Wicked Witch of the West identity
The Wicked Witch of the West identity is the public persona Elphaba adopts after years of political persecution, personal loss, and self-imposed exile, transforming her from a green-skinned outcast into a feared symbol of resistance in the Vinkus. This identity crystallizes during her journey with the Grasstrail Train, when she declares herself a witch rather than a maunt, and is solidified by the Scrow Princess Nastoya, who gives her crows as familiars and tells her that a witch is now her guise. The identity is both a shield and a weapon, allowing Elphaba to operate outside conventional morality while embracing the wickedness others have always attributed to her.
Origins and Adoption of the Witch Identity
Elphaba's transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West begins during the Grasstrail Train journey through Kumbricia's Pass. When the cook disappears and the travelers mutter accusations about her bees, she snaps at them, saying she is no longer a sister but a witch, and tries to think poisonous thoughts at Oatsie Manglehand. The Scrow Princess Nastoya, an Elephant under a spell, gives Elphaba three crows as familiars and tells her, "You are in hiding as a witch now. That is your guise." Elphaba accepts this designation, noting that it is not an unlikable disguise. The identity is further reinforced when she arrives at Kiamo Ko and Sarima's sisters, behind her back, call her Auntie Witch, echoing the old legends of the Kumbric Witch.
Life at Kiamo Ko and the Witch's Role
At Kiamo Ko, Elphaba occupies a tower room that she revels in as a witch's room, with bowed walls and a broad window facing east. She conducts experiments in animal husbandry, stitching wings onto snow monkeys using techniques derived from Doctor Dillamond's life sciences notes and the Grimmerie. She keeps bees, crows, a dog named Killyjoy, and a snow monkey named Chistery, whom she tries to teach to speak. When the children of the castle spy on her, they see her trying to teach Chistery the word "spirit," linking her work to Doctor Dillamond's theories about a universal design among all creatures. The villagers and the Arjiki tribesmen come to regard her as a witch, and she uses this reputation to command respect and fear.
The Witch as a Political and Personal Weapon
Elphaba consciously uses the Wicked Witch of the West identity as a political tool. When she visits Colwen Grounds after Nessarose's death, she tells the Munchkinlander official Nipp that she allows herself to be called the Wicked Witch of the West in contrast to her sister's title. She later tells Boq that since people are going to call her a lunatic anyway, she might as well get the benefit of it, as it liberates her from convention. The identity also serves as a personal armor against her own grief and guilt. After failing to save Sarima's family and losing Fiyero, she retreats into the role, finding in it a structure for her rage and a justification for her isolation. When Liir asks what she would ask the Wizard for, she surprises herself by saying "a soul," revealing that beneath the witch's exterior, she still yearns for something she has long denied.
The Witch's Final Confrontation and Death
When Dorothy and her companions arrive at Kiamo Ko, Elphaba fully inhabits the Wicked Witch of the West persona. She sends her crows to peck out their eyes, her bees to sting them, and her winged monkeys to capture them. When Dorothy refuses to give up the silver shoes, Elphaba threatens her with fire, holding a burning broom. In the climactic moment on the parapet, Dorothy throws a bucket of water at Elphaba, causing her to melt away. The narrative notes that the Wicked Witch of the West's death is hailed as political assassination or a juicy murder, and that all that is left of her is the carapace of her reputation for malice. The story ends with the traditional back-and-forth: "And there the wicked old Witch stayed for a good long time." "And did she ever come out?" "Not yet."
Maguire's conception of this identity was shaped by real-world events and personal reflection. The 1993 murder of James Bulger, in which both victim and perpetrators were young children, prompted him to explore the nature of evil: whether people are born villainous or shaped by circumstance. As a Catholic-raised author, this question resonated deeply. Having previously written only children's literature, Maguire struggled to portray evil effectively, noting that children's books typically feature one-dimensional villains designed for quick emotional reactions. His breakthrough came when he recalled the Wicked Witch of the West as played by Margaret Hamilton in the MGM film, delivering her iconic threat, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!" Drawing on a lifelong fascination with both L. Frank Baum's original novel and the annual television broadcast of the film, Maguire decided to tell the Witch's life story on the grand scale of a Charles Dickens novel, using her transformation into a feared symbol to examine how society labels individuals and how they might internalize or resist those labels.
