A Wrinkle in Time? More Like A Wrinkle in Heroine’s Journey. :|

 A Wrinkle in Time? More Like A Wrinkle in Heroine’s Journey. :|

By: Citlali

If you’ve ever read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, you’ll know it’s a really creative story. It also uses Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s Heroine’s Journey model in an interesting way. The female protagonist’s journey is often centered on herself and her process of inner healing. However, A Wrinkle in Time’s protagonist, Meg, goes on a journey to save her father from an evil entity, which really puts her self-healing process on the back burner. Because of this, the deviation from a common source of struggle in other Heroine’s Journeys solidifies A Wrinkle in Time as a unique representation of Schmidt’s Heroine’s Journey model.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, Meg Murry, the protagonist, travels to different planets in the universe to find her father who has gone missing. She goes on a journey with her brother, Charles Wallace, her friend, Calvin, and three old ladies, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. Together, they navigate the evil power that is corrupting the Earth as well as other planets and people, and try to save their father (The story’s also pretty big on mathematical and philosophical references, so if you like that, I would recommend it).

I’ll be talking about one step specifically, the support step. When the crew of characters have tessered, which is the act of traveling through “time and space using a fifth dimension” (Quindlen 8). In this step, Meg, her father, and Calvin have tessered away from the planet Charles Wallace and IT (the evil entity) are still on. While Calvin and Meg’s father are both fine, Meg is frozen and unfeeling of any sensations. Because they passed through a spot of evil energy when traveling, Meg has been affected by a rush of negative emotions. 

The three are on an unknown planet when mysterious creatures start to come near them. Up to this point, Meg is very hostile to her companions’ support because she feels anger toward her father for leaving Charles Wallace and tessering unsafely. One of the beasts takes her away and heals her, and although resistant, she soon warms up to its support. This acceptance of help is typical of the support stage in Schmidt’s Journey model, but otherwise, the rest of the stage is unique in the way Meg reacts to her companions.

When she encounters her father and friend after being brought back to them by the creature, named Aunt Beast, Meg begins to feel distraught again, complicating the heroine’s journey step. This is because the support given to Meg doesn’t seem to help on any level besides physical as she heals her paralysis but doesn’t solve her real dilemma. Fortunately though, Meg does get more support from the three old ladies (Mrs. Whatsit, Who, and Which), and even though they take her father’s side, it is well received and Meg finally begins to understand everyone’s side in this situation. 

The image shown below is a diagram of Schimdt’s model, where the support box mentions that the heroine “[a]ccepts others as they are” (Uni High Hero’s Journey). Although it takes a while to get there, Meg’s acceptance of her company finally reflects this description of the support stage and blends into the next stage, rebirth, where she realizes how she is supposed to save her brother and return to Earth. 

A Wrinkle in Time is truly a wild story and I remember the first time I read it several years ago. However, I like that I can examine the story through a closer lens such as the heroine’s journey, and I think the journey Meg goes on is a great rendering of Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s model.

Works Cited

“A Wrinkle in Time.” Madeleine L’Engle. 2024. www.madeleinelengle.com/books/middle-grade-young-adult/a-wrinkle-in-time/. Accessed 13 Nov 2024.

“Heroine’s Journey.” Uni High Hero’s Journey. 2024. unihighherosjourney.wordpress.com/heroines-journey-diagram-schmidtt/. Accessed 13 Nov 2024.

“Heroine’s Journey.” Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroine%27s_journey#Victoria_Lynn_Schmidt's_version_of_the_heroine's_journey. Accessed 13 Nov 2024.

L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Square Fish, 1962. PDF.

Quindlen, Anna. An Appreciation. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, 1962, Square Fish, 2007, pp. 8-9.