These days, I find myself stumbling into Wicked with Glinda and Elphaba. How fantastic music has held the power to shape the future. Though , I find it unsettling how quickly people label Glinda as the “Good Witch” and Elphaba as the “Bad Witch.” It feels like reducing a complex world into simple black-and-white terms when, in reality, it’s filled with vibrant technicolor. In The Wizard of Oz, Glinda was universally adored, but in Wicked, the spotlight often shifts to Elphaba.
In Broadway’s Wicked, no character’s journey mirrors our internal struggles as humans quite like Glinda’s. She starts as the quintessential Hollywood image of the perfect blonde girl, sparkling, popular, and floating gracefully in her bubble. But beneath all the glitter is a profoundly human story about grappling with the choice between doing what is easy and doing what is right.
The Mask We Wear
How often do we look in the mirror and carefully shape the version of ourselves we think the world wants to see? Glinda’s early portrayal as the perfect, popular figure reminds us of our own habit of putting on a façade. Her polished smiles, deliberate actions, and constant effort to keep things as they are reflect the pressures many of us feel to fit in and meet expectations.
Glinda’s decision to stay in Oz while her friend defies gravity carries a powerful message. While some people dream of rising above and breaking free, others feel a responsibility to stay grounded, keeping things together for the sake of others. We often admire those who rebel and fight openly for change, but Glinda’s path highlights a different kind of bravery.
It takes courage to stay in a flawed system and quietly work to make things better. Her choice to remain while protecting what matters reflects the quiet struggles many of us face force to staying behind, hiding our pain, and doing what needs to be done. Like the foundation of a building, she provides strength and stability, silently supporting everything above.
Goodness and What Did It Cost
Wicked explores the idea of good and bad, but if we look deeper, it’s really about discovering what goodness truly means. Glinda begins as someone who equates goodness with popularity and proper behavior, but over time, she grows to understand the moral complexities of life. Her transformation reflects our own journey of maturing and realizing that true goodness often requires sacrifices of happiness and reputation , or even comfort for something greater.
Doing what is right can come at a high cost, and for Glinda, it costs her almost everything. Perhaps the most striking part of her story is how she carries unresolved pain. Despite her grief, she keeps smiling, keeps working, and keeps moving forward, even when everything feels broken. Her strength doesn’t come from being unaffected by loss but from continuing to serve her purpose while carrying that weight.
When I see Glinda, I see myself caught between who I am and who I’m expected to be, between what I know and what I can say, and between the change I want to make and the stability I have to maintain for the sake of others. Her story reminds me that there’s dignity in staying behind, cleaning up the mess, and being the one who remembers and carries on.
‘Good’ Will Conquer ‘Evil’
In the end, Glinda’s story in Wicked isn’t just about how ‘good will conquer evil’. It’s about being human. It’s about navigating life’s messy, complicated, and often painful choices. Her story resonates with us because it mirrors our own struggles to balance duty with desire, truth with consequences, and personal happiness with collective responsibility.
In Glinda’s perfectly maintained facade and private pain, we see our own struggle, the suffering we hide while putting on a brave face for others. The world is already full of hardship, and complaining about it often feels futile. Sometimes, the most heroic thing we can do is endure, protect others, and remember. Even in quiet resilience, there is immense strength and courage.
