Thoughts from A Wrinkle in Time

I wish I could say every wonderful thing there is to say about Madeleine L'Engle and her books, but I cannot. Many critics and fellow authors have said more eloquent and elaborate things about her, her books, her contributions to the understanding of science and religion. Quite simply, she's one of my favorite authors. She's not afraid to tackle big topics in books for children, she sees science and religion as complimentary things and not as enemies, and she's just a flat-out great writer. Below are a few of my meager thoughts about A Wrinkle in Time.

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I can really relate to Meg. She's insecure, feels ugly, and doesn't quite know what to do with her intelligence. She's impulsive, impatient, and immature, but also loves deeply and is very intelligent. (Hmmm. Sounds like someone I know...) She's also a thirteen year old girl, which last time I checked, is probably the most awkward living creature known to man. Throughout this book (and the rest of the series) we see Meg mature. We see her learn to turn her weaknesses into strengths, to become comfortable in her own skin. I haven't read the later books featuring the adult Meg, but I'm interested to see how she turned out.

I love all the different planets and universes they visit. Uriel, the two-dimensional planet, Camazotz, and finally Ixchel. They are all different--some are untouched by evil, some not. Some are three dimensional--some not. It's cool to think about all the different ways life could exist in the universe. We have a tendency to think that we're God's only creations in the universe. This book was written in the 1960's before black holes were discovered (and the idea of multiple universes probably hadn't even been dreamt of yet). AWIT is a book unlike any other. It takes these complex ideas about science and reality and makes them thought provoking and (gasp) entertaining. Our shortsightedness about our own abilties and the universe are exemplified by Aunt Beast and the creatures of Ixchel. Aunt Beast is one of my favorite characters. On Ixchel, the in habitants cannot see as we see on earth, with our eyes. They see things in a different way. They see things as they truly are. Appearances aren't everything--for God (1 Samuel 16:7) or for the inhabitants of Ixchel. Meg meets Aunt Beast (who initially frightens her) but she later comes to love this strange creature who helps her to see that her earthly sight is very limited.

IT invites Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace to come into IT, saying, "I am peace and utter rest. I am freedom from all responsibility. To come in to me is the last difficult decision you will ever have to make." IT plays off the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30, hoping to entice them to surrender to IT. I think IT represents a lot of things, but I one way I see IT is representing our culture's desire to "check out" and have other people think and choose our beliefs for us. They surrender their responsibility to use their God-given reason. So many people like to accept what the TV says, what their preacher says, or what their daddy said without ever considering for themselves. They can't tolerate anyone believing in or being something different. IT offers uniformity, but what an awful world it would be if everyone was the same. In both A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, the power of love to define oneself and others is a recurring theme. It becomes more prevalent in the second book, but Meg defeats IT by loving it. The evil IT cannot stand to be loved. IT cannot stand for people to be different...to be Named as God created them. More about this particular evil in my upcoming A Wind in the Door posts.

I love how L'Engle weaves verses and themes from the Bible throughout the book. L'Engle works her magic, taking the story beyond terrestiral bounds, and ultimately illustrating God's grace and love extends to the whole universe (and whoever or whatever may inhabit it). To L'Engle, science and religion are "one and the same," two ways of telling the same story. I have seen first hand the conflict of placing religion against science. It's not a competition because though each subject asks many of the same questions, the each seek answers in different ways. Madeleine L'Engle is one of the few writers I have found who can balance these two fields and reconcile them in a way that even children seem to understand.


"You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children."
~Madeleine L'Engle