Meg Murry’s Adventures in ‘a Wrinkle in Time’ by Madeleine L'engle

Introduction

Madeline L’Engle’s book, “A Wrinkle in Time” is a classic novel about a high school girl named Meg Murry and her adventure to rescue her father. Meg Murry is a girl that has academic and social issues at school; however, she has a genius brother named Charles Wallace and brilliant parents. Meg’s dad is a scientist who went on a dangerous mission, which transported him to a planet where he got trapped by evil forces. This breathtaking quest to save their father starts when they meet Mrs. Whatsit, who appears human but is really a creature that can read Meg’s mind. Mrs. Whatsit reassures the Murry family that the tesseract is real and Meg can save Mr. Murry by using it. Meg meets Calvin O'Keefe, who is a popular boy at school. Meg, Charles, and Calvin go through the tesseract to save Mr. Murry. When they get there, Charles Wallace tries to fight IT with his intelligence skills but is controlled by the evil and is mouthing the words with which IT makes him do. Under the control of IT, Charles leads Meg and Calvin to IT. Mr. Murry and the entire group defeat the IT together. The adventure was deadly, but the determined children succeed.

Themes and Messages

A Wrinkle in Time is classic literature due to the message given by Madeline L’Engle in the book. Madeline delivered an admirable memo in the story, and that is love. The main concept was that Meg discovered love is the most powerful force in the universe. Meg defeats IT by using love. The New York Times Book Review described the novel as, “Imaginative readers should find it wholly absorbing for in her highly accelerated spin through space” (L'Engle, 1962). This book became a classic because of the life lesson it offered. The moral was ultimate. This novel had gotten rejected several times. For two whole years, she received rejection after rejection. This was a frustrating process Madeline describes at length in her autobiography A Circle of Quiet. In 1962, John Farrar of Farrar & Giroux agreed to publish the book, even though he did not expect it to sell. It was shocking for all of them that the book became an instant hit. In 1962, Madeline won the Newberry Medal, and since then, her book has been known for the life lesson it offers to readers. Meg learned a memorable lesson, that love is the truth, and that is what it takes. A Wrinkle in Time is known as classic literature due to the meaningful statement it provides.

There are numerous themes in this book, but one of them is being yourself and being different from your surroundings. Meg had a hard time adjusting with her peers and her schoolmates; she had conflicts with them. Meg learned a valuable lesson when she went to Camazotz. The people on Camazotz had no individuality. People in Camazotz were brainwashed and could not think for themselves. Then Meg notices that being different is not bad, and everyone should be themselves. This individual theme is apparent to the audience because the reader can connect to the character. The reader can see this as a valid theme, so the theme is apparent to the audience.

Conclusion

A Wrinkle in Time has an abrupt ending; everything just finishes happily. Madeline L’Engle never added how Meg recovered and why the dark thing was still not defeated. Madeline L’Engle leaves us with numerous questions, which is not that effective. This is a science-fiction book; it takes you to a whole new dimension with lots of events to think of. The novel invites readers to reflect on the complexities of good and evil and the power of the human spirit. Overall, this was a fascinating book that will make your brain think in several different ways. It could also use some adjustments to make the ending more satisfying and coherent.

References

L'Engle, M. (1962). A Wrinkle in Time. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

L'Engle, M. (1972). A Circle of Quiet. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.