Introduction

Wicked is the story of a girl named Elphaba who is ridiculed and ostracized for her green
skin. Because Elphaba grows up in a family full of normal Ozians, it is hard for her to find her
place and discover who she is when she is outside of the lines of a normal Ozian. Elphaba
attends Shiz University, a co-educational university that is run by Madame Morrible. Here, she
meets Glinda, her roommate. Galinda is the opposite of Elphaba - beautiful, confident, and
normal by Ozian standards. Though the two originally do not get along, their interactions make
them rethink their perspective on life, society, and their own personal beliefs. Elphaba also faces
issues at home because her family, like Glinda, is considered normal. Her sister, Nessarose, is
the favorite daughter and is confined to a wheelchair because of an incident revolving around
the very bane of Elphabas existence. Frex, their father, fed the girls mother milk flowers in
order to ensure that the second daughter would not be born green and the family could avoid the
embarrassment they faced when Elphaba was born. Nessarose and Elphabas relationship is
strained, as Nessarose is embarrassed of her sisters differences. Elphaba lives in this bubble of
social seclusion until she studies at Shiz, because there, she meets Dr. Dillamond. Dr. Dillamond
is a half-goat man who serves as Elphabas acclaimed professor. Because of his own differences,
the Ozians eventually take his job away from him and cage him because he is too far outside the
lines of normal. Elphaba, relating to Dr. Dillamond, yearns to be as accepted and acclaimed as he
was and this oppurtunity arises when she is rewarded the opportunity to meet the Wizard. When
Elphaba meets the Wizard, who she believes to be this grand and great man, he turns out to be an
average Ozian and she is suddenly faced with the decision to either follow what is normal and
deal with being different or to stand up against Oz. The musical focuses on what is right, what is
wrong, what is good and what is wicked. It is all very black and white but fortunately, Elphaba
learns to see the world in color. She ignites a fire within herself and in Oz and exhibits that it is
okay to be different.
Theoretical Framework

I am focusing on marginalization as a critical lens. Marginalization is the poor treatment of a

person, group, or concept because they are deemed insignificant. It is the best lens because in a
classroom you need to celebrate the diversity of a class in its entirety, rather than praise one
group over another. The most important aspect of a classroom is creating a safe space for all
students to learn and thrive. In this space, they learn the tools to become great adults and model
citizens. Diane Gabb states in her article, Transcultural Dynamics in the Classroom, In every
classroom where interactivity is part of the learning process, teachers become facilitators.
Facilitating in the multicultural classroom presents special challenges for teachers in overcoming
psychosocial problems that may be present when people from different cultural and linguistic
backgrounds interact (Gabb, 357) Teachers become facilitators is a key phrase because it is up
to those who teach the students to empower them and nurture their differences. It is what makes
the world a more knowledgeable and decorated place. She also states, In understanding the
psychosocial well-being of people from diverse cultural backgrounds, the transcultural paradigm
places people in the context of their social, psychological, political, historical, and cultural
origins and experience. This helps us to see the potential sources of ethnocentrism of both
teacher and students, as it does similarly in the interaction between healer and patient (Kleinman,
1980). In other words, the pervasive influences of our own culture dictate the ways in which
interactions between individuals and groups take place. This also extends to how important
issues are addressed, discounted, or ignored. A transcultural approach to academic staff training
and support in managing the multicultural classroom may provide a useful framework from
which to proceed in developing the awareness, knowledge, and skills required in an age of
increasing cultural diversity (Gabb, 358). In short, influences of different cultures dictate how
interactions take place. The students develop awareness of the world based on what they learn in
a classroom. But when marginalization is happening, different cultures that are disassociated
with normal are silenced. The lens marginalization is so debilitating to a student and their
future because it makes students have a one track way of thinking and instead of acting as a
collective group.

Applying the Lens

Marginalization is incredibly evident in the musical Wicked. The focus of this marginalization is
on Elphaba and her differences from everyone around her. Right away, the musical establishes
what is good and what is wicked. It is clear that Elphaba does fall into the latter category from
the very beginning, as in the opening scene, her father yells at the midwife to take the baby away
because she is green. She is separated from normal society and ridiculed by her own father and
sister. When she attends Shiz, she is immediately marginalized by Glinda because Glinda is the
perfect picture of what is normal and good by societys standards. The only person that
Elphaba can relate to is Dr. Dillamond, the half goat man who shares his brilliance and kindness
with all of his students. Through his own marginalization and the university, Elphaba discovers
what is happening to her and she also finds a connection to it because she herself is
marginalized. A common theme throughout this musical is the idea of being drawn to power.
Everyone is drawn to the norm and what will make them most powerful, allowing no one to
thrive unless they conform to the ways and the happenings of Shiz. Throughout the show,
Madame Morrible feeds off of power, as does Glinda. Joan Wink states, marginalization is to
place someone or something on the fringes, on the margins of power. To be marginalized is to be
made to feel less (Wink, 81). Winnie Holzman, writer of the book for Wicked, states, Do we
listen to what authority tells us?...To me, thats what Wicked is about. In order to see whats
really true, you have to engage something more than your judgment or your prejudices. You have
to look with depth (Bowen, 2). Elphaba was marginalized the entire show by everyone around
her, not just by her elders. This is because students and young people elearn by example. Faced
with a choice and as a young witch with nothing to lose, she sings the non-conformist anthem
Defying Gravity and goes off on her own. When Elphaba chooses to defy the Wizard the
Ozians rejoice at the witchs absence because she is different and it is easier to throw her away
than to nurture her talents. If Elphabas talents and differences were nurtured, Shiz could have
produced a very influential woman and she could have lived a very successful life. Instead, she
was better off fending for herself instead of being accepted by anyone. Good teaching honors a
students world. The root of education begins with the student from whatever background or
circumstance they come from. Again, good teaching celebrates just this (Abrahams & John, 9).
The professors at Shiz and her own family did not honor Elphaba's world. This society, these
Ozians, took away anything that was familiar or relatable to Elphaba, like Dr. Dillamond. They
continuously forced her to feel inferior to them. Ultimately, she succumbed to being wicked
because that was the what was expected of her based on where she came from, instead of
nurturing her true ability to contribute to the world. To reiterate, in Transcultural Dynamics in
the Classroom, when cultural and social diversity is celebrated, it aids students in making
connections in the classroom, creating a safe environment, and to be open minded. This is not the
case in Oz, where anyone who was not deemed normal was silenced and marginalized.

Discussion

Reflecting on the issues in Wicked, it poses many questions. How has Oz come to this? What
could Elphaba have become? If there had been more acceptance in Oz and at Shiz University, it
is safe to say that Elphaba, in fact, would have become more. Her fate would not have been to
melt. Her fate would have been to grow. Though this is a fictional musical and a classroom
environment is real, there are some lessons to be learned here. Marginalization is real, and it
debilitating to students who come from various walks of life. All students should be nurtured and
celebrated, simply because the world is a diverse place and not one child learns the same way.
Once again, though this is a fictional storyline, educators do not want their students to end up
like Elphaba - succumbing to the the marginalization and not living up to their full potential. As
aforementioned in the theoretical framework, marginalization is the poor treatment of a person,
group, or concept because they are deemed insignificant. This is exactly the case with Elphaba.
She was deemed insignificant because of her physical appearance when her intelligence and
passion should have been celebrated. When an educator finds the treasure in a students
differences, that is when a model classroom can bloom and so can the individual students. When
a student is at a school age - first grade to as far as college - they are at the prime age to absorb
the diversity in their environment. When this occurs, the student is able to thrive and fulfill their
greatest potential. In a classroom, there is no such thing as normal. The minute the term
normal becomes present, it already suffocates any child who does not fit into that slim bracket.
There is no one definition for normal, but there is for diversity. ...words like normal, regular,
those people, and them. When you hear those words, you can almost be assured that someone is
going to be marginalized (Wink, 81). From watching Wicked, awareness is the obvious first step
to disabling marginalization.
Conclusion

Marginalization is defined as making certain groups feel inferior. In Wicked, Elphabas green
skin deemed her inferior to the rest of Oz and through her encounters with Glinda, her father,
Nessarose, and Dr. Dillamond, she gave in to what society expected her to be - wicked. It is a
learning experience for educators to see just how marginalization can be so real. It is important to
keep and open mind and to nurture the diversity in a classroom.

Reference List:

Abrahams, Frank, and Ryan John. Planning Instruction in Music: Writing Objectives,
Assessments, and Lesson Plans to Engage Artistic Processes. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2015.
Print
Wink, Joan. Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World. Boston ; Munich: Pearson, 2011.
Print.

Bowen, Michael. "Wicked on the Inside." Inlander. Inlander, 17 Feb. 2017. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Gabb, D. "Transcultural Dynamics in the Classroom." Journal of Studies in International

Education 10.4 (2006): 357-68. Web.