Summer Reading Reflection: What It Really Meant

Summer reading.....you either love it or you hate it. I can't lie, the thought of summer reading usually makes me anxious; somehow with the endless amount of days summer provides, I still end up feeling as if there's not enough time for me to actually dive into books that I love and read just for the sake of reading. However, this summer was different. When I read the summer reading assignment for AP Literature, I was overjoyed to find out that one of the required books we had to read was-wait for it-a book of our choice! My excitement for a free read book was a little ridiculous, but honestly, who could blame me? Finally an assignment that allowed me to sit back, relax, and indulge in the sensational joy ride of imagery and emotion most novels take me through. From re-reading a few Harry Potter novels (my absolute favorites), to finding a new favorite in the memoir The Color of Water (couldn't put that one down!), the range of genres I poked my head into this summer were limitless. Out of all the novels I read this summer, the one that really stuck with me was Wicked, by Gregory Maguire; though I had already seen the play and had a glimpse into what the story would be about, reading the actual book itself was way better than I could have ever imagined. Before I had ever read (or seen the play) Wicked, I was one of the numerous amounts of people who believed the Wicked Witch of the West was simply evil for no reason, that Dorothy and her pack of loyal follower’s we’re completely innocent, and that Glinda the Good Witch of the South was entirely incapable of doing anything mean onto another person; however, reading this novel made it even more clear to me that every person has their own version of a story and that seeing things from someone else’s perspective can actually make a difference at the way one views a situation. To my surprise, the Wicked Witch of the West, who was in fact named Elphaba, hadn’t always been wicked; the unjust doings of society eventually drove her to be wicked and wreak havoc onto those who had treated her unfairly in the past. Elphaba sadly faced rejection from her family, peers, and professors due to her appearance being one that was less than normal-she was born with unnaturally colored green skin due to her mother’s affair with a wizard before she was born. When the time came for Elphaba to finally find a friend in a witch named Glinda the Good, it seemed as if her problems would eventually fade out. In private, Glinda expressed her true friendship with Elphaba and realized her appearance didn’t actually correlate with who she was on the inside; however, society’s instant disapproval towards anyone who steps outside the box and associates with someone who is believed to be an “outsider” led to Glinda betraying Elphaba in a time of need simply to allow her own personal status in society to stay high and mighty. After finishing the novel, it became clear to me that Elphaba and Victor Frankenstein’s creature we’re similar in various ways; both characters we’re instantly scorned and disliked by the rest of society simply due to their appearance, faced rejection and feelings of being unwanted from those that we’re supposed to be their loving parents, and became wicked beings due to the miserable lives society was creating for them. Did both characters have a choice when it came to the wicked doings they eventually released on those who did them wrong in the past? Yes; however, I believe these two novels over looked that to broadcast just how big of an impact the interactions one faces with others in society can really be on their life. Both Maguire and Shelley shed light on the innocent beginnings these characters once had while making it clear that without proper guidance and amicable companions, one may feel the need to rebel against society and inflict pain onto others in a way that compares to the lifelong pain they’ve had to face. Ya feel me?