Wicked (Post 4)

‘“Tell me about your amusing campaign for the heart of Galinda the Ice Queen.”
Boq really wanted to hear about Doctor Dillamond, but was derailed by Elphaba’s remark. ‘I will keep on, Elphie, I will! When I see her I’m so smitten with longing, it’s like a fire in my veins. I can’t speak, and the things I think about are like visions. It’s like dreaming. It’s like floating in your dreams.’
‘I don’t dream.’
‘Tell me, is there any hope? What does she say? Does she ever even imagine that her feelings for me might change?’
Elphaba sat with her two elbows on the table, her hands clasped in front of her face, her two forefingers leaning against each other and against her thin, grayish lips. ‘You know, Boq,’ she said, ‘the thing is I have become fold of Galinda myself. Behind her starry-eyed love of herself there is a mind struggling to work. She does think about things. When her mind is really working, she could, if led, think on you—even, I suspect somewhat fondly. I suspect. I don’t know. But when she slides back into herself, I mean into the girl who spends two hours a day curling that beautiful hair, it’s as if she’s thinking Galinda goes into some internal closet and shuts the door. Or as if she’s in hysterical retreat from things that are too big for her. I love her both ways, but I find it odd. I wouldn’t mind leaving myself behind if I could, but I don’t know the way out.’” (109)

I think it is interesting here because this has been the first time in the book that Elphaba has shared what she thinks of Galinda, or anyone for that matter, without being upset or insulted. And I think that it’s interesting that the first time Elphaba met Boq she was very rude and then she agreed to help him meet up with Galinda but when she did that she was rude to both Boq and Galinda and wouldn’t let them speak for themselves without chiming into their conversation with some kind of commentary. But here she was really sincere although she was kind of blunt with how much Galinda thought of herself and didn’t really think much, Elphie was trying to be helpful and attempt to cheer Boq up a little bit. And I also like the fact that she was being honest about wishing she could, in a way, be like Galinda and have the ability to escape from herself at times. And I think it’s good that Elphie is finally starting to make a friend that isn’t shallow and won’t be embarrassed to be seen in public with her and that he won’t go and make fun of her behind her back to his other friends. This book is getting pretty good and when I pick it up I hate to have to put it down.