The Feminist Review

Does Wicked promote feminism? I would love to ask author Gregory Maguire that very question!

In this society, women have fewer vocational and public opportunities than men, and seem to be bound by family obligations more than men are. That sounds familiar…so what does the novel say about this inequality?

The main character Elphaba is a very strong and non-traditional women - I think it’s safe to call her a feminist, and she is hated and even filled for it. Many of the powerful in the story are women, but all are still constantly judged by their looks, charm, kindness, and other traditionally feminine traits.

The Wizard is a really nasty person, for example, but is not criticized for this – it is simply accepted, as is the entire population’s deep fear of him. But Elphaba’s harsh personality is of primary concern throughout the book.

Glinda and Nessarose are both given official positions of power, and are consistently lauded for their goodness and sweetness (though of course Elphaba sees their hypocrisy, and Maguire makes a separate, but related point about good and evil).

Dorothy holds great influence, primarily because of her traditionally young and feminine qualities of sweetness, prettiness, and wide-eyed wonder.

Is Maguire judging his females characters by these standards, or the patriarchal society he writes about? Is he unconsciously (or even consciously) putting female characters into positions of power, but holding in check their social power? Is he trying to point out the insidious role of patriarchal oppression in our own society?

The theme of forgiveness is essentially non-patriarchal, and should be central to more novels. Of course, even strong and independent Elphaba is truly a slave to forgiveness, while the male Wizard and sweet, traditionally feminine Dorothy are not.

Filed under: books on June 17th, 2008 by Anna Lisa