Looks Matter
When little Elphaba is first born, before she even has a chance to do anything wicked or good or otherwise, the greenish tint of her flesh is described: “And the skin, oh yes, the skin was green as sin. Not an ugly color…Just not a human color.” From the first, Elphaba is situated as the Other even by the family raising her. Galinda (who eventually become simply Glinda) is, on the other hand, described as having “creamy ringlets” of hair, and “brilliantly red” lips that are, in a word, “perfect.” The novel exists expressly for the purpose of knocking up against the preconceived notions of these two witches—one wicked and one good—by offering readers a different perception. Ultimately, it is asking the question: what is evil? Probably by the end of this novel—and certainly by the middle of its sequel—the attentive reader will wonder if the title is justified or if its assertion of “wicked” actually applies comprehensively to the pretty blond rather than the inhuman green girl.
The Establishment of Patriarchy
Maguire does so much more than simply reinvent a familiar story by casting it through the lens of a different perception of the wickedness of the Witch of the West. He builds upon the mythology of all of Oz established in the novels by L. Frank Baum. This mythology will be utterly unfamiliar to those who only know the story through the musical film adaptation starring Judy Garland. Early on, Maguire situates Oz as a land ruled over by a Fairy Queen named Lurline who upon abandoning her queendom instated her daughter Ozma with the promise that she would return when Oz faced “its darkest hour.” Oz, therefore, is a matriarchal civilization ruled by women and run by women. It is into this utopia that a stranger arrives in a balloon—foreseen in a horrifying vision by young Elphaba. He is, of course, the man who will come to rule Oz with an iron fist known and calling himself the Wizard. The establishment of a patriarchy drives Elphaba to acts deemed terrorism by the fascist ideology of the Wizard and his minions and accomplices. One of whom will just so happen to be a certain pretty blond with bright red lips and a perfect smile.
Equal Rights
In his fascist patriarchal dystopia, the Wizard cracks down harshest upon a member of the populace commonly referred to as Animals. Animals are different from mere animals in that they are…well, just think of how the Cowardly Lion is different from Toto in the movie. Elphaba's favorite college professor—actually pretty much the only professor she can stand—is one such Animal and like the others he is separate from the lower animals in that he can talk and think and feel and conceptualize and do everything that humans can do except look like them. Elphaba’s entry into the revolutionary underworld is precipitated by the Wizard’s Nazi-like persecution of Animals who are forced to live and be treated like animals.
