The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones

Author
Alice Sebold

Title
The novel's title stems from a line toward the end of the novel, in which Susie ponders her friends' and family's newfound strength after her death:

"These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections —
sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent — that
happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold
the world without me in it. The events my death brought were merely the bones of
a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The
price of what I came to see as this miraculous lifeless body had been my life."

Synopsis
On December 6, 1973 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, Susie Salmon takes a shortcut home from her school. She is approached by a neighbor, George Harvey, a man in his mid-30s who lives alone and builds dollhouses for a living. He persuades her to enter an underground den he has recently built nearby. He claims that he built it for the kids in the neighborhood. Once she enters, he rapes her and then murders her, dismembering her body and putting it in a safe. Susie's spirit flees toward her personal heaven.

The Salmon family is at first reluctant to accept that Susie has been killed, but then accepts this when Susie's hat was found. The police talk to Harvey, find him odd but see no other reason to suspect him. Jack, Susie's father, becomes suspicious and later begins to obsess about Harvey. Susie's sister Lindsey comes to share these suspicions. Jack, consumed with guilt over not having been able to protect his daughter, remains on extended leave from work and increasingly isolates himself at home. Meanwhile Buckley, the youngest child, tries to make sense of all this as he starts school.

One day late in the summer a detective named Len Fenerman comes to tell the Salmons that the police have exhausted all leads and are dropping the investigation. That night in his study, Jack looks out the window and sees a flashlight in the cornfield. Believing it to be Harvey returning to destroy evidence, he runs out to confront him with a baseball bat. It turns out to be Susie's best friend, Clarissa, and her boyfriend Brian looking for Susie. Brian and Jack struggle, and Brian hits Jack with the bat. As a result he has to have knee replacement surgery. In the wake of this, his wife Abigail begins having an affair with Fenerman, who is a widower.

Still suspicious, Lindsey sneaks into Harvey's house and finds a drawing of the pit, but is forced to leave when Harvey returns prematurely. Sensing danger, Harvey leaves Lansdale as soon as possible and becomes a drifter. A year later the police bulldoze the cornfield and turn up a Coke bottle from the night of the murder with Harvey's and Susie's Connecticut discovers the body of another one of Harvey's victims, and one of Susie's charms nearby. In 1981, a detective in Connecticut links the charm to Susie's murder and calls Fenerman. As they uncover further evidence, the police realize that Harvey is a serial killer who preys on young girls. At about the same time, Susie sees into his traumatic childhood, and develops a grudging pity for her killer.

The following winter Abigail leaves her husband, going to her father's old cabin in New Hampshire and then moving to California, taking a job at a winery. As a result, her alcoholic mother, Grandma Lynn, moves into the Salmons' home to help her son-in-law care for Buckley and Lindsey.

Lindsey and her boyfriend Samuel Heckler become engaged, find an old house in the woods owned by a classmate's father, and decide to fix it up and live there. Sometime after the celebration, while arguing with Buckley, Jack suffers from a heart attack. The emergency prompts Abigail to return from California, but the reunion is tempered by Buckley's lingering bitterness at her for having abandoned him and his father.

Meanwhile, Harvey returns to Norristown, which has become more developed. He explores his old neighborhood and notices the school is being expanded into the cornfield where he murdered Susie. He drives by the sinkhole where Susie's body rests, and where Ruth Connors and Ray Singh are standing. Ruth, an old classmate of Susie's who had felt Susie's spirit go past her after her murder, senses the women Harvey has killed and is overcome. Susie, looking down from heaven, is also overwhelmed with emotion and the two girls exchange positions. Susie, her spirit now in Ruth's body, connects with Ray, who had a crush on Susie in school, and had made plans to go out with her a few days before the murder. Ray senses Susie's presence, and takes advantage of the fact he has Susie back with him for the time being. Susie took the opportunity to fall in love, instead of pursuing her murderer. Afterward, Susie returns to heaven.

She moves on into the larger heaven, still watching earthbound events from time to time. She sees her sister's newborn baby girl, who is named Abigail Suzanne. One day she spies Harvey getting off a Greyhound bus at a diner in New Hampshire in early spring. Behind the diner he sees a young woman and attempts to speak to her, but she rebuffs him. Susie notices some large icicles hanging from the roof, and after the woman leaves, one falls and hits Harvey on the head, knocking him into a nearby ravine and ultimately killing him.

The novel ends with Susie showing us Lindsey's newborn daughter, then tracking away to a newer house where a man has finally found Susie's old charm bracelet. "This little girl's grown up by now," his wife says. "Almost. Not quite," Susie's narrative voice rejoins. "I wish you all a long and happy life."

Characters
Susie Salmon
A 14-year-old girl who is murdered in the first chapter, and narrates the novel from heaven.

Jack Salmon
Susie's father, who works for an insurance agency in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
Abigail Salmon, her mother, whose growing family frustrates her youthful dreams and later has an affair with Detective Len Fenerman.

Lindsey Salmon
Susie's sister, a year younger than she is, thought of as the smartest.
Buckley Salmon, Susie's brother, ten years younger than she is. His unplanned birth forced Abigail to cancel her plans for a teaching career. He sometimes sees Susie while she watches him in her heaven.

Grandma Lynn
Abigail's mother, an eccentric alcoholic who comes to live with her son-in-law and grandchildren after her daughter leaves.

George Harvey
Tthe Salmons' neighbor, who kills Susie and goes unpunished, even though the Salmons come to suspect him, then leaves Lansdale to kill again. Throughout the novel she refers to him as Mr. Harvey, the name she had addressed him by in life.

Ruth Connors
Aa girl Susie went to school with, whom her dead spirit touches as she leaves the earth. She becomes fascinated with Susie, despite barely having known her in her life, and devotes her life to writing about the visions of the dead she sees.

Ray Singh
A boy from India, (via England), the first and only boy to kiss Susie, and later, becomes Ruth's friend. Was first suspected by the police of murdering Susie, but later proves his alibi.

Ruana Singh
Ray's mother, with whom Abigail Salmon sometimes smokes cigarettes.

Samuel Heckler
Lindsey's boyfriend and later her husband.

Hal Heckler
Sameul's older brother who runs a motorcycle repair shop.

Len Fenerman
The police detective in charge of investigating Susie's death and finds her elbow. His wife commits suicide and he later has an affair with Abigail.

Clarissa
Susie's best friend on Earth. Susie explains that she admired Clarissa because she was always allowed to do things Susie was not, like wear platform shoes and smoke. She has a boyfriend named Brian.

Holly
Susie's best friend in heaven. While the text does not say so explicitly, it is implied she is Vietnamese American. She has no accent, although she did on earth, and took her name from Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her own life and death are never expanded upon.

Mr. DeWitt
The boy's soccer coach at school the coach said to him that Susie came to see him last night. Mr. DeWitt encourages Lindsey, a successful athlete, to try out for his team.

Mrs. DeWitt
Mr. DeWitt's wife, an English teacher at Susie's school. She teaches both Lindsey and Susie.

Holiday
Susie's dog.

Personal Reflections
‘The Lovely Bones’ is a touching story about life after death, and the story plots caught my attention immediately after I read the synopsis off the back of the book. It seemed like an enigmatic story, and it amazed me that Alice Sebold, the author, could come up with such a mind-wrecking plot and turn it into a five hundred plus pages book filled with creatively written emotions and sentiments.

One of the main reasons I wanted this book so much because the movie was airing worldwide, and I wanted to read the book before even seeing the trailer online. The story first started with Susie exclaiming that she was already dead, living in her heaven where she got to do everything she liked. It was almost like a dream come true, Susie had everything she ever wanted and wished for –except being alive again.

Watching over her family and friends from heaven, Susie realised how much she missed her life on Earth, and watched woefully at her sister growing up, doing all the things she was never going to be able to do. She watched her family grieve over her death, watched her father lose his mind, her mother turn to another man for comfort, and her sister trying to be a tough cookie even though Susie knew her sister was aching inside.

The way Alice Sebold managed to write so emotionally made me feel sentimental when I was reading the book. Especially after I finished the story, a remaining sourness still lingered in my mind’s corner, reminding me about how Susie coped with her new home, and could still watch Earth despite her absence. ‘The Lovely Bones’ had even inspired me to write my own story of the same genre, and it was indeed hard to imagine my own ideas concerning life after death without copying Alice Sebold’s idea entirely.

This story provided a new perspective towards heaven and its perks, but it was definitely worth the read.

Rating
9/10

Wicked

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch

Author
Gregory Macguire

Plot summary
The novel is a political, social, and ethical commentary on what good and evil really are. It takes place in The Land of Oz, in the years leading to Dorothy's arrival. The story centers on Elphaba, the misunderstood green-skinned girl who grows up to become the notorious Wicked Witch of the West. Gregory Maguire fashioned the name of Elphaba (pronounced EL-fa-ba) from the initials of Lyman Frank Baum, L-F-B. The story is divided into five different sections.

Munchkinlanders
Elphaba is born to Melena Thropp, the granddaughter of the Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland, and Frexspar, an itinerant unionist minister. Frex is the seventh son of a seventh son, and the seventh pastor in his family. Melena married lower than her family's social standing and is unhappy in her marriage. She is known to have many other men in her life. Though it does not become clear until much later, Melena is at some point approached by a mysterious stranger, who gives her a potion called "Miracle Elixir" from a green bottle. He seduces her and nine months later she gives birth to a child, Elphaba, inside a device called The Clock of the Time Dragon, as her husband is attacked by a lynch mob. (The Clock of the Time Dragon is regarded as a religious relic by followers of the "pleasure faith," and recurs as a significant image throughout the novel.)

Melena's husband, Frex, believes the baby is a punishment from the Unnamed God for failing to protect his parishioners, and has Melena's Nanny brought from the Colwen Grounds to take care of the child. In addition to her skin being green, the baby is born with unnaturally sharp milk teeth. Her head is strapped to keep her from biting herself and everything around her. She is also terrified of water.

About a year and a half later, a travelling Quadling glassblower named Turtle Heart visits the home of Melena and Frex. Melena offers him food and drink, and Turtle Heart blows a beautiful glass reflecting ball for Elphaba. With Frex absent for extended periods, preaching to the Munchkinlanders, Turtle Heart and Melena begin a secret affair. When Frex returns, he befriends Turtle Heart (seemingly ignorant of the relationship between the Quadling and his wife), out of both unionist charity (Quadlings, after all, "ranked about as low on the social ladder as it was possible to get and still be human"), religious zeal (Quadlings have no concept of religion, so Frex sees Turtle Heart as a potential convert) and an attraction to Turtle Heart of his own.

At the end of the first part, Melena is pregnant with Elphaba's younger sister Nessarose. It is unknown whether the father is Frex or Turtle Heart. Nessarose, or "Nessa" for short, is born as peach/normal as Elphaba is green but, more importantly, she is disabled. Born without arms, she requires constant supervision and care. Nessarose embraces Frex's zealotry and, thus, she is her father's favourite, to Elphaba's lasting angst. At the close, young Elphaba has a premonition of terrible things to come as a mysterious red balloon arrives in Oz.

Gillikin
The second part opens on a steam train enroute to Shiz, a city in southwestern Gillikin. Two of the train's passengers, Doctor Dillamond and Galinda, are bound for Shiz University. Upon arrival, Dillamond retreats to his professors' quarters and Galinda heads off to Crage Hall, the women's university.

Having lost her chaperone, Ama Clutch, during the train ride to Shiz (Ama Clutch stepped on a rusty nail and stayed behind for medical treatment), Galinda has no one to represent her in the Ama's roommate negotiations. Refusing to bunk with the common girls in the group dormitory (the Pink Dormitory), Galinda is forced to room with seventeen year old Elphaba. Galinda and Elphaba do not get along very well. Elphaba, being green, is not interested in socializing, and Galinda, descended from the noble Arduenna Clan of Gillikin on her mother's side, is more interested in climbing the social ladder than becoming friends with her outcast roommate. Later though, Galinda (after having a fight with her new friends) decides to mock Elphaba by making her wear a hat that she was sure Elphaba would look hideous in. When Elphaba looks pretty in the hat, Galinda says so, partly horrified that she talked to the "green girl." They start talking about evil and Elphaba teaches Galinda how to think. Galinda and Elphaba attend Dillamond's biology lectures.

Doctor Dillamond is a sentient Goat, and part of a minority of talking Animals (distinguished from non-sentient animals throughout the book through capitalization of the 'A' at the beginning of the word) that hold civil rights equal to humans. Dillamond informs the class that, under the despotic reign of the Wizard of Oz, Animals are being discriminated against, treated like regular (non sentient) animals and, in some cases, forced to return to the fields (it should be noted that, as mentioned on the train ride to Shiz, Doctor Dillamond's ancient mother at this time cannot afford to travel first class, and will have to ride in a pen if she wants to visit Dillamond at Shiz). Dillamond's fears that Animal discrimination is becoming widespread are seemingly confirmed by Madame Morrible (whom Elphaba nicknames "Horrible Morrible"), the Headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University, who holds a poetry soiree that turns out to be nothing more than a forum for her propagandizing through use of quells, one of which ends with the following phrase: Animals should be seen and not heard.

Elphaba is drawn to the Animal rights movement early on and she later becomes Dillamond's secretary and lab assistant.

Elphaba becomes friends with a Munchkin boy named Boq (son of Bfee, the Mayor of Rush Margins, which was the town in which Elphaba was born), who develops a crush on Galinda. As she is a tall Gillikinese, and he is a short Munchkinlander, she rebuffs him. He hopes his friendship with Elphaba will bring him closer to Galinda; however, he ends up becoming wrapped up in Elphaba and Dillamond's cause. However, their friendship is shaken when Doctor Dillamond is murdered while on the verge of a great discovery about the genetic similarities between humans and Animals; Galinda's chaperone Ama Clutch witnesses Madame Morrible's wind-up servant Grommetik kill Dillamond, but she is magicked into a false stupor to keep her quiet. Galinda is wracked with guilt over what has happened to Ama Clutch, but it is the murder of Doctor Dillamond that has the most profound impact on her. In his memory, Galinda adopts Dr. Dillamond's mispronunciation of her name, Glinda, and throws herself into her studies, having settled on a course of study in Sorcery, at Madame Morrible's insistence. Glinda and Elphaba become close friends. Boq's crush on Glinda eventually subsides, and they all become friends with a Vinkus Prince named Fiyero, a quiet boy who speaks little English but draws attention by his strange customs and pattern of blue diamond tattoos all across his body, who is new to Shiz, and Elphaba's sister, Nessarose, who is called up to Shiz, ostensibly to bring a new chaperone for Glinda and Elphaba, Nanny. Frex sends his favorite child a "back-to-school" gift, a pair of shoes covered with hand-blown glass beads. Meanwhile, Elphaba carries on the research of deceased Doctor Dillamond in secret.

Over time, Ama Clutch's condition gradually deteriorates and, when it is clear that she is about to die, Glinda tries to use magic to bring her out of her stupor. Her lucidity briefly restored, Ama Clutch tells Glinda that she witnessed Grommetik kill Doctor Dillamond, which he could only have done on the order of Madame Morrible. After Ama Clutch's funeral, Elphaba, Glinda, and Nessarose are almost convinced by Madame Morrible to become silent pawns of the Wizard, so-called "ambassadors of peace": Elphaba will go east, to Munchkinland; Glinda will go further north in Gillikin; Nessarose will go south, to Quadling Country, with no one going west because few people live there. While Elphaba is reluctant to accept this position, Glinda is entranced. When they try to discuss the situation with one another, they find they can't, because they are bound by a spell that prevents them from discussing Morrible's proposition. Unwilling to remain silent, Elphaba decides that something must be done.

She and Glinda travel to the Emerald City, where they meet the Wizard of Oz and plead the case of the Animals. He dismisses their concerns out of hand, and Glinda and Elphaba have no choice but to return to Shiz. However, Elphaba stays behind and sends Glinda back alone, after saying that she cannot see her again. She has decided to take matters into her own hands.

City of Emeralds
Almost five years have passed since Elphaba has seen Glinda, Boq, or any of her friends from college. She lives in the Emerald City now, and is secretly involved in the movement to help free the Animals and get rid of the Wizard of Oz. Fiyero, now a Prince and with children, comes to the Emerald City to settle business with the politicians there. He sees Elphaba praying to a likeness of St. Glinda.

Fiyero follows her to her home, and they reconnect. He discovers she has started to take up magic, and tells her that Nessa has taken a class in sorcery, and Glinda is now a sorceress, and that they miss Elphaba. She and Fiyero begin to have an illicit love affair, and he neglects his wife Sarima, and his children, Irji, Manek, and Nor. The two lovers are at peace, and despite their occasionally conflicting personalities, Elphaba is actually happy with her life for once.

Her life changes one night, when she can finally fulfill her task: kill Madame Morrible. Fiyero follows her, but she cannot complete her task due to a group of children interfering with Elphaba's line of fire. He returns to her apartment to wait for her, where the Gale Force, the Wizard's secret police force who are looking for Elphaba, attack him. He is kidnapped, hauled away and assumed murdered. Elphaba escapes from the City, and runs to a mauntery, where she meets an elderly woman named Yackle, formerly the dame of the Philosophy Club. Yackle takes the now homeless Elphaba, turned mute from grief after Fiyero's murder, under her wing.

In the Vinkus
Having been unconscious for almost a year, and then a nun for six more years, Elphaba goes to the Vinkus, the land where Fiyero was prince, and meets his wife and children. Elphaba brings along a boy named Liir, to whom she claims no relation, and stays at the castle Kiamo Ko for a year and a half or so. She attempts to tell Sarima, Fiyero's wife, of their affair, but Sarima refuses, saying she does not want to talk about her late husband. Fiyero's family, Elphaba, and Liir unexpectedly become a family unit, and are joined by Nanny after some time. While staying at the castle, Elphaba also discovers a mysterious book of spells which she calls a 'Grimmerie', and begins to study its contents. However, when Manek, one of Sarima's sons, convinces Liir during a game of hide and seek to hide in a well and leaves him there, Liir nearly dies, and Elphaba's anger at Manek makes an icicle fall on him and kills him. The experience makes Elphaba realize that she has motherly feelings for Liir, but she finds that her newfound warmth is not reciprocated. Liir claims that while in the well a Fish told him he was Fiyero's son.

Sarima becomes upset and grieves, and the family starts to fall apart. Elphaba gets a letter from her father Frex, asking her to come help him with Nessarose, who has taken Elphaba's position of Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland. When she arrives, he asks her to help him talk to Nessa, whom Elphaba discovers has become a witch, called the Wicked Witch of the East. Elphaba leaves after Nessa promises to give Elphaba the infamous ruby slippers after she dies (Glinda enchanted them to allow her to walk without help). When she returns, she finds everyone gone except Nanny. Nanny explains that the soldiers who were staying in the house made everyone in the town leave except for her.

The Murder and Its Afterlife
A storm visits Munchkinland, dropping a house on Nessa, killing her. The house contains a young girl named Dorothy Gale and a dog named Toto. Glinda, who was nearby, sent Dorothy off with Nessa's shoes for fear of potential civil war in Munchkinland and also for Dorothy's safety. She sent her to the Wizard in hopes that he could send her back to Kansas. Elphaba comes to the funeral for Nessa and is furious with Glinda for giving Dorothy the shoes, which were rightfully hers. She later has a meeting with the Wizard to bargain for the release of Nor, who was taken from Kiamo Ko by the Wizard's army.

On her way back to Kiamo Ko, Elphaba stops at Shiz to kill Madame Morrible, by bashing a trophy on her skull. However, because of Madame Morrible's appearance and lack of reaction, it is impossible to tell if Elphaba did kill her or if she had already died just a few minutes before Elphaba attacked her. At any rate, Elphaba decides to claim to have committed the murder and confess to Avaric. She comes upon the Clock of the Time Dragon, which puts on a special show for her. It shows the Wizard, and not Frex, to be her father.

Some time after returning to Kiamo Ko, Elphaba finds out that Dorothy and a few friends are headed to Kiamo Ko, presumably to kill her. When the friends are almost to the castle, Elphaba (who believed that the Scarecrow was her beloved Fiyero) sends her dog Killyjoy out to lead the friends to the castle. They misunderstand the group of dogs howling toward them and the Tin Woodman kills the dogs. The Scarecrow scares away the crows Elphaba sends next. Elphaba sends her bees, which are killed as well, and Elphaba is forced to believe the Scarecrow is what he seems: just a scarecrow. The shock of this revelation only serves to further unhinge her.
When Dorothy arrives, she tells Elphaba that the Wizard did indeed send her to kill the witch, but Dorothy herself came to apologize for killing her sister. Furious that Dorothy is asking for the forgiveness that she (Elphaba) has never received for her own perceived sins, Elphaba waves her now burning broom in the air and inadvertently sets herself on fire. Innocently, Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her to save her, but instead the water kills her. Dorothy returns to the Wizard with the green potion bottle the wizard used to subdue Elphaba's mother during her conception. Dorothy does not bring back the Grimmerie because it was too heavy. Rumors abound through Oz about the whereabouts of Dorothy (and her dog), few actually believing that she returned to Kansas. The Wizard plans his departure from Oz and his ensuing suicide. As it is predicted in Elphaba's dream after she takes the Miracle Elixir, he tries to drown himself multiple times, and fails.

Characters
• Elphaba:
The protagonist of the book, Elphaba is a green-skinned girl who eventually becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West. She acquires this nickname more because of her sister's nickname (the Wicked Witch of the East, who was so named by her political opponents) than for any wicked deeds. An Animal rights activist, Elphaba is involved in an assassination attempt on Madame Morrible. She shares an illicit relationship with Fiyero, whose death causes her to abandon her revolutionary ideals. Elphaba's name is derived from sounding out the initials of Oz author L. Frank Baum's name. She is later referred to in the book as simply the Witch.

• Galinda of the Arduennas of the Uplands (later Glinda):
Elphaba's roommate at Shiz University. She hates Elphaba at first, but they later become close friends. However, the two are separated for twenty years when Elphaba goes into hiding. Glinda is part of the high society in Gillikin, Oz's northern province. The Glinda in the book is parallel to her character in the musical Wicked, sometimes behaving in a snobby and mean fashion, whereas in The Wizard of Oz, as well as in the original Oz Books, she is portrayed as kind and gentle.

• Nessarose:
Elphaba's younger sister, Nessarose eventually becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the East. Nessarose was born without arms, possibly as a side effect of the pills Melena took in order to save her next child from having green skin. Nessa is extremely beautiful, causing Elphaba to resent her both out of jealousy and because of her father's favoring Nessarose over Elphaba. As a gift, Frex sends Nessarose the jewelled shoes, which Glinda later enchants, giving Nessarose the ability to walk unaided. Nessarose inherits the title and role of Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland, as Elphaba was presumed dead. She is a devout unionist, and many Munchkins are unhappy under her rule. At the request of one of her subjects, Nessarose casts a spell which has the ultimate result of transforming a woodsman into tin. She is killed when Dorothy's house falls on top of her. It is heavily hinted that Nessarose is the illegitimate daughter of Melena and Turtle Heart, and not of Frex.

• Fiyero:
The prince of the Arjiki tribe in the Vinkus. He meets Elphaba at Shiz, and later has an affair with her while she is involved in a resistance movement against the Wizard of Oz. This leads to his murder by the Gale Force, the Wizard's secret police.

• The Wizard of Oz:
A human who came to Oz from Earth in a hot air balloon. He was originally seeking the Grimmerie, but became sidetracked when he discovered he could orchestrate a coup in Oz. It is heavily implied that he fathered Elphaba while her mother was under the influence of the Miracle Elixir, which may explain Elphaba's green skin, aversion to water, and occasional ability to read parts of the Grimmerie, which originated in the Wizard's world. He is also referred to by the name Oscar Zoroaster Diggs.

• Madame Morrible:
The headmistress of Shiz University's Crage Hall, which Elphaba and Galinda attend. Elphaba and her friends suspect Morrible to be responsible for the murder of Dr. Dillamond. At one point, she proposes that Elphaba, Galinda, and Nessarose become future behind-the-scenes rulers in Oz, a proposal that they never willingly accept. Elphaba suspects that Madame Morrible has at least some magical powers, and may have indeed controlled the fates of the three women. It is possible that she spies on Elphaba and sends messages to Liir through the Carp in the well at Elphaba's home in the Vinkus; the Carp dies at about the same time as Morrible. It is unknown whether Elphaba murdered her or if she died of natural causes minutes before Elphaba's attempt.

• Doctor Dillamond:
A talking Goat and professor at Crage Hall in Shiz. Assisted by Elphaba, Dr. Dillamond performs research on the differences between animals and Animals (sentient animals). He suspiciously dies from a slit throat; Madame Morrible claims that this is an accident, but her account is contradicted by Galinda’s chaperone, Ama Clutch, who claims to have witnessed the event.

• Boq:
A Munchkin who grew up with Elphaba and reunites with her at Shiz University. At first, he is only interested in talking to Elphaba in the hope that it will help him to gain the attention of his crush, Galinda. However, over time Boq and Elphaba become close friends and help Dr. Dillamond with his research, along with his college mates Crope and Tibbett. Later in life, Elphaba meets Boq while she is on the hunt for Dorothy along the Yellow Brick Road. He is now married to Milla, one of Glinda's friends from the University and the two have many children.

• Dorothy Gale:
A 12 year-old girl who lands in Oz in her tornado propelled house, which crushes Nessarose. She takes Nessarose's shoes under the advice of Glinda. Many see these shoes as a symbol of power over Munchkinland. During her travels, many citizens of Oz are superstitious about her because of these shoes and her name: Her first name sounds like a reversal of the name of the "king" of her land (Theodore Roosevelt). Because her name means "Goddess of Gifts" (the opposite of Theodore, "Gift of God"), it is implied that Dorothy may be the second coming of Lurline, who was also known by that title. The Gale Force fear her for her last name. The Wizard sends Dorothy to kill Elphaba, but Dorothy's intention is to ask her for forgiveness for killing Nessarose. Elphaba does not know whether to treat Dorothy with kindness or to fear her. When Elphaba demands the slippers, Dorothy pleads that, despite her best efforts, they will not come off. Dorothy accidentally kills Elphaba by pouring water on her in an attempt to put out a fire on Elphaba's dress.

• Liir:
A boy who leaves the mauntery with Elphaba for the Vinkus. It is strongly implied that Liir is the son of Elphaba and Fiyero. She does indeed admit that there is a year of her life she does not remember, during which she could have given birth to Liir. Extremely chubby, Liir plays with his supposed half-siblings while he and Elphaba stay with Fiyero's widow. At the end of Wicked it is stated that he intends to find a way of rescuing his half-sister Nor from her slavery. He is also the protagonist of Maguire's sequel to Wicked, Son of a Witch. In this book, Liir unknowingly impregnates a Quadling girl named Candle, which results in the birth of a green baby. This finally proves that Liir is indeed the son of Elphaba and Fiyero. Gregory Maguire has described Liir as "Elphaba's son" in interviews.

• Yackle:
A mysterious crone who appears frequently in Elphaba's life. Elphaba suspects that Yackle may be exerting control over her fate, and may be Kumbricia, the ambivalent goddess of Ozian myth. Her appearance is also reminiscent of a fiend called the "Yakal" which is pictured in the Grimmerie, implying that she may be a demon. Nanny first mentions her as an old gypsy woman from whom she bought the medicine, which would stop Melena’s second child being born green. Later, she appears as an old woman guarding the door to the Philosophy Club and later still, she appears as Mother Yackle, a maunt (a sort of Ozian nun) at the mauntery (a unionist convent) who takes care of the homeless Elphaba. Yackle's story is more deeply explored in "A Lion Among Men," in which she is the secondary protagonist.

• The dwarf:
This entity claims to be an immortal sent to Oz to prevent the Grimmerie from returning to Earth. With his Clock of the Time Dragon, he seems to Elphaba to either be able to control fate or predict it.

• Grommetik:
A tik-tok creature (or more presumably a robot of sorts), servant to Madame Morrible. It is strongly implied that he is involved in a sinister plot orchestrated at least in part by his mistress. Ama Clutch witnessed Grommetik kill Doctor Dillamond. From what is described in the novel, he bears a similarity to Tik-Tok, a character from Baum's original Oz series.

• Nanny:
A member of the Thropp family, though whether by blood or employment is never explicitly revealed. By the conclusion of the book, she has raised three generations of the Thropps, most notably having acted as chaperone to Nessarose, Elphaba and Glinda during their years at Shiz. She is still vital well into her eighties. Her attitude reflects this, as she is stoic, speaks her mind, and holds to somewhat inflammatory 'Lurlinistic' pagan beliefs.

• Frexspar:
Elphaba, Nessarose, and Shell's father (at least in the emotional and physical sense; whether he shares a genetic link with some of the children is questionable). Frex is a devout Unionist priest. Nessarose was his favorite child, and to her he gave the famous jeweled slippers. It is implied that he is at least the father of Shell, as the Wizard of Oz is Elphaba's father, and it is heavily implied that Turtle Heart is Nessarose's father. He, along with Melena, was in a threesome relationship with Turtle Heart. NOTE: In L. Frank Baum's original novel, the slippers are silver. In the 1939 film, they are ruby. Maguire's novel describes the slippers equivocally, allowing either interpretation; he is careful not to describe them as either simply "silver" or "ruby".

• Chistery, Killyjoy, the Bees, and the Crows:
Animals which accompany Elphaba on the way to Kiamo Ko by coach, and which also become her familiars. The bees are taken along as a source of honey for the travelers, and it is suggested that through dormant magical talent, Elphaba unconsciously sets them upon the coach cook, whom she dislikes and who is later found stung to death at the edge of a cliff. Killyjoy, the cook's dog, takes an instant liking to Liir, who decides to keep him. Princess Nastoya gives the crows to Elphaba, who then specifically states that Elphaba is to send them to her if she needs help with anything. Princess Nastoya also tells Elphaba directly that they are to be her familiars. On the way to Kiamo Ko, they run across Chistery, an abandoned infant snow monkey, whom Elphaba rescues through another unconscious act of magic (creating ice under her feet as she runs across a pond to save him from Killyjoy). Later in the book, Elphaba teaches him to speak, in hopes of completing Dr. Dillamond's study into the supposed connections between all lifeforms. In Wicked, he only manages to mimic what others say, although he gains the ability to speak in full, comprehensible sentences in Son of a Witch. Elphaba sews wings onto the backs of him and the other monkeys, in what is a combination of Doctor Dillamond's studies and her own practice of magic, thus creating the winged monkeys.

• Melena Thropp:
Elphaba, Nessarose, and Shell's mother. Melena comes from a high-class family, and has mostly pagan traditions, which contradicts Frex's statements. She has very loose morals and dreams of her days as a pampered girl, despite her rebelling against it at the time. She has a taste for alcohol and pinlobble leaves.

• Avaric:
A friend of Boq's and Galinda's. He is described as being the "perfect asshole." Late in the novel, after killing Madame Morrible, Elphaba visits him, and they discuss the nature of evil with some of his friends.

• Crope and Tibbett:
Two boys who attend Shiz University along with Boq. They later become members of the main group of friends that features in the second part of the book. They are both Emerald City boys: sons respectively of a tax collector and a palace security advisor.

• Turtle Heart:
A wandering glassblower from Quadling Country. He comes upon Melena's home while Frex is out preaching. Melena and Turtle Heart have an extended affair, and it is implied that Frex had intimate relations with him, as well, sharing him equally. It is also strongly suggested that he is the father of Nessarose; a family timeline at the beginning of A Lion Among Men lists Frex as father to Nessarose and Shell. It is mentioned he was killed at Colwen Grounds, on the day that Nessarose was born, as a human sacrifice to bring rain to Munchkinland (Munchkinland is experiencing extreme droughts as mentioned throughout the book). His death is what convinces Frex and Melena to travel to Quadling Country to convert people to Unionism.

• Ama Clutch:
Galinda’s chaperone at Shiz, Ama Clutch is present throughout Galinda and Elphaba's time at the university. She "loses" her sanity in a suspicious fashion when she witnesses the murder of Doctor Dillamond. It is strongly suggested that Madame Morrible hexed Ama Clutch, afflicting her with the same crazed behaviour that Galinda (falsely) claimed was responsible for Ama Clutch's absence from the roommate negotiations; namely talking to inanimate objects as if they were people. Just prior to her death, Galinda (now Glinda) magically restores Ama Clutch's sanity for a brief period, giving her the opportunity to reveal that Grommetik was responsible for the death of Doctor Dillamond. It should be noted that Galinda made up Ama Clutch's ailment when she first privately met with Madame Morrible.

• Shell Thropp:
Elphaba and Nessarose's younger brother. Their mother dies giving birth to him. Although he is never actually seen in the book, Elphaba says that he would have been their mother's favorite, because he was a boy. Shell plays a much larger part in the sequel Son of a Witch and is mentioned in A Lion Among Men.

Objects
• The Grimmerie (derived from 'grimoire' and 'gramarye'):
A book of magic that originated on Earth but was taken to Oz by a wizard to prevent it from being used for evil. It is sought by the Wizard of Oz, and is the reason he traveled to Oz. It ends up in the possession of Elphaba. While in the musical adaptation it is suggested that the Grimmerie is a sole book with no others of the same title, in Gregory Maguire's original Elphaba describes it as being 'a' Grimmerie, meaning that Grimmerie is probably an Ozian word for a book of magic and that it most likely has a more distinguishing title. The book is bound in black leather with worn, purple pages written upon in glittering silver ink.

• The Miracle Elixir:
A bottle of potion that Elphaba keeps with her throughout her life. It was presented to Elphaba's mother once who took it and had bizarre dreams. It may have been the Wizard who gave it to Elphaba's mother and fathered Elphaba at that time. Elphaba takes some of the Elixir late in life and has many prophetic dreams. Some are so disturbing to her that she rarely sleeps for the rest of her life. This may contribute to her loss of wits near the end of her life. Dorothy takes this object to the Wizard as proof of Elphaba's death.

• The Clock of the Time Dragon:
A traveling show, which contains many magicked tik-tok puppets that act out prophetic scenes. At the top of the tower-like container that holds the show, there is a painted clock, hands perpetually at one minute to midnight and above that, a tik-tok dragon so lifelike as to strike awe in the hearts of all who see it. It is the center of the pleasure faith religion and is accompanied by the dwarf. Elphaba is born inside the Time Dragon, and receives the revelation that the Wizard is her father from the Dragon. Many of the characters in the Dragon's shows are later hunted down and killed or at least harassed, including Elphaba's parents and Turtle Heart.

• Looking-glass:
A mirror made of green glass by Turtle Heart. This is one of the first toys Elphaba is given as a toddler, and she uses it in divination during her early childhood as well as just before her death.

• Broomstick:
A flying broom given to Elphaba by Yackle with the understanding that it was a part of her destiny.

• Bejeweled Slippers:
Made by Yackle (technically, out of glass) and decorated by Frex using techniques learned from Turtle Heart. These were given to Nessarose shortly after she went away to school, making Elphaba jealous of their father's affections. They were later repaired and enchanted by Glinda, and become a major source of emotional, personal, and political conflict in the last part of the book. Elphaba is determined to get them back, but Dorothy finds that she is unable to remove them, wondering if Glinda had put a spell on them so they would not come off.


Personal reflections:
‘Wicked’ is a book of controversial topics, such as racial issues, protests and such, although I won’t go far on this because the subject is still too complicated for my simple mind’s understanding. What I personally think, throughout this whole story, is that Elphaba isn’t the wicked or evil witch everybody thinks she is. Yes, she might be a little rash when making decisions sometimes, but it was solely because of her severed childhood, and everyone’s discrimination towards her just because of her skin colour. Seriously, though, does it make us any less humane even if we have green skin? No, I think not. She has a pair of eyes, a nose, a mouth and vital organs functioning in her body to classify her as a normal human, but apparently, people from the story’s era think differently.

Elphaba lacked love and attention from her father ever since young, especially after Nessarose’s birth. That, and lack of respect from society when she grew up. Therefore, when someone is isolated from society, one is bound to immerse themselves in their own personal activities, and for Elphaba, it was witchcraft and protesting against violating Animals’ rights. She was actually a smart individual, but no one took the liberty to realize her intellect, because they only saw what was on the surface. However, Glinda soon noticed Elphaba’s true character and treated her as a good friend eventually.

In the end, Elphaba had gotten a little wind into her head, because, in my opinion, everyone was against her even though she never really did anything harmful, and if she did, it was actually for the better, I myself come to realize. That was why she was so desperate for her sister’s magical shoes, that and also because the shoes resemble a token of care and love from her father that she never got the chance to experience.

Towards the end of the story, though, Elphaba was killed, accidentally, I may say, by Dorothy. However, in my opinion, both Elphaba and Dorothy were innocent people, but somehow, a twist of fate burned Elphaba to the ground. I suppose, though, the real wicked people in this story are the Wizard, Madame Morrible and maybe even power-hungry Nessarose, but Elphaba was nothing evil. It was, in actual fact, superstition and unreliable religion that accused her of being wicked.

All in all, it was a fresh read from the original story ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ by L. Frank Baum, even though there are slightly more unpleasant situations that are best kept away from youngsters’ eyes to avoid unbeneficial thinking.

Rating
8/10

Howdy :)

My name is Mayo/Michelle and this is a blog assignment for my ICTL lesson. :)