I’ve been thinking about the role that Glinda, Elphaba, and Nessarose have as witches, and we learn of their abilities much later than I imagined. For my retelling, I was thinking of focusing more on the theme of them being a witch and how they came to power. Hogwarts, rather than Shiz, seems like the perfect opportunity for the girls to learn their powers and become great witches. I think that tying the two worlds together will make for a very interesting tale. Boq and their other friends will still be in the retelling, including his infatuation for Galinda. So will Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I plan on having Glinda madly in love with Harry Potter, and Elphaba with Ron Weasley. I want to really tie in the aspect of relationships and their effect on people. We find out later in the story that Elphaba has a cat named Malky, and I would like to tie that into my retelling. I think, since Hermione has a cat named Crookshanks, and Ron loves Hermione, Elphaba is going to purchase Malky in an attempt to win over Ron’s love. I want to put Elphaba, Glinda, Boq, Nessarose, and the other Wicked characters into a 5th house, known as Shiz, as opposed to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. That way, part of the original story, with original names, can stay intact. I want this portion of the story to be placed at Hogwarts, but I want a lot of the original story to remain. I think it will be interesting to see the women learning the art of witchcraft at a younger age, rather than in their 30s.
Reader Response #1 January 22, 2008
In this particular section, a Munchkinlander named Boq is found sneaking around the girls’ dormitory by Elphaba. The two realize that they were in a playgroup together long ago, and Boq confides in Elphaba by telling her of his love for Galinda. Elphaba sets up a meeting between the two but Galinda is very hesitant when it comes to giving Boq the time of day. She refuses friendship with him and eventually gets in trouble by Ama Clutch when the three are found outside by themselves. Over the next few months, especially in the summertime when the two are found staying at Shiz University, Elphaba and Boq become good friends. Elphaba works for Professor Dillamond and Boq is very interested in the Professor’s studies. Due to the band on Animals and their lack of rights, Boq offers to help Dillamond and Elphaba by checking out books for them at the library and helping with the research as well. Boq, still infatuated with Galinda, does everything in his power to gain her attention, but she is away at a friend’s house for the summer. One of Galinda’s friends sends a letter to Elphaba, pretending to be Galinda, that invites her to come visit the house. Elphaba was inclined to reject the invitation, but Boq began to worry about Galinda’s wellbeing and insisted that they go. The two friends and another boy make the trip to Galinda’s summer stay, only to realize that the letter was a joke. Throughout the reading, Galinda and Elphaba’s relationship gets stronger and stronger, but at this very moment Galinda is angry at the sight of Elphaba, and wishes that she leave. Elphaba stays at the house because she sees leaving as a sign of defeat. While at the house, Boq boldly kisses Galinda. They did not talk after and at school things had gotten awkward. When he discussed the situation with Elphaba, she said that he was too good for Galinda and hinted at having feelings for him, but denied those feelings. This made things even worse, and the girls stayed away from Boq until he asked Ama Clutch to tell Elphaba that he had new findings for Professor Dillamond’s research. The officials discover the secret research that the Professor had been conducting and he was murdered.
I think the most interesting aspect of this section is the relationship between Boq and Elphaba. For starters, he calls her Elphie. They spend lots of time together and she has never had a friend before, so with him she is finally seen as someone with personality. She shows this through her sarcastic comments and the way she acts around him. It seems like she can confide in him because he has trusted her with the deepest of all secrets: love. The friendship is based on witty remarks and the fact that they pretend not to care much about the other, but the way that Maguire depicts the characters allows the reader to know differently. When Elphaba finally insists to Boq that he deserves better than Galinda and that she should not be considered his life, the reader learns that Elphaba sees Boq differently than most people. This hints at the fact that she may have deeper feelings for him, but even more so, it shows that she cares about him. She has spent her whole life hiding behind books and ragged clothing, but now this character is seen as someone who is caring, even though it may not be about herself.
Hello world! January 15, 2008
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