Based on L. Frank Baum's character the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, Gregory Maguire's Wicked retells the famous children's tale from the perspective of the witch. A feminist account of the "life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West", Maguire's novel addresses both political and social concerns in the fictional world of Oz which reflect real world issues.

Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, embodies most of the novel's social concerns. It is through her various plights for social justice (on behalf of specific causes) that the novel progresses. The most notable social concerns within Wicked are issues surrounding religion, political unrest, and Animal/animal rights.

When Elphaba is born, Oz is beginning to see the first signs of religious dissent and upheaval that is to haunt her throughout life. In fact, on the eve of her birth...