Wicked

So amid all the school work that I've had to do, I managed to read Wicked by Gregory McGuire. Hmmmm... Not a huge fan. It was an interesting read. The plot focused around trying to define what was really wicked. It gave a new dressing to the story of the Wizard of Oz portraying the Wicked Witch of the West as a victim of her upbringing and of society's odd treatment of her because of her green skin. It was a mind-broadening take on the original story, but perhaps I'm far too romantic to appreciate the message the author was trying to get out.



I did find it interesting how the author implied that evil is manifested when someone pretends to be good or puts forth a good front but has selfish or less than virtuous intentions. But I wasn't won over by the stoic and martyr-esque persona of Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West). Yes, at times I felt pity for her, but I didn't identify with the person who had become skeptical and even cynical with the world. Maybe I have rose colored glasses on, but I believe that the Aristotlean mean of moderated virtues (not heroic dramaticism and not pessimistic cynicism) is of more benefit to man to emulate than of making a statement through extremes. And I just can't accept the proposition that people are to a considerable extent a product of their enviroment. I say, only if they choose to be. I choose not to and I've changed, so I can't agree with McGuire's point. Then again, I don' have green skin.

In addition, the Babylon-esque level of morality was a turn off. Sure sex is a part of life, but I have no interest in reading about others' experiences with it, thank you very much. And it was pretty base descriptions -- not just uncomfortable descriptions. Worth skipping a few pages.

I've heard some of the music from the musical Wicked, and that sounds somewhat interesting. I'll have to listen again after having read the story to see what I think. I'm not sure how true to the book the musical is.

So yes, the world doesn't have a happy ending to every story. Still, I'm not convinced that reading stories with tragic endings makes me an incrementally better person than reading stories with happy endings.

So there you have my opinion. Take it or leave it.