The Weekly MUSE: The Wicked Witch of the West

Every year around this time, I get the urge to watch my favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz. Why? Because of the Wicked Witch of the West – one of the most profound antagonists of all time!

She is evil. She is spooky. And since I’ve been on this roll lately – she is GREEN!

The Wicked Witch of the West made her first appearance over a hundred years ago in L. Frank Baum’s classic novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Since then, many authors, screenwriters, and directors have adapted this character into different roles.

L. Frank Baum’s wicked witch was a short and stubby old lady. She was ruler of the Winkies, and her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East was ruler over the Munchkins. The original Wicked Witch of the West was not green. She had only one eye, yet it was as powerful as a telescope. She could spy on anything and anyone. And instead of flying on a broom, she wielded an umbrella.

The original Wicked Witch of the West from l. Frank Baum's classic book.

While the original wicked witch’s appearance was quite different than subsequent roles, her intentions were quite the same. She wanted revenge on Dorothy for flattening her sister with a falling house. And don’t forget the slippers – the silver slippers that is. Yes, in the original story, the slippers were silver. They had belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East, but since Dorothy had killed that witch, the shoes belonged to her. But the Wicked Witch of the West wanted those, too.

In the 1939 MGM film, The Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is portrayed as a slender, boney featured old woman. She is dressed in a flowing black dress, and wears the classic black coned hat. And her skin is green. This witch flies on a broomstick, uses a crystal ball to spy on the world, and she coined the famous line, “I’ll get you my pretty! And your little dog, too!”

This version of the Wicked Witch of the West still wants revenge on Dorothy for killing her sister, but in this adaptation, the slippers are made of rubies.

MGM’s version of the Wicked Witch of the West has influenced the way we see witches in popular culture. From that point forward, the common representation of the witch has looked similar to this classic movie character. The green skinned, broom riding, boney featured old woman with the flowing black dress is the most common.

In 1978 another adaptation of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz hit the silver screen. This film was portrayed through the African American culture. The Wiz took place in Harlem and New York City. And the Wicked Witch of the West was a stout, whip wielding, gospel singing, large-and-in-charge woman who ran a sweatshop down in the sewers. She wore a large, puffy, beaded, orange and red baby doll dress – but don’t let that fool you. Her demeanor was similar to the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland. Take a look!

 

So, what tied all of these characters together? They all had a band of FLYING MONKEYS! And they all wanted revenge on Dorothy. After all, isn’t that what an antagonist is supposed to do – get in the protagonist’s way?

With this new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? Maybe these what if questions will help you get started.

What if your main character’s mother was the Wicked Witch of the West?

What if you told the story of the Wizard of Oz through the perspective of one of the winged monkeys?

What if the Wicked Witch of the West was the protagonist (hero of your story) instead of the villain? Oops. That has already been done. Refer to the famous musical “Wicked”. Take a look at this video clip of Glenda and Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West). 

The possibilities are endless, and please leave your own what if questions in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

Grab a pencil and a piece of paper, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere. I look forward to seeing where you take us.

With Imagination,

Professor Watermelon

The word of the day is “adaptation”. Here is the definition: adjusting a story to make it new but keeping key elements the same, so that the original story can be recognized through the changes.