A Couple of Quick Thoughts About A Wrinkle In Time

I first read A Wrinkle in Time when I was some time around 2nd grade. I did not understand it. When I read it again, in around 4th or 5th grade, I understood only a little better. I read it again a couple of days ago, and wanted to write down thoughts on it. Beware that I am going to spoil some things if you haven't read it, or if you don't remember. So I'll put a space here so you can stop reading and go read the thing and come back.


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The first thing is that it's a stronger book than I was expecting it to be. I liked it when I was in elementary school, but I also really like the Dolph Lundgren live action Masters of the Universe adaptation. I was not expecting much. I just wanted to see what the book was about, after all this time. So yes, it's surprisingly strong. In terms of coherence, it holds up quite well. The characters are fully fleshed, the plot makes sense, and it captures your attention from beginning to end. I found that I could see the images clearly in my mind as I was reading. When Mrs. Whatsit turns into a more representative form of herself, I could feel it. Even the mediocre drawing on the front (see above) did not distract me from the image in my mind.
Second, L'Engle has the strength to leave things unresolved. Even in what is often considered adult fiction, the ending overreaches the strength of the characters. Harry Potter, who is incapable of doing anything but responding to situations, without even understanding how, is somehow able to defeat the most powerful dark wizard that has ever lived. You don't get the resolution that you want in this book. The vanquishing of the evils of the story is not accomplished; the best the main characters can do is escape.
Third, a not very congratulatory point: there is much in this book that feels out of place. Mentions of god and angels pull me out of the story. The vocabulary feels a little forced, as if L'Engle meant to put in a 'big word' every now and again. These distract, but maybe serve to remind you just remarkable this book is. These features only corroborate the fact that this is a children's book, through and through. What pandering she does for her young readers through the above example is strongly juxtaposed with the respect that she shows her readers by using such powerful themes. If L'Engle did not respect her readers, Meg would have cut It in half with her pocket knife, and ignorance and hate would have been destroyed forever from the universe. Then she would have gone home and eaten some quiche and blood pudding.
This is a scary book. There is a sense of real danger and horror that you get from this story that I was not expecting to translate to an adult reader. It does, and, despite the fact that these are children in the protagonist roles, I don't think it is about being scared for them. It is about facing things, concepts, horrors, that are real. They are ideas and forces that I, personally, battle on a daily basis. Conformity, compliance, ignorance, blind hate. These are the villains of A Wrinkle in Time, and they are our villains as well.