Analysis From Feminist/Gender Critic Of Book Wicked

Picture a child sitting in front of a television watching the Wizard of Oz. To them, it is an assortment of magical beings, a land filled with wonderful places, with varieties of different colors. They do not picture it as something with far more meaning than just a plain fairytale. On the other hand, gender/feminist critics have been able to analyze the Wizard of Oz as well as Wicked, in order to find a more elaborate meaning behind the story itself. They have discussed what lies behind the story when it comes to the issue of sexism and masculinity towards the book itself as well as the characters. There are many concepts as well that help to further explain feminism and gender criticism. The four concepts that will be discussed later on are gender, feminist writings, patriarchal society, and gynocriticism. These concepts will then be reviewed as to how they play a part in the book Wicked.

One definition of gender is the membership of a word or grammatical form, or an inflectional form showing membership, in such a class. Gender critics take masculinity and feminism, as well as male and female, and use those theories to analyze writings. In books, or other writings, masculinity and feminism are used in order to describe how a character is seen by other characters. Feminism is the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. It is also a feminine character. After the women’s rights movement, women began to write works and put in their own views and beliefs. This era became known as the feminist writing era. Women felt that by writing their feelings and then getting their works published, that people would see why women should be equal to men.

By analyzing the Wizard of Oz and Wicked, feminist critics are able to produce a well thought out explanation of how the author uses a feminist point of view in order to portray Elphalba’s, the main character in Wicked, thoughts and feelings towards the other characters as well as her surroundings. A feminist point of view is used throughout the entire book. Even though the book is written by a male author, the way he portrays a feminist point of view is quite remarkable. Elphalba is a very dominant character in the book. She is independent and stands up for what she believes in. She feels that men should not over rule the women. She has her own beliefs and values, which help to guide her along the way.

However, gender critics would analyze a book by stating whether masculinity or feminism is used. Take for example, at the very beginning of Wicked, when the group of travelers are taking a rest. They begin to discuss the witch and how she came to be what she is in the present, “She was castrated at birth […] she was born hermaphroditic, or maybe entirely male”, replied the Tin Woodman (Wicked 1). She is believed to be born a male before she became castrated, and then was made into a female. She was also thought of as a lesbian, in which she played the role of the male, “She’s a woman who prefers the company of other women […], she’s the spurned lover of a married man […], she is a married man”, as stated by the Scarecrow (2).

Gender can also be seen as just being a male or a female. For instance, your role in society. In the book Wicked this can be displayed by the characters of the story. The men have the upper hand when it comes to the decisions and the roles in their society. They are presented with the most important occupations. For instance, Oz, the ruler of all of the lands, is a male character. He is the one who makes the most important decisions. He decides which person gets which job. He rules over everything. The women are to do as they are told. They have the miniscule jobs, and are not able to contribute to the decisions of society. This shows how gender is used throughout the entire book of Wicked.

Although gender and feminist views are used throughout the book of Wicked, many concepts help bring out those two views/criticisms. Concepts help the audience better understand how a critic thinks. They help the audience to know why the criticism is used. Concepts give a better understanding of the meaning when it comes to analyzing an author’s writings. By using these concepts, we are then able to decipher which part of the book that they help to further explain. We can take a specific word, and relate it to many parts of the writing itself.

The first concept that is going to be discussed is gender. Gender is simply put as a person either being masculine, male, or feminine, female. This can determine their roles in the society that they live in or are born into. Gender can be used to describe how life in the land of Oz is portrayed. The men have the ruling, while the women are expected to do as they are told. Gender can be linked to feminist criticism and gay/lesbian studies as well. Most people like to associate gender criticism with those specific studies in order to give a better explanation as to what gender can be thought of as.

The second concept being covered is feminine writing, also known as woman’s writing. Feminist writings as said by Helene Cixous is, “its source in the mother, in the stage of the mother-child relation before the child acquires the male-centered verbal language”. In other words, women use that language before they learned the language from the men of society, and use that language in their writings. This is where feminist views are said to come from. Woman’s writings can be explained in another way. A way in which women are repressed by men, and are not able to reveal their sexual drives in any way possible. They are to keep to themselves and not be open like the men of the society. Their thoughts and feelings towards sexual indulgences are to be only thought and not heard. While men on the other hand, are given the privilege to discuss such matters as they please.

The third concept is one called a patriarchal society. A patriarchal society is a society in which the men have the upper hand. They are the leaders, not the followers. In a patriarch, men are seen as the ones who cooperate with society, and keep life as we know it running and flowing smoothly. The men are the ones who invent great ideas as well as achieve great inventions. Women are held down by the pure fact that she “lacks” abilities. Therefore, she is not able to perform well in society. This ties in with economics, social status, legal