City of Emeralds

Just got to my favorite moment in “Wicked,” and decided to take a picture to mark the ocasion. This scene is why, despite all the differences in characterization, plot, and circumstance, I like Elphaba and Fiyero’s very different story arc in the novel every bit as much as I enjoy them in the musical. Despite knowing how the novel ends (in full), I’m resonating with their story quite a bit after reading the novel properly, because I see how it fits into her story arc. To put it simply, I’ve always seen Elphaba’s relationship with Fiyero, at least in book verse, as ultimately being the one good thing in her life. It was, to quote another character that I adore quite a bit quite literally her “brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness.”  (It’s always a good day when I can find connections between my favorite pairings).

And, because Elphaba is less innocent, more closed-off, and much more jaded and cynical than her musical counterpart, this aspect of their relationship comes across very strongly in “City of Emeralds.” In a way, Elphaba in the musical was often denied, yet always very ready for love and affection, whether from Glinda’s friendship, her attraction to Fiyero, or from mentor figures such as Dillamond and even Morrible and the Wizard at points in her life. In that way, she and Fiyero fall for each other and come together very naturally, which is charming and heartwarming to watch.

This Elphaba, however, is resigned to being alone, and as a result, she and Fieyro work much harder at their relationship, which in turn becomes beautifully layered and complex because of its difficulty. This moment especially, “No! I’m not a harem, I’m not a woman, I’m not a person, no,” is so indicative of somebody who has accepted being alone so thoroughly that she’s begun to reject her own personhood suddenly letting somebody into her life. And it’s not romantic as much as it is jarring, difficult and frightening for her, and she’s not sweet as much as she’s often even more cynical and on the defensive. She struggles with being vulnerable, she questions her feelings every step of the way, and she’s far from perfect, but their relationship still becomes the point in her life when she is the happiest. 

"Why should I keep myself so safe?" he asked her, but he was almost asking himself…What is there that makes my life worth preserving? "I love you," said Elphaba." So that’s that then, and that’s it," he answered her, and himself. "And I love you.  So I promise to be careful." Careful enough for both of us, he thought.

What I love particularly love about this moment, though, is that it offers a glimpse of how Fiyero develops, and how he is affected by this relationship. Often with a pairing, when one character takes more of a central role in the plot, the other character become easy to overlook as merely an aspect of their partner’s plot arc. Here, though, the focus is solely on Fiyero, and how her realizes that Elphaba is also his brief flicker of light in an otherwise jaded existence. After seeing so much of Elphaba opening up to another individual and having her loneliness and otherness alleviated, it’s poignant to see the effect she has on him as well.

I love that there is an entire section of “Wicked” dedicated to their story; considering that the book is divided into stages of Elphaba’s life, I feel like that goes a long way in showing how important this period is to her. I genuinely think that any writer trying to write a very human and very layered relationship should read at least this chapter to see how to write characters that get into your head and make you care fiercely about their stories.