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How did Gregory Maguire’s Wicked reimagine the characters and events of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?

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Illustration by W.W. Denslow showing Dorothy comforting the Cowardly Lion on a yellow brick road, with Toto, the Tin Woodsman, and the Scarecrow nearby in a forest. — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz An illustrated page by W.W. Denslow in L. Frank Baum's *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz*.

In his 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire reimagines the world of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by extending the narrative backward in time to provide a revisionist perspective on its characters and events.12

Rather than depicting the Wicked Witch of the West as a purely evil figure, Maguire portrays her as Elphaba, a lonely, ostracized, and misunderstood woman. The story explores her complex friendship with Galinda (later Glinda the Good Witch) and frames the history of Oz through themes of authoritarianism and propaganda.12

Maguire also provides origin stories for other iconic characters, reimagining their transformations:
* The Scarecrow: Revealed to be Fiyero, the shared love interest of Elphaba and Galinda.2
* The Tin Man: Identified as the Munchkin character Boq.2
* The Wicked Witch of the East: Portrayed as Nessarose, Elphaba’s younger sister.2

By shifting the focus to Elphaba’s point of view, Maguire transforms the classic tale into an intricate exploration of morality and social identity.12