This article contains mentions of addiction and sexual assault.
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire.Gregory Maguire’s newWickedprequel digs deeper into Elphaba’s background, but thestory told inElphie: A Wicked Childhoodalso changes one character from the original novel — and makes their portrayal more perplexing. Maguire’sWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the Westcame out back in 1995, and it has since been adapted as a musical and movie. Both iterationsmake changes to Maguire’sWickedbook, with everything fromthe way Elphaba’s magic worksto her age being altered for the stage and screen.
Maguire’s 2025 prequel story attempts to bridge the gap between the original book and its musical and movie counterparts, butElphiejust winds up contradicting both. Andthe book changes one character who has already undergone a shiftfrom the 1995 novel to the musical and film. Elphaba’s mother still leaves a lot to be desired inElphie: A Wicked Childhood,but Melana is portrayed differently in the prequel. Given that the adaptations change her, too, this leads to more confusion surrounding her character.
Gregory Maguire’s New Wicked Prequel Changes Melena’s Character Once Again
Elphaba’s Mother Has Inconsistent Characterization Across The Franchise
Elphaba’s parents are flawed charactersinWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,as well as its adaptations, and Elphaba has a strained relationship with them. In the original story, her mother’s misery and struggles with addiction contribute to that. In Maguire’s novel, she’s portrayed as being an alcoholic and addicted to chewing pinlobble leaves. Her unhappiness over leaving her comfortable life to be with a preacher is a driving factor of her character. And although Melena has affairs, Elphaba is conceived through rape in the book.
Elphie: A Wicked Childhoodpresents Melena as something else again, marking a third shift for Elphaba’s mother.
TheWickedmusical and movie alter Melena’s characterization and backstory, turning her into someone who enjoys partying and has affairs for fun, rather than out of unhappiness. In the adaptations, this is ultimately what leads to Elphaba’s conception. The affair is written as more consensual, removing one of the darkest parts of the original story. Melena remains dubious as a mother, though, neglecting her daughter in similar ways. AndElphie: A Wicked Childhoodpresents Melena as something else again, marking a third shift for her character.
Wicked Reveals A New, Sadder Reason Why Elphaba Gave The Monkeys Wings With Hidden Connection To Her Childhood
Elphaba has already proven how she was misunderstood in Wicked, but the new prequel novel adds even more context to actions that were taken for evil.
Despite the emphasis on her use of alcohol and pinlobble leaves in Maguire’s first book, the 2025 prequel doesn’t touch on Melena’s addictions. In fact, she’s only seen using pinlobble leaves to ease the pain of giving birth.Elphiedoes lean into the musical’s take on the character when it comes to sex, however, describing her as a “harlot” who has affairs and seduces people. She doesn’t seem as unhappy as she is in the firstWickedbook,but she isn’t quite the same as her musical counterpart. The only consistent detail is that she’s a negligent parent and wife.
I Don’t Think Elphie: A Wicked Childhood Knew What It Wanted To Do With Melena
The Inconsistency Complicates The Franchise Further
In general,it feels likeElphie: A Wicked Childhooddoesn’t know what to do with Melena’s character. Maguire needs to keep Elphaba’s family dynamics distant, so the prequel continues to lean into Melena’s and Frexspar’s neglect, though to a slightly lesser degree than previous versions of the story. And while Maguire abandons several defining characteristics of Elphaba’s mother from book 1, he can’t fully embrace the musical’s take on her either. Like several other aspects of the prequel, it straddles the line between both iterations ofWicked, complicating the overall franchise further.
