The movies “Wicked” have been quite the entertaining treat. With the risk of taking a beloved classic and spinning out new stories and characters arcs, I would deem the project a success. However, although being a musical and containing many upbeat moments, the movie deals with deep and heavy themes, imageries, and allegories. The movie depicts characters struggling with the “truth”, how power is maintained, manufacturing good people as villains, the ambiguity of morality, the cost of truth, the meaning of love, and much more. I want to examine some of these concepts from the movie, show how they were depicted, and what they mean.

Narrative Control and the Nature of “Truth”

Throughout the movies, characters and the masses struggle to see the truth before them. The truth is hidden either due to personal ignorance or because it is controlled by authoritative narratives. Some characters are caught up in their own delusions and ambitions; their eyes are clouded, preventing them from seeing the actual situation. It is difficult for them to see the truth because they have their own preconceptions of reality, being trapped in their own wants and needs. A good example of this is Glinda and her ambitions to be popular. Even after seeing the truth about the Wizard, the fact that he is fraudulent, she doesn’t see it for all it means. Working with the Wizard helps her become more popular and attain her goal. Knowing this, she becomes blind to what the Wizard truly represents and the suffering he emits. She can’t see the full picture because her mind, in this part of the story, is one dimensional.

When it comes to personal truths and perceptions, reality is derived by what characters experience and observe. When a character has incomplete information, reality becomes a distortion. They tend to choose what to believe in, and take it as truth. This is a recurring theme throughout the movies, where characters evolve as their realities become more aligned with the truth. However, some characters refuse to see the truth and spiral into a state of discontent. Boq is a perfect depiction of this phenomenon. Nessarose clearly demonstrates magical powers and chants spells in front of Boq, which causes the initial curse upon him to remove his heart. When Elphaba, in a state of panic, transforms him into the Tin Man to save his life, Nessarose lies to Boq, telling him Elphaba cursed him. Refusing to think of the situation critically, Boq believes Nessarose’s words and directs his misplaced anger towards Elphaba. His reality doesn’t include the full picture and understanding, and his emotions are strong and his life goal to seek revenge is misplaced.

The movies also depict a truth that I call the popular truths, which are the realities the general people believe, governed by who controls the narrative. At school, it’s popular people, such as Glinda or Fiyero, that dictate what people believe in. While on a larger scale, the people of Oz believe the narratives brought forth by the Wizard. He has power over the people because they believe in his illusion of prowess, and they have a tremendous amount of faith in him. However, he creates this system of belief delicately with various techniques. One of his most prominent techniques is the use of propaganda. He uses this tactic to propagate his narratives, shape the public’s opinions, and make them fearful and reliant on him. This becomes evident when Elphaba refuses to participate in the Wizard’s façade. With fear of exposure and losing his grasp over the people, the Wizard begins his propaganda campaign, depicting Elphaba as the Wicked Witch and a threat to society. Due to the Wizard’s status, the whole populace of Oz becomes frightened of her and looks to the Wizard for protection. In essence, the truth is a social construction. People’s ideas are affected by what others believe in, especially when statements come from a person of status.

There are times that the truth is deliberately hidden from the public due to the belief of other’s intellectual capabilities. The Wizard and other powers of Oz believe the people cannot comprehend the full context of the truth, or they simply don’t want to. The masses react and anchor to stories, not events. The Wizard and others believe that people prefer to be told what to believe rather than be given all the information and allowed to decide for themselves. This is the philosophy grounded in the Wizard’s behavior and decision making to justify his actions.

A controlled narrative dictates what the people of Oz believe to be true. Since the Wizard has the most control over the people, he is the one that controls the narrative. He can shape situations and explain them in ways that benefit himself and his future prospects. He selectively decides what to share with the public, usually a subset of events that occurred, to fit his narrative to maintain coherency. Thus, if someone else tries to reveal the truth or other perspectives, it becomes very difficult. One can see this with Elphaba’s truth of who she really is and the propaganda emitted by the Wizard. Even though she tries to spread the truth, the Wizard’s narrative and megaphone overshadows that of Elphaba. In a game of spreading narrative and perspectives, individuals feel powerless against the powers that be.

Some truths also transcend time and people remember history as written by those who were in control. The subjectiveness of the reality that occurred depends on who was in power. The Wizard explains this concept to Elphaba in their second encounter when they try to team up once again. The Wizard explains:

Where I'm from, we believe all sorts of things that aren't true We call it "history"

The Wizard demonstrates his understanding and familiarity that the truth means very little. The truth is something that is non-absolute and subjective to the observer. Truth is based on the most popular and controlled narrative. The Wizard brings forth some examples, such as a man can be called a traitor or a liberator, a rich man a thief or philanthropist, a crusader or a ruthless invader. Whoever is in control of the narrative will describe situations or history the way they deem appropriate. The Wizard also says:

There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities So we act as though they don't exist

People don’t like ambiguity; they like absolutes. Thus, people act like it doesn’t exist and that truths are indefinite. It’s easier and better for people to choose a single narrative then it is to see the complexity of multiple perspectives. As George Orwell said in his famous book “1984”:

Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.

Systemic Power, Propaganda, and Manufactured Villains

The world of Oz is controlled by systematic powers. These powers utilize many strategies, such as propaganda and gaining influential allies, to manufacture evil and spread fear. However, the institutions, such as the school, and bureaucrats, like the governors, also help create this manufactured moral machine. The oppression of the animals is an evident example of this in the movie. It was the Wizard’s propaganda of fear of the animals that started the oppression. But it was the institutions and bureaucrats that further encouraged it. The school started prohibiting animals to be professors at the school, demonstrating to the young minds that this oppression is morally just. The authorities went so far as to perform the oppressive act in full view of the students, entering a classroom to remove Doctor Dillamond; a deliberate strategy intended to normalize and dull resistance to such actions. Their systems help amplify the perceived evil, to propagate the fear, and normalize the authoritarian behavior.

The film presents a nuanced portrayal of moral ambiguity among its characters. Individuals who operate within the system are not portrayed as inherently bad. These characters struggle with desires and perceptions that they deem are necessary for themselves and the world. They are tremendously caught up in their own world that they neglect to see different perspectives. One can see this struggle with Glinda, in which she is enslaved by her need to be popular and be accepted by the people around her. Even though she sees glimpses of the truth about the Wizard and their society, she can’t resist the position offered to her. This position, for Glinda, is the ultimate path to universal popularity. Glinda was raised in an environment where popularity, beauty, and social harmony were emphasized as the highest goods. Thus, when offered a future that encapsulates all this, Glinda automatically accepts and copes with the fact that the beliefs of Oz are fabrications.

We also see this concept with the antagonist Madame Morrible. Her entire ambitions and life are tied to the perceived Wizard’s power. If the truth is recognized by the people, her house of cards would come crumbling down. Thus, although wrong, she justifies her means for the end when attempting to maintain the Wizard’s power. She becomes lost and blinded by this simple goal that she would do anything to protect the Wizard’s power. She also gets frustrated and unreasonable with the people around her when she feels like her livelihood is threatened. Madame Morrible is a character that is very much caught up in her own goals and ambitions, that she doesn’t perceive the damage being done or understand that she’s been consumed by chasing power.

The authoritarian system also uses common brutal tactics to maintain control over the populace of Oz. Fear is a common mechanism used by the powers of Oz to maintain control. If one is frightened and feels powerless to the threat, one will be more willing to depend on the systematic powers for protection. Thus, the authoritarian systems needs a common enemy to propagate the fear. At first, it was the animals. The Wizard created this narrative that the animals, who are sentient and speak, are becoming dangerous, unpredictable, and unfit to participate fully in society. However, it was completely untrue. The purpose of this narrative was for the Wizard to maintain control. The animals are an educated, free-thinking class with their own history, knowledge, and power structures. The Wizard has little control over the thoughts of the animals, and this threatens his prowess over the land of Oz.

Throughout human history, those who hold power and dictate the lives of others have often behaved this way. A prominent example is the Nazi regime in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. The Nazis rose to power and unified a divided Germany under their power through strong narratives and oppression of Jews and other minority races. The people needed a reason to trust the new regime, and the Nazis provided it. The people were frustrated and fearful, relying on the Nazi power to protect them. Also, not too far away, another regime was using similar tactics, led by Joseph Stalin, controlling the USSR. Although Stalin’s tactics relied heavily on fear of his authority, both he and the Wizard share a common trait: paranoia. When the Wizard and Elphaba attempt to reconcile, it quickly disintegrates because Elphaba finds the hidden caged animals. The Wizard tries to justify it by explaining these particular animals cannot be trusted. This paranoia and sense of non-guilt convinces Elphaba that the Wizard can never be trusted.

Constructed threats are also much easier to manage than real threats. The powers that be in Oz utilize this tactic to hide the real threat, that being themselves. As freedoms are gradually stripped from certain people of Oz, these losses go largely unnoticed because a more dominant, manufactured threat occupies the public consciousness. When Nessarose becomes governor of Munchkinland, she is consumed by her power, utilizing it for her own gain. For example, when Boq tells Nessarose that he is leaving to pursue Glinda, she uses her powers to prohibit Munchkins from leaving Munchkinland without her permission. Her justification was to protect them from the outside dangers. However, she implemented this rule to maintain control over Boq and the other Munchkins. The perceived, constructed threat of the people was Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, creating havoc over the lands. However, the real threat was Nessarose’s tyranny and her complete disregard for how she abuses her power.

The energy of the people were misdirected from the real issues, like the tyranny of Nessarose or the lies of the Wizard. The people’s energy was focused on the constructed threats, such as the animals and Elphaba. Fear drives obedience. The invention of threats unifies the people. In the movie, the same patterns continuously emerge: first, a crisis is created, then fear emerges, people become more obedient, the powers that be attain more power.

Moral Ambiguity, Subjectivity, and Misinterpretation

As mentioned previously, moral ambiguity is a major theme in the movies. The morality of the characters is subjective to their own understanding of the world and situation. One can see how external forces, such as those in power, shape and manipulate narratives that distort people’s understanding of other characters. However, there is also an individual-level phenomenon that distorts people’s perceptions. A recurring theme in the movie is how characters assign moral labels to others based on incomplete information; characters continuously judge other characters poorly.

For example, the lion cub sees Elphaba as truly wicked because she tried to save him when he was young. When the lion was born, he was immediately thrown into a cage, and that became his home. Elphaba, seeing the cruelty of caging the animal, sets the lion free. However, this became a pivotal point in the cub’s life. Since the cub knew nothing more than the cage as his home, he was comfortable. However, when Elphaba set him free, he was alone and scared in an unknown world. He didn’t know how to live in the outside world. His life afterwards was consumed by fear and resentment to Elphaba who instigated this suffering. The lion deemed her actions evil, seeing her as truly a wicked witch. In Elphaba’s mind, she did something kind, and set the animal free so he could live a much more fulfilled life.

Another example, as explained previously, is Boq’s hatred towards Elphaba. Even though Elphaba saved his life, he perceives it as a deliberate curse upon him. His perception of Elphaba is concrete in his mind, and he despises her for it. Elphaba throughout the movies tries to be helpful, yet is continuously interpreted as harmful. She, and others, suffer non-intended consequences for her good intentions. However, they are usually perceived as wicked.

Yet, once characters develop a sennd cse of empathy and understanding, morality becomes a more educated choice. Once characters understand another character’s motives, feelings, and desires, they make better judgements on that character. One can see this with Fiyero, the Prince. At first, he sees Elphaba as a strange, abrasive, difficult person. He initially judges her based on reputation, social cues, and Glinda’s popularity. However, in their shared effort to save the animals, Fiyero catches a glimpse of who Elphaba truly is. Elphaba’s act of risking everything to protect her teacher, Dr. Dillamond, the goat professor, and freeing the cub demonstrates her moral courage. This event changes not only how Fiyero sees Elphaba, but how he sees the world. He witnesses her emotional pain for someone else’s oppression. He sees her as empathetic, and recognizes her true intentions, courage, compassion, and integrity. This later helps him easily see the corruption of the Wizard and side with Elphaba.

Glinda also changes her judgement of Elphaba once she sees a glimpse of her true nature. At first, Glinda envied Elphaba’s power and recognition from Madame Morrible. It was also foreign to Glinda to see someone so deeply unpopular while neglecting any effort to attain popularity. Glinda’s perceptions were influenced by social gossip and approvals. However, Glinda’s first breakthrough was during the dance, where Glinda sees Elphaba’s kindness and compassion. She saw her loneliness, pain, and sacrifices, but also her trust in others, and her wanting for a friend. Glinda begins to see Elphaba’s actions as moral convictions, and not malice.

It is impossible to judge morality without full context. As characters search for the fuller context, they begin to understand the moral ambiguity of their world. However, fear blocks empathy. When people are fearful, they fail to recognize different points of view. They are quick to judge. Thus, general morality is tied to who’s in power and who is creating the narratives.

Identity Formation, Selfhood, and Awareness

Another significant theme that pervades the films is the question of identity. Throughout the movies, many characters explore and change identities. However, character’s identities are first shaped by initial conditions, not by choice. Based on their initial circumstances, their identity becomes intertwined with the perceptions of their early life. We see this concept clearly with the two main characters: Glinda and Elphaba. Glinda, as a child, was taught that popularity, status, and acceptance was a priority. A great way to attain this recognition is to be a magic user, a witch. There was a pivotal moment for Glinda when she realized this at her birthday party. The event already demonstrated her popularity due to the amount of kids and gifts present at the party. However, when the children thought she performed magic, the kids were astonished and in awe. At that moment, Glinda knew if she was to become the most popular, she must learn to yield magic. This is an identity she set upon herself at a young age, one that is superficially based on validation.

While Glinda experienced positive reinforcement for her behavior as a child, Elphaba had a much different experience, one filled with negative reinforcement. The children around her treated her poorly, alienating her because of how she looked. Her father, too, neglected her, burdened by the shame and stress of the governor’s first child being born green. Elphaba grew up with so much negativity and resentment that she believed her appearance was an issue. This reality made Elphaba become more reserved, guarded, and internalized the idea that she was a stigma others had to tolerate. Her life goal became to meet the Wizard and ask him to make her normal, like the other people. Both characters demonstrated childhood social pressures that shaped their personality into adulthood.

The movies effectively demonstrate how surface-level thinking and identity evolve into deeper, more profound forms of transformations. The first movie portrays characters living simple, narrow lives, reflecting the shallow identities they formed when they were young, shaped more by early, local experiences than by any deeper self-understanding. Their concerns and obstacles reflect this truth. As the first movie progresses to the second, the truth is unveiled and characters face greater hardships. Glinda needs to make a choice between her popularity and her best friend when they meet the Wizard for the first time. Elphaba’s dream of changing her appearance dissolves and her whole worldview shatters. There is also Fiyero, a spoiled prince who lives a hedonistic lifestyle, until he sees the cruelties and lies of the world via Elphaba and the oppression of animals. These new, more complex hardships help characters find their new identity. Their earlier, surface-level selves feel hollow, but the identities they grow into are more fulfilling and genuine.

Over time, characters become more aware; for example, Glinda begins to recognize Elphaba’s struggles and sacrifice, Elphaba with the true nature of the Wizard and the world, and Fiyero with the realization of good people’s hardship to fight for what’s right. This awareness allows characters to choose who they want to be. Contrary to when they were children and reality was simply what others expect and approve, awareness allows them to make choices on who they want to be. These choices are much more difficult because people, including their younger self, may disagree, even resent them for it. Out of the three characters that had the most profound transformations, Glinda’s transition into adulthood was the hardest struggle. When she became aware of the Wizard’s facade, she continued to commit to her childhood identity of becoming popular. However, as she already had a glimpse of the truth and the other people around her changing, her commitment to her childhood goal became harder to hold onto. Glinda struggled to uphold the shallow goals of popularity she built in her youth, and this leaves her feeling conflicted and emotionally strained. She also begins to suffer and witness the suffering of others, experiencing her fiancé Fiyero running off with Elphaba, enduring verbal abuse from Madame Morrible, and seeing how the world treats her dearest friend. Eventually, Glinda shifts her identity and commits to a much different path, one of being a good person.

However, some characters never change as they transition to adulthood. Some characters clutch the reality of their childhood and refuse to acknowledge the new comprehensions of the world. Nessarose is an interesting character that depicts this concept. At first, she is someone who wants to transition from her childhood; one who always needs someone to help her due to her disability. However, when she meets Boq, she feels compelled to anchor her identity and purpose to him. She depends on him to feel happy and whole. Later in her adulthood, when she is the governor, she does anything in her power to force Boq to stay with her. She even uses magic to try to steal his heart, nearly killing him. These actions depict a shallow thought process with a selfish, child-like mentality. After lying to Boq about transforming into the Tin Man, she runs after him, searching for him, until she meets her end. Her entire life, even her legacy, becomes a tragedy.

Boq himself is also a tragic character who refuses to move on from his shallow identity. He is someone who commits himself to the love he has for Glinda. However, the basis of his love is preposterous. Glinda has never given Boq any sense of proper love and compassion and he barely knows her other than as her public image. His love for her is simply due to her beauty and popularity. As the world presents opportunities to him, such as the potential to bond a with Nessarose, he can’t forget his feelings for Glinda. Boq, not being able to shake off that part of his identity, can’t stop thinking about her. Both characters carry this into their adulthood, full of discontent and agony.

Characters become who they truly are through the act of giving something up. The characters who find themselves in the end give up their reputation, safety, popularity, status, image, or other social markers. They strip away their societal labels in order to live their personal truths. While others bask in their childhood perceptions, refusing to accept the pressures and realities of the real world.

The Cost of Truth

Throughout the movies, characters’ lives change when they begin to see the truth. Although their lives get more complicated, they benefit from an authentic life. In the first half of the movies, where the characters are naïve, they experience spectacle-based and shallow joy. However, this joy is conditional to the circumstances at hand. When these circumstances are removed, their sense of joy disappears. It is a constant struggle to preserve one’s circumstances in order to sustain joy. One can see this clearly with the development of Fiyero. He’s ecstatic when there are parties or when chasing girls. But remove these shallow joys, and he’s bored and discontent. In his song “Dancing Through Life”, he tells the other students that he rejects thinking because it’s boring. He also says:

Don’t stop.

Don’t look underneath.

Don’t feel too much.

Just stay entertained.

Essentially, if you remain entertained, regardless of its form, you don’t have to deal with yourself or the world, which most people are more than happy to oblige with. He also describes a nihilistic view of the world where nothing really matters, which is a coping mechanism, and an excuse to ignore responsibilities and enjoy the shallow joys of life.

However, these types of shallow joys are avoidance of reality. It can be the reality of oneself, such as being vulnerable to care for others, or the reality of the world, like confronting the fraudulent society. As Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero come to understand the truth, they find that a whole new path to joy is revealed. The three characters begin to experience a hard-earned, real, and intimate joy of life. Although it destroys the shallow joys they once felt, it creates an authentic joy. This awakening does indeed make life much harder, but also makes it more meaningful.

This meaning and tradeoff is well portrayed in the relationship between Elphaba and Fiyero. They were able to experience the love they have for each other and the respect once their true selves had been revealed. Although they both became an outcast, with Fiyero enduring physical pain and a transformation into a scarecrow, it is the price to pay for them to find true joy. They appreciate each other more and care for one another deeply. Even with the struggles and the disappearance of their old realities, in a much darker and painful world, they have never been happier, especially Fiyero, who loses his shallow joys and gains emotional depth.

Elphaba and Glinda also create a strong bond due to their shift in personal reality based on the revealed truth. Their love took some time to foster as Glinda worked out her internal struggles. However, at the end, as Elphaba goes to sacrifice herself, Glinda is fully transformed. Her happiness doesn’t rely on others, but the fact that she wants to do good for the world, even after, she believes, her best friend dies. Glinda seeing the pain and suffering caused her best friend, only to maintain the facade of the Wizard and social integrity slowly tipped Glinda over to become her true self. The two characters even expressed their love for each other, which transcends time, space, and existence. Although they will never meet again, they are content with the outcome, and know they forever live in each other’s hearts. This is something that will give them eternal joy, and a joy that is not circumstantial; no one can take this away from them.

Other characters remain in an ignorant state where their happiness is conditional to the circumstances presented to them. There are times they are happy, but it’s shallow and temporary. We see this with the citizens of the Emerald City. One moment, they look joyous and celebratory. However, circumstances change and the “Wicked Witch” appears. All their moods change and other emotions, such as fear, take over. Their resilience to the changing world is low and they rely on external factors to remain joyful. Contrary to the main characters that have truth-based fulfillment, their resilience to the changing circumstances are much higher. However, the people of Emerald City and Oz are accepted by their peers. They aren’t outcasts, they aren’t physically and verbally abused. They can live in comfort, but at the cost of ignorance.

Love, Friendship, and Connection

Another theme the movies explore is the meaning of true love. The movies depicts love as not rescue, as traditional tales tell, but as something else. Love is depicted as recognition, appreciation, and acceptance of one another. It is a partnership between people who have mutual respect for one another and share the same values. A perfect depiction of this is the relationship between Elphaba and Fiyero. Their love incubated and thrived based on moral courage and personal growth. It is the partnership they conjured that gave their connection and love meaning. They do not depend on one other, nor live in a fantasy dependent on condition. They love each other for their true selves. Their love also helped them transform and be better people they are proud of. Elphaba became more self-accepting and happy regardless of the world’s portrayal of her. Fiyero became more brave, and filled his life with meaning. The connection they have is enough for them to be happy.

Glinda’s and Elphaba’s relationship is also a strong depiction of this connection. Although they don’t share a romantic love, their connection is very strong through everlasting friendship. This friendship is a moral mirror between the two, encouraging themselves to be a good and fulfilled person. Glinda is an interesting character because she experienced both meaningful and hollow love. With Elphaba, even after her supposed death, Glinda remains content in keeping the memories of Elphaba and what it represents in her heart. Whereas the shallow relationship she had with Fiyero swiftly emerged and dissipated, leaving nothing but a temporary hole in her heart that was easily and quickly filled.

A more contrasting relationship is that of Nessarose and Boq. They have a shallow triangle of love where Nessarose’s happiness depends on Boq’s support, whereas Boq is blindly in love with Glinda and can’t recognize gratitude for Nessarose. That being said, Glinda is unaware of Boq’s undying admiration, making the love triangle incomplete. The relationship between Nessarose and Boq is founded on the idea of rescue-based love, which requires control and obligation. One can see the effects of such love with the unhappiness of both Nessarose and Boq within the relationship. Their love is solely based on conditions that are fragile. If any of the conditions change or cease to be, their love and happiness fall apart. This relationship depicts a clear contrast between authentic partnership and unhealthy dependency.

Green

Green is an important color in the movie. Not only is Elphaba green, which starts her on a path of isolation and misunderstanding, but the Emerald City itself is green. Although Elphaba is seen as indifferent and strange, the Emerald City is seen as magical, luxurious, and enviable. The severity of different interpretations of green is clearly hypocritical. When Elphaba is seen as a green person, she is ridiculed and gossiped about negatively. She becomes an outcast not only in society, but within the family as well. She feels, and rightly so, that she doesn’t belong. However, Emerald City itself is green, and the glamorous people of the city all wear green. For them, green means wealth, status, belonging, beauty, approval, success, and, of course magic. Nonetheless, this interpretation doesn’t extend to Elphaba. Even though she perfectly represents most of the interpretations of green, most people see her as the opposite. Even though there was evidence that she is magical, instead of embracing it, they feared it.

Elphaba is authentically green; she encompasses the true meaning of the color. The Emerald City, by contrast, is fraudulent, creating artificial meaning from its greenness. Society assigns meaning to the color green, and does so selectively. In opposition to Elphaba’s true representation, green can also signify envy and greed, whereas Elphaba represents it as magical and transformative. Regardless of the true meaning of green, its use throughout the movies reveals how meaning itself is constructed.

The Yellow Brick Road

The Yellow Brick Road takes on a different meaning in Wicked than it did in the original Wizard of Oz movie. For Dorothy, the Yellow Brick Road represented hope and salvation. Even though Dorothy finds out the Wizard is a fraud as well, she achieves her goal of returning home. However, in Wicked, it takes on a whole new meaning. While the Wizard’s propaganda mirrors Dorothy’s view of the road as a symbol of prosperity and salvation, its true purpose in Wicked is far more different. In fact, the road represents a pre-set path, obedience, and lack of thinking. The road is yet another mechanism designed to foster reliance on the Wizard; to be saved, to be told what to do, and to be told how to change.

Following the road is comfortable and easy. One can neglect the truth and put all trust in the Wizard. The road represents a cookie-cutter life plan in which all the right questions can be answered by following the path. It represents the masses clinging to psychological simplicity. One doesn’t even need to figure out how to get to the Wizard because they can simply follow the path.

Elphaba knows that the road leads to illusions, to a fraud with empty promises. She wholeheartedly rejects the road, even trying to destroy it and delay its construction. Her refusal to follow the road as the path set out by the Wizard is a statement of independent thought. Deviating from the path creates a much harder life for Elphaba; she has no guidance, no reassurance, and she’s deemed as an outcast for choosing her own path. However, Elphaba’s path allows her to have a deeper authenticity and self-authorship over her life and true wants.

One can see the Yellow Brick Road as a parallel to modern cultural scripts. One grows up being told what the right path is. Following this path is easiest because of social acceptance, as well as having supporting infrastructure to complete the path, just as the Yellow Brick Road was infrastructure to walk to the Wizard. This infrastructure supports anyone who walks the common path. However, those who choose a different path must confront hardships, complications, and societal rejection. There will be a lack of support, from people and from the system. However, as the movie’s themes suggest, it takes following one’s own path to find one’s authentic self.

Sacrifice

At the end of the movies, Elphaba feels the need to sacrifice herself because it's a necessary conclusion to the current tragedy. Elphaba sees this as a necessity as her public death is a way for the land of Oz to heal. She recognizes that the Wizard will maintain control if threats still exist. However, if the threat of the 'Wicked Witch' is eliminated, the public's dependency on a protector will diminish. The narrative and fear of the Wicked Witch is also too strong to undo. Thus, the only choice is to become an unknown martyr and perish, along with the public fear. Through her public death, the Wizard loses his psychological hold over the people and his control over Oz.It also indicates a clear paradigm shift in the land of Oz, and a great opportunity to shift powers.

Elphaba’s death is a symbolic death, as all of Oz believes she died. Although her public identity dies, her real self survives. Not only does she sacrifice herself for a more noble reason, but for a personal one as well. She sacrifices her reputation, a negative and unjust one, so she can escape the narrative that traps her. It sets her free.

Glinda takes on the responsibility to become the true protector of Oz, to help it flourish and loosen the grip that was once upon its people. Having lost her dearest friend and accepted responsibility for the people, Glinda maintains her public reputation to enact change from within. She allows her friend to die knowing well it’s for the greater good of the people. She puts aside her personal desires and takes her public duty seriously. She knew, with the help of Elphaba, that Glinda cannot be publicly associated with the Wicked Witch, as the narrative is too strong and will destroy Glinda’s reputation. Ultimately, Glinda’s reputation is the key to Oz’s future because, since she possesses a sincere desire to do good, her public image is the only thing allowing her to lead effectively. Glinda sacrifices her emotional closeness with her true friend to fulfill her political role. Glinda must assume leadership with an appearance of purity and legitimacy. Both Elphaba and Glinda must lose something precious to build the future. Elphaba gains her freedom, while Glinda gains responsibility and a role to be truly good.