of the novel.
Elphaba has been taunted and unloved for her entire life. Glinda is a twit. Arriving at Shiz doesn’t change that for either one.
Glinda offers the tricks to popularity because that’s as deep as a twit gets. As quickly as she’s decided that she hates Elphaba, she’s decided that she likes her. Elphaba, who has already summarized Glinda as “blonde” is likely happy that the bitch has substituted cluelessness for bitchiness, but Elphaba is focused on her own, deeper journey. The ballroom scene is the pivotal moment of the material because Elphaba realizes her vast power and strength and finds her feet. Glinda remains peripheral except that her respect and appreciation for who and what Elphaba is increases dramatically as she watches her emerge.
For the rest of the story, the love between the two witches is equal. Glinda has grown up. Her urging of Elphaba to “fit in” is grounded in a) her growing realization that the power of a witch is as much noise as signal (she knows deep down that Fyero doesn’t love her but she wants to present a perfect, happy life to the people who admire her) and b) her understanding of Elphaba’s grief and readiness to toss everything away because the Wizard is a fraud. Glinda genuinely doesn’t give a rat’s ass what the Wizard is. He’s never been important to her anyway.
There’s an argument to be made that Elphaba’s grief is so deep because her lizard brain recognizes him as her father. That’s certainly possible, because both the novelist and the lyricist makes sure that we know he fathered her, and Glinda doesn’t have that instinctive yearning. Elphaba has been raised by a cold and rejecting father (her mother delivers her and promptly dies) while Glinda has “Popsy” whose name indicates a benevolent figure.
Elphaba is her best friend. Glinda wants her to be happy and for the two of them to be BFF witches and for the devastation of the Emerald City to be behind them. Remember, Elphaba grew up thinking she was repulsive and unlovable, and never considered power or its uses within her grasp; Glinda grew up blonde and rich and shallow and knew instinctively that she’d be a leader. In the modern non-magical world the equivalent would probably be head cheerleader.
Glinda’s view of being a professional witch is entirely transactional. She’ll go around doing good works and looking pretty so hoi polloi will love her and make her their leader.
Of course it’s a fascist allegory, and of course Glinda is oblivious. At Shiz, she’s an idiot. For all we know every blonde witch starts out as an idiot. Elphaba understands the danger because she knows the world is unfair and that people (including talking goats) who are different will always pay. Like many college students she believes that she can do something about it. Like most college students she is wrong about that.
The women become collaborators. Glinda’s jealousy is a near-breaking point but she’s grown to be self-aware enough to know that she was wrong. And as Elphaba says, “There is blame enough to share.”
Elphaba is the Jew of the story; she knows she cannot survive the Shoah without hiding and also protecting Fyero. And Glinda, who loves Elphaba as Elphaba loves her (“Because I Knew You”) knows that she must use her beauty and popularity to protect Elphaba by convincing the bloodthirsty mob that Elphaba is dead.
Glinda is under no delusions about her power and superiority any longer. She’s lying for her friend, like secreting her in her attic, and if her lie is discovered she will be murdered along with Elphaba. And she doesn’t want that to happen *to either of them*, not just herself. She’s knows what the mob is, she doesn’t respect or love them, she’d happily see them all drop dead if she could bring Elphaba back, and her whole life is pretending, to protect her friend. Her grief in the last number is palpable. Most important, she respects and understands and honors Elphaba’s decision not because of condescension but because of love.
It’s a powerful story, multi-layered and beautifully written. Maguire has retold other tales, but never again with this brilliance.
I have all of the English degrees requisite to understand close reading and literary analysis and your interpretation is no less valuable or correct than mine. I want that to be clear.
I just wanted to throw mine out there. Again, with respect.
I guess some of what you wrote is part of part 2. I can agree with both evaluations and probably be correct, because I saw it from a different viewpoint. Thanks for writing.
[After Donald Trump won a second term, many Democrats quickly embraced Glinda’s “popular” theory of politics: We must pursue popularity or we’ll keep losing elections.]
I don't really want to win the approval of the evil or dumb (or both) motherfuckers who voted for Trump. Let them stay in the den of the face eating leopards they have chosen.
Invest the time, emotional commitment, and effort in the people who wanted a better world and were let down by America.
I don't know if that makes me a villain or not.
If you can't save everyone, I'd rather try to save the ones who want to be saved.
“Where I’m from, we believe all sorts of things that aren’t true. We call it ‘history.’
It’s called ‘a lazy media.’
“After Donald Trump won a second term, many Democrats quickly embraced Glinda’s ‘popular’ theory of politics: We must pursue popularity or we’ll keep losing elections.”
Saw Wicked last night. Never saw the play and didn't know what to expect. I was (sort of) able to get past the popular girl BS, the shoddy treatment of the sisters and the blatant prejudice of someone of a different color. But when Wicked devolved into a Trumpian dystopian nightmare - "the best way to bring folks together is with a real good enemy" - through lies and disinformation, that broke me. Your analysis is very solid and encapsulates Glinda beautifully. Thanks for giving me some place to share this.
Fortunately she (spoilers) does redeem herself in part 2.
Okay, I've got to see this movie.
I think I've talked about this before with you SER, but I have serious reservations about somebody reimagining characters developed by another person in a way that is canonically inconsistent (although I admit I am a hypocrite on the subject).
This seems to be a convoluted backstory that doesn't really even flit around the margins of the main plot of Oz. Shouldn't it have been the witch of the East that Dorothy kills that we learn more about?
All I know is that the way Black women are relating to Elphaba is going to turn this movie into an all time classic before everything is all said and done.
I’m already hyped for Wicked 2.
Respectfully, I disagree. The source material is vital here.
The novel was written during the Clinton administration. The musical tracks the novel closely, which is quite a trick given the sprawl and length of the novel.
Elphaba has been taunted and unloved for her entire life. Glinda is a twit. Arriving at Shiz doesn’t change that for either one.
Glinda offers the tricks to popularity because that’s as deep as a twit gets. As quickly as she’s decided that she hates Elphaba, she’s decided that she likes her. Elphaba, who has already summarized Glinda as “blonde” is likely happy that the bitch has substituted cluelessness for bitchiness, but Elphaba is focused on her own, deeper journey. The ballroom scene is the pivotal moment of the material because Elphaba realizes her vast power and strength and finds her feet. Glinda remains peripheral except that her respect and appreciation for who and what Elphaba is increases dramatically as she watches her emerge.
For the rest of the story, the love between the two witches is equal. Glinda has grown up. Her urging of Elphaba to “fit in” is grounded in a) her growing realization that the power of a witch is as much noise as signal (she knows deep down that Fyero doesn’t love her but she wants to present a perfect, happy life to the people who admire her) and b) her understanding of Elphaba’s grief and readiness to toss everything away because the Wizard is a fraud. Glinda genuinely doesn’t give a rat’s ass what the Wizard is. He’s never been important to her anyway.
There’s an argument to be made that Elphaba’s grief is so deep because her lizard brain recognizes him as her father. That’s certainly possible, because both the novelist and the lyricist makes sure that we know he fathered her, and Glinda doesn’t have that instinctive yearning. Elphaba has been raised by a cold and rejecting father (her mother delivers her and promptly dies) while Glinda has “Popsy” whose name indicates a benevolent figure.
Elphaba is her best friend. Glinda wants her to be happy and for the two of them to be BFF witches and for the devastation of the Emerald City to be behind them. Remember, Elphaba grew up thinking she was repulsive and unlovable, and never considered power or its uses within her grasp; Glinda grew up blonde and rich and shallow and knew instinctively that she’d be a leader. In the modern non-magical world the equivalent would probably be head cheerleader.
Glinda’s view of being a professional witch is entirely transactional. She’ll go around doing good works and looking pretty so hoi polloi will love her and make her their leader.
Of course it’s a fascist allegory, and of course Glinda is oblivious. At Shiz, she’s an idiot. For all we know every blonde witch starts out as an idiot. Elphaba understands the danger because she knows the world is unfair and that people (including talking goats) who are different will always pay. Like many college students she believes that she can do something about it. Like most college students she is wrong about that.
The women become collaborators. Glinda’s jealousy is a near-breaking point but she’s grown to be self-aware enough to know that she was wrong. And as Elphaba says, “There is blame enough to share.”
Elphaba is the Jew of the story; she knows she cannot survive the Shoah without hiding and also protecting Fyero. And Glinda, who loves Elphaba as Elphaba loves her (“Because I Knew You”) knows that she must use her beauty and popularity to protect Elphaba by convincing the bloodthirsty mob that Elphaba is dead.
Glinda is under no delusions about her power and superiority any longer. She’s lying for her friend, like secreting her in her attic, and if her lie is discovered she will be murdered along with Elphaba. And she doesn’t want that to happen *to either of them*, not just herself. She’s knows what the mob is, she doesn’t respect or love them, she’d happily see them all drop dead if she could bring Elphaba back, and her whole life is pretending, to protect her friend. Her grief in the last number is palpable. Most important, she respects and understands and honors Elphaba’s decision not because of condescension but because of love.
It’s a powerful story, multi-layered and beautifully written. Maguire has retold other tales, but never again with this brilliance.
I have all of the English degrees requisite to understand close reading and literary analysis and your interpretation is no less valuable or correct than mine. I want that to be clear.
I just wanted to throw mine out there. Again, with respect.
I guess some of what you wrote is part of part 2. I can agree with both evaluations and probably be correct, because I saw it from a different viewpoint. Thanks for writing.
Yes, I think Pt 1 is more Revenge of the Sith than Return of the Jedi.
I have to agree because I’ve never seen either.
[After Donald Trump won a second term, many Democrats quickly embraced Glinda’s “popular” theory of politics: We must pursue popularity or we’ll keep losing elections.]
I don't really want to win the approval of the evil or dumb (or both) motherfuckers who voted for Trump. Let them stay in the den of the face eating leopards they have chosen.
Invest the time, emotional commitment, and effort in the people who wanted a better world and were let down by America.
I don't know if that makes me a villain or not.
If you can't save everyone, I'd rather try to save the ones who want to be saved.
Agree 100%
I’m planning to see the movie soon. I’ve never seen the show. Thank you for the analysis. I think that’ll enhance my viewing.
Haven't seen the movie, but it's worth seeing the show if you appreciate musical theater.
“Where I’m from, we believe all sorts of things that aren’t true. We call it ‘history.’
It’s called ‘a lazy media.’
“After Donald Trump won a second term, many Democrats quickly embraced Glinda’s ‘popular’ theory of politics: We must pursue popularity or we’ll keep losing elections.”
Please refer to point one.
Saw Wicked last night. Never saw the play and didn't know what to expect. I was (sort of) able to get past the popular girl BS, the shoddy treatment of the sisters and the blatant prejudice of someone of a different color. But when Wicked devolved into a Trumpian dystopian nightmare - "the best way to bring folks together is with a real good enemy" - through lies and disinformation, that broke me. Your analysis is very solid and encapsulates Glinda beautifully. Thanks for giving me some place to share this.