Death of Nessarose

Nessarose, the armless younger sister of Elphaba and the self-styled Wicked Witch of the East, meets a sudden and absurd end when a tornado drops a house on her during a religious ceremony in Center Munch. The event, which occurs just as Munchkinland has seceded from Oz under her authoritarian rule, is both a grotesque accident and a political assassination, freeing her subjects from her fundamentalist tyranny while simultaneously throwing the region into chaos. Her death also sets in motion the final chain of events that leads to Elphaba's confrontation with the Wizard and her own demise.

The Tornado and the House

The tornado that kills Nessarose is an unprecedented meteorological event in Oz, described as a "wind twisted up in a vortical braid" that slices through the Corn Basket, devastating the economy of the renegade nation. It maneuvers around Colwen Grounds, leaving every rose petal intact, and peters out at the eastern terminus of the Yellow Brick Road, precisely at the spot where Nessarose is awarding prizes for perfect attendance at religious education classes. The storm drops a house on her head, killing her instantly. The house carries passengers: a girl named Dorothy and her dog Toto, who survive the fall.

Immediate Aftermath and Reactions

The news of Nessarose's death reaches Elphaba at Kiamo Ko via carrier pigeon, delivered by her brother Shell. Elphaba, who is in the middle of stitching wings onto a snow monkey, puts the message down and goes back to work, placing grief and regret away from her. She feels a "guilty lightness" at her sister's death. The Munchkinlanders react with a mix of reverence and revelry: Nessarose's devoted followers believe her spirit was taken up intact, while her more unhappy subjects, who are the greater in number, think it a droll act of Lurlina, releasing them from Nessarose's fundamentalist bondage. There is revelry, and the alien girl Dorothy is elevated to living sainthood.

Political Consequences

Nessarose's death throws Munchkinland into political turmoil. The liberated Munchkinlanders begin destroying Colwen Grounds, and the honorific of Eminence is abolished. Elphaba, as the last surviving Thropp, is told that her lineage no longer allows her any particular liberties. The Wizard, seeing an opportunity for reunification, sends an emissary to Elphaba, demanding to know her intentions. The shoes that Nessarose wore, which had been enchanted by Glinda to allow her to stand and walk, become a political totem. Glinda, fearing they will be used by the Wizard to reannex Munchkinland, gives them to Dorothy, setting the stage for Elphaba's pursuit of the girl.

The Memorial Service

A memorial service is held at Colwen Grounds several weeks later. Elphaba attends, meeting her father Frex, who is devastated by the loss of his "pretty Nessarose." She also encounters Glinda, and their reunion is marked by a bitter argument over the shoes. The Wizard himself attends the service in disguise, and in a private audience with Elphaba, he reveals that he knows about her affair with Fiyero and that he has been holding Nor, Fiyero's daughter, as a political prisoner. The meeting ends in a stalemate, with Elphaba refusing to surrender the Grimmerie and the Wizard refusing to release Nor.