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- Title
A Parable, A Pearl and 'Popular'? How the Broadway Musical Wicked-Especially Elphaba's Character-May Assist Adolescent Girls to Claim Their Uniqueness.
- Authors
Schweitzer, Carol
- Abstract
In this essay I provide a brief exegesis of the parable of the 'pearl of great price' (Matthew 13:45-46) as an introduction to an examination of Elphaba's character in the Broadway musical Wicked [as distinguished from her character in Gregory Maguire's novel, Wicked ()] and the potential value this character has for pastoral care with adolescent girls who struggle with the need to belong as well as the need to be themselves. I argue that Wicked may be understood as a twenty-first century parable that appeals to many, adults and adolescents alike, but it is especially appealing to teenage girls because it 'taps into a certain teenage angst' () that relates to the quest for popularity, a first true love, and beauty makeovers. Elphaba's seriousness has a certain kind of spiritual nature which may be related to her green skin (James , p. 160) that may encourage adolescent girls to adopt their own spiritual natures and enable them to claim their own voices even as Elphaba finally 'defies gravity' and learns to fly.
- Subjects
PEARL of Great Price (Parable); PSYCHOLOGY of teenage girls; MUSICALS; WISEMAN, Rosalind, 1969-; PASTORAL care; MAGUIRE, Gregory, 1954-; POPULARITY
- Publication
Pastoral Psychology, 2012, Vol 61, Issue 4, p499
- ISSN
0031-2789
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11089-011-0421-0