Presented by Paige Aubry An Analysis On Gender And Racial Stereotypes

SUMMARY OF THE MUSICAL This musical is about the untold story of the witches of Oz The wicked witch of the west ‘s sister and the good witch of the north meet as teenagers at a boarding school. They are forced to room together despite their obvious differences in life style and personalities. Throughout the plot, they encounter many different characters as learn their stories and life history. We see their transformations on how they became they characters we all know and love from the original movie.

GLINDA UPLAND “The good witch of the north” “Glinda the good” Glinda is a very upbeat, girly, and silly girl who is very concerned with popularity and image. She has blond curls and wears pink on a daily basis, and therefore is portrayed as very dumb and conceited. However, she turns for the better and actually becomes a great friend and an outstanding citizen of Oz. The citizens of Oz are shocked by Glinda and her ability to help them all, which shows they underestimated her due to her looks. GENDER

ELPHABA THROPP “Wicked Witch of the West” “Wicked Witch” Elphaba is a quiet, young girl who is ashamed of the color of her skin. She is constantly being judged by those in Oz, and is very self-conscious. Since she doesn’t fit in well in the Emerald City, she revolts against the laws and turns evil. In society, we usually relate “rebels” to being dark and mysterious; Elphaba fits this stereotype perfectly. Therefore, she is not interested in standing out, or having many friends. GENDER AND RACE

Notice how the girly one is in pink, and the quieter one is dressed in black. This fits the stereotype perfectly for both categories. Society would be thrown off if Elphaba was the one prancing around and singing. GENDER

THEIR STEREOTYPICAL FRIENDSHIP Just as society supports the stereotype of “girly girls” and “dark mysterious girls” not getting along, Glinda and Elphaba have no trouble confirming this belief. As they first meet, they go off this stereotype to remind themselves that they will not get along with one another. They complain and do everything they can to get away from each other. However, going against this common stereotype, the two girls overcome their personality and appearance differences and come together as friends.

DR. DILLAMOND Dr. Dillamond, the history professor, is a goat. He not only has trouble pronouncing his words correctly and speaking literate English, but he also is strong-willed and teaches what he wants. The mayor of the town is threatened by Dr. Dillamond’s views and ability to inspire others, so he uses the excuse that he is abandoning Dr. Dillamond because of the type of creature he is. One of the most powerful stereotypes in society is that those that look and act differently than us, are horrible and disgraceful people. It’s “known” that they should be expelled from society without reason or proof. RACE

FIYERO TIGELAAR GENDER Fiyero, a good-looking, smart teenaged boy, goes against one of the most prominent gender stereotypes pertaining to the “high school jock”. Society does not like to believe that the hot teenaged boy can fall in love with the “mysterious” and “quiet” girl. However, Fiyero goes against the odds of this stereotype and falls deeply in love with Elphaba, despite of what the citizens of Oz whisper about behind his back.

REFERENCES