Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Clocks are a mysterious symbol in the novel. In Ozian legend, there exists a clock at the center of the Earth, which is responsible for life itself. The Clock of the Time Dragon is a powerful mechanism for social disruption and truth-telling, and tiktoks are clocklike humanoids that are used as spies throughout Oz. One symbolic meaning for these clocks is time. So many people die young, or in accidents, or in tragic murders, that the fleeting nature of life becomes an important issue in the novel. Clocks are also metaphors for logic. Once a clock is built correctly, its mechanisms autonomously work in accordance with the laws of logic. Therefore, people subconsciously place enormous stock in the power of a clock. If a clock declares that it is three o’clock in the afternoon, then it is three o’clock in the afternoon. Thus, though clocks are manmade, they control human lives with the trickery of natural logic. Furthermore, clocks are a symbolic reminder of our destiny. The novel spans years, in which Elphaba and other characters toils away on their missions and their goals, but clocks are a constant reminder that time is running out and certain issues are urgent.

Elphaba’s flying broom is a symbol of the world pushing her to witchcraft. Yackle gifts Elphaba the broom without explanation, but when she discovers that the broom can fly, Elphaba realizes that Yackle gave this gift to push Elphaba into becoming a witch. This brings up the question of Elphaba’s destiny. Did Yackle know Elphaba was destined to be the Wicked Witch of the West? Or did Yackle see potential in Elphaba that Elphaba misinterpreted as a sign of destiny? But the broom is also a symbol of freedom. With the broom, Elphaba can travel without relying on chaperones or caravans, which come with the constant risk of exposure to tiktok spies. With the broom, Elphaba travels around Oz with the anonymity that she relishes. Thus, the broom is a gesture toward destiny as well as freedom and independence.