How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Volume.Chapter.Paragraph) and (Volume.Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I was a tool. My dear father used me ...he used me as an object lesson. Looking as I did, even singing as I can – they trusted him partly as a response to the freakishness of me. (3.6.9)
We don't generally like to indulge in easy pop psychology, but Elphaba's issues with manipulation and control really do date back to her childhood. She probably needs therapy! Elphaba's problem isn't just with the fact that Frex used her; she also has a serious beef with the effect that manipulation had on the Quadlings.
Quote #8
But surely the curse was on the land of Oz, not on her. (Prologue.31)
Several characters, most of them from the Other World, refer to Oz as cursed: the Wizard, Dorothy, the dwarf, Elphaba herself. Is the curse the presence of all the Other World people in Oz?
Quote #9
"I never believed in child saviors," Elphaba said. "As far as I'm concerned, children are the ones who need saving." (4.2.8.39)
Elphaba might be right on here; after all, Dorothy is more of a destroyer than a savior in the novel. This idea of child saviors ties into ideas of prophecies and destiny, too, which Elphaba doesn't approve of. We guess a friendship between Harry Potter and Elphaba just wouldn't work out. Bummer.