Summary
Meg Murray is an insecure teenager who is
labeled by her teachers and peers to be an unintelligent troublemaker. Her
family members (her scientist parents, athletic twin brothers, and genius
younger brother) believe that Meg, in spite of her seeming deficiencies, has
great gifts hidden inside. Added to her stress is the fact that Meg’s father
has been missing for over one year. During an unexpected visit with their
eccentric neighbor Mrs. Whatsit, Meg and her younger brother Charles Wallace
come to understand that their father disappeared mysteriously while working for
the government on a special project dealing with tesseracts, a type of time and
space travel. While walking to Mrs. Whatsit’s home to discover more information
on the whereabouts of their father, Meg and Charles Wallace meet Calvin, a high
school student who feels he also is a kind of misfit. Together, the three children
later go to the home of Mrs. Whatsit, who is mysteriously joined by her two
friends, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who. The three “spirit” ladies explain to the
children that their father is being held captive by evil beings on another
planet and vow to help the children rescue their father. The three Mrs. W’s
transport the children to the planet of Camazotz, which has been taken over by
the evil force of the “Dark Thing” and is characterized by conformity to the
pulsation of a being called the IT. IT is a giant brain that uses its power to
force its subjects to act alike, think alike, and talk alike. Charles Wallace
tries to wrestle with the great being by wielding his intelligence over it, but
instead Charles Wallace allows himself to fall prey to IT’s power for the
purpose of finding his father. Under the hypnotic influence of IT, Charles
Wallace leads Meg and Calvin to Mr. Murray, who is being held captive for
refusing to succumb to the power of the IT. Mr. Murray helps Meg and Calvin
escape the clutches of the Central Control by “tessering” them to another
planet, leaving Charles Wallace behind under the power of the IT. The process
of “tessering” physically weakens Meg, who is nursed back to health by an
indigenous creature she calls “Aunt Beast.” The three Mrs. W’s once again
arrive and explain to Meg that she is the one who must use her gifts to rescue
her younger brother. Meg tenuously accepts their charge and reenters Camazotz
to rescue her brother. Meg uses her gift of her love for Charles Wallace to free
him from the power of the IT, and then she and the others are “tessered” back
to Earth, where the family experiences a joyful reunion.
Interest
This book is
unusual in that it would appeal to readers of different ages, although it is
probably best suited for those readers in the Early Adolescence stage. The
science fiction motif would appeal to boys in this stage, while the fantasy
motif would appeal to young girls. The book does portray a female protagonist,
which would lend itself to be more widely accepted among girls. Because the
book deals with some heavy psychological and philosophical issues (conformity,
finding and using one’s personal gifts, etc.), a more mature reader would also
find enjoyment and could relate to its themes.
Developing Well-Adjusted Readers
Progressive Independence and Separation
from Parents: The
book begins with Meg’s frustration that everyone in her world outside of her
close family believes she is troubled and strange. This preoccupation with
wanting to fit in is exasperated by the presence of her twin brothers, who are
athletic, popular, and generally considered normal. One of the main thrusts of
the book is the search and rescue operation of the Murry’s father, but this
operation is executed mostly without the help of either of her parents or
family members. Meg must learn to forge her own identity in order to save her
family members. Adolescents of all ages will be able to relate to Meg’s identity
struggles and her search for personal values.
Finding a Significant Role Model: In her search to
be able to fit in with her peer group and to become independent from her
parents, Meg finds a role model of sorts in the persons of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs.
Who, and Mrs. Which. It is through their encouragement that Meg realizes that
her love is the power that will break Charles Wallace free from the hypnotism
of the IT. These unusual ladies are role models in that they recognize Meg’s
positive traits and help her to recognize them in herself. This example of a
significant role model in Meg’s life will encourage teenagers to look for
someone who will see them for what they can be, not for what they currently
are.
Coming to Terms with the Body: Added to the
stress of what others think about her at school is Meg’s personal insecurity
about how she looks physically. Meg thinks of herself as plain – both mentally
and physically. The first chapter of the book describes Meg’s mother as
“gorgeous,” which only seems to magnify Meg’s own awkwardness. Mrs. Murry does
try to console Meg by assuring her daughter that she (Mrs. Murry) was
unattractive as a young girl. Meg also indicates dissatisfaction with her
appearance to Calvin in Chapter 3, but Calvin gently disagrees, and the reader
gets the sense that this is when Meg begins to see herself differently. While
the rest of the book does not directly address this issue again, the reader can
speculate that Meg’s acceptance of her physical body parallels her spiritual
and mental development as a character. Adolescents will certainly be able to identify
with Meg’s self-image woes and will be encouraged with her progress in spite of
her self-perception.
Relating to the Opposite Sex: While the idea
of sexuality is not specifically addressed in this book, moments arise that
seem to indicate more is under the surface in the relationship between Calvin
and Meg. The spark between Meg and Calvin begins in Chapter 3, when the two are
studying and talking at the Murry’s kitchen table. Calvin bemoans to Meg that
he is not at all handsome like Meg’s father, but Meg refutes him by stating
that they are both handsome. Later in the conversation, Meg gets emotional
relating the story of her father’s disappearance to Calvin. Calvin’s tender
show of affection by wiping Meg’s glasses is joined by his tender declaration
that Meg’s eyes are pretty without her glasses. This is as far as any romantic
love goes between the two characters, but throughout the story Calvin does
continue to display protective care and concern for Meg. Because this
relationship is based on acceptance and genuine friendship, adolescents will be
encouraged to seek meaningful relationships, rather than seek those
relationships that are based merely on physical or sexual attraction.
Achieving an Integrated System of
Values: The
power of love to overcome evil is one of the main themes of the book. From the
onset, Meg is struggling to be able to forge her own set of values apart from
her teachers, her mother, and her siblings. It seems that she does not feel
like she has any inherent value as a person because she is not athletic like
her twin brothers, intelligent like Charles Wallace, or gorgeous like her
mother. Meg struggles with this inner conflict throughout the book, despite the
encouragement of Charles Wallace, Calvin, and the three Mrs. Ws to the
contrary. Meg’s final decision to reenter Camazotz to rescue Charles Wallace in
spite of her continued insecurities is a powerful display of her burgeoning
value system.
Work Experience: Although the
idea of work experience is not specifically addressed in this book, the concept
of holding a good work ethic is present. Both Mr. and Mrs. Murry exemplify a
strong work ethic for their children – in fact, it is because of his work ethic
that Mr. Murry has disappeared. It is obvious that the Murry family encourages
diligence in school work. In fact, Meg and Calvin begin their friendship with
reviewing and studying together for school. Through the example of the Murry
family the adolescent reading can be encouraged to adopt and sustain his own
work ethic.
Issues
When teaching
through this book, the Christian school teacher will want to touch on a few
things that may be considered problematic. First of all, the teacher must help
his students to understand the genre of this book. It is a fantasy/science
fiction book and must be treated as such. The Christian school teacher would be
wise to spend some time explaining the value of fantasy literature as a whole.
Secondly, it would be beneficial to point out that there is a clear line of
good and evil in the book and discuss where that line is. Thirdly, because some
parents may take issue with the science fiction elements in the book
(“tessering,” the evil IT being that controls its subjects through hypnotism,
the use of magic by the Mrs. W’s, the “alien” characters on the other planets,
etc.), the Christian school teacher should be careful to point out the
allegorical nature of these ideas. It is not the author’s contention that these
things really exist in our universe; instead, she is using creating an
alternative universe to teach us some very key lessons about our own world.
Finally, the Christian school teacher should touch on the theme of love. It
seems that the author is purporting that love is the ultimate answer to the world’s
problems, which is not entirely true. The Christian school teacher would do
well to promote a healthy discussion about this theme using the example of
Christ and His sacrificial love for us.
Recommendations
On a positive
note, the fact that this book is the 1963 Newbery medal winner certainly makes
it a worthwhile read. Overall, the characters are engaging, and they have
meaningful development throughout the book. Because Meg is representative of
the typical adolescent, a teen girl would be able to relate her character on
multiple levels. Good and evil is clearly defined in the novel, and it is clear
that the author believes that good is worth fighting for. The novel is
imaginative and fresh – the author creates an alter-world that helps the reader
to understand issues in his own world that he probably would not otherwise
notice. The overall themes in the book are Christian in nature, although the
Christian school teacher likely would have to generate discussion to help the
reader to be able to grasp and understand some of those themes. On the negative
side, the book may not appeal to those readers who do not relate to this genre
of literature. The reader certainly has to be able to suspend belief to be able
to fully appreciate the value of the novel. On the whole, this is a book that I
would personally recommend for its strong literary value and character
development throughout.
