A WRINKLE IN TIME
By Madeleine L'Engle
Learn more about Meg's character through her psychological/emotional makeup, important possessions, and symbols.
IMPORTANT POSSESSIONS/SYMBOLS
There were hardly any possessions of Meg Murry that were significant or any object that served as a clear symbol. The only possession that aided her during her journey was not even a tangible item: her faults (stubbornness, impatience, and temper). They turned out to be useful when she battled with a dismantled brain on the planet of Camazotz called IT, in which IT had the power to hypnotize and control a person’s mind. Being the headstrong character she was, this allowed her to escape ITs wrath and rescue her brother who was under ITs control. This also allowed her to have a sense of self-worth since she allowed herself to perceive her faults as strengths rather than weaknesses and appreciate them during the battle.
Similar to having faults as an important possession, the only thing that served as a symbol was not a tangible item. It was the concept of family and friends. Her mother, father, brothers, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Calvin symbolized love, which was something she lacked from the beginning of the novel. She was used to being hated and shunned by everyone and failed to see the love that she was receiving from the people close to her. It was not until the end of the novel when she finally realized this, which also helped her to escape from IT and rescue her brother:
"And that was where IT made ITs fatal mistake, for as Meg said, automatically, “Mrs. Whatsit loves me; that’s what she told me, that she loves me,” suddenly she knew.
She knew!
Love.
She had Mrs. Whatsit’s love, and her father’s and her mother’s, and the real Charles Wallace’s love, and the twins’, and Aunt Beast’s.
And she had her love for them" (L’Engle 187).
As evident, she was able to become a better person through her faults and the love she received.
PSYCHOLOGICAL/EMOTIONAL MAKEUP
Meg Murry is a complicated character in terms of her psychological and emotional makeup. She is considered an outcast where she does not quite fit in with her “normal” family at home or with her peers at school. She is constantly shunned by others, is the most belligerent and uncooperative student at her school, and, to make matters worse, her beloved father is never home. This causes her to be easily driven by strong emotions and impulses, making her highly irrational and impatient. This character trait especially manifests during her journey to several planets in search for her father, where she never once thought of a plan and only acted on how she felt.
Meg understands her faults—her stubbornness, impatience, temper, and lack of self-confidence—and attempts to lose them, feeling compelled to be someone else. She even describes herself as a “biological mistake” to Calvin, explaining how much she hated herself (L’Engle 53). As evident from her experiences and the results from them, Meg lacks love from her surrounding environment which highly impacts her psychological and emotional makeup.
ABOUT MEG
