Individualism

The acceptance of an individual’s differences is what set the standard of good and evil in A Wrinkle In Time. The people and creatures that are able to look past individual differences, have empathy, and open themselves up to acceptance and love form the “good side.” The people who refuse to accept people/creatures for what they are make up the evil in this story. In this specific passage, the citizens of Camazotz are required to act exactly the same way, under the control of one evil leader. So the “us” in this story are also the “good” people in this story which include Meg, Charles Wallace, Calvin, Mother and Father, the Mrs. Ws, and Aunt Beast amongst others. The evil of this story is made up of the people opposing the acceptance of differences which includes IT and to a lesser degree of evil the principal, post-office headmaster, and the others verbally attacking Meg, Charles Wallace, and the family for having differences. The “them” in this story is anyone/anything that did nothing to either progress or attack individualism such as the citizens of Camazotz.

At one point IT states “In Camazotz all are equal. In Camazotz everybody is the same as everybody else”(154). Meg responds “Like and equal are not the same thing at all!” This passage is so powerful because it really establishes how groups are classified in this story. Each of the “us” characters in this story were extremely likely to accept others for who they are. The fact that Aunt Beast looked scary and foreign to Meg (and vice versa) it didn’t stop them for finding love in each other. In the same way, the “different” appearance of Mrs Whatsit didn’t stop Charles of accepting her.

The characteristics of “them” in this story is extremely different. Characters constantly looked at Meg and Charles Wallace as being weird, freaks. They beratted their differences and assumed that both Meg ad he younger brother we unintelligent. They were actually brilliant. At one point the more accepting group acknowledged this. Meg’s dad said “Don’t worry about Charles Wallace, Meg” her father had once told her. Meg remembered it very clearly because it was shortly before he went away. ‘There’s nothing the matter with his mind. He just does things in his own way and in his own time”(10). The principal and others were just trying to hurt the others because they didn’t conform.

At the end of this story we see a clear example of good defeating evil. Everyone, including the dog, are extremely excited to see each other and embrace each other. This small group of “us” was so excited because they truly loved each other for who they were as individuals. If a citizen of Camazotz died, I imagine they would just be replaced with another replica but the “us” in this story could express their love for each other because they were open enough to actually let each other into their lives and show that love in the first place.