The Bokonon of Oz

            I had the opportunity to see Wicked on Broadway this past weekend, and even there I couldn’t help noticing many of the themes we’ve been talking about all semester. Those in charge in Oz make up a whole lie that they feed to the people. The wizard knows he’s no wizard at all; he’s simply a “corn-fed hick,” but he creates the entire illusion of his power because the people are willing to believe it. Similar to the way Bokonon makes up an entire set of lies that cause the people to look to him for comfort and security.

            The lies in Wicked extend beyond the wizard himself. Glinda and Madame Morrible know perfectly well that Elphaba is truly not wicked, but they make her out to be so for the people to have a common enemy. They create this act that they all go along with as it drives their society and keeps the people busy. Sound a little Bokonon-esque? Of course there are differences: for example, the people of Oz are not told outright that what they are told are lies. They don’t have to consciously choose to believe them the same way the San Lorenzans do. But the parallels still exist: people in power making up lies and employing themselves as actors to keep themselves and their people occupied. Wicked explores the idea of a façade – things aren’t always what they appear – that has come up repeatedly in class discussions of our texts.

            Wicked also exhibits metatextual elements that are common in the texts we read. As the audience gets caught up in the musical – immersing themselves in the characters and plot – subtle, humorous references to 1939 The Wizard of Oz film throughout pull them back into awareness that this musical is in fact a fictional parallel to another famous fictional work. These references make the musical self-aware just like the books we read in class.

            The things we discuss in class never leave you. Even a couple hundred miles from our classroom I still notice metatextuality, lies, and deceit in works. I can’t speak for the Wicked books, but I know the musical would fit right in with Cat’s Cradle, The Things They Carried, Man in the High Castle, and the rest of our curriculum.