Why I Loved the Book "A Wrinkle in Time" So Much
Originally published on April 02nd, 2019
When I was eleven years old, my mom gave me some books for Christmas. Being an avid reader, I was excited to dive right into a book called A Wrinkle in Time, as well as the four other books in the series that followed it. Weirdly, however, I was unable to get into the story. Year after year, as much as I tried, I wasn’t able to finish it until I was seventeen. My mom has told me a few times that we aren’t able to read books that we don’t need yet. When we need the book, we’ll be able to read it. That was certainly true in this case. When I was finally able to read it, I fell in love with it for various reasons, one of the main ones being how Meg was written.
Meg is impatient. She thinks she’s ugly. She is loyal and protective of her family but doesn’t know how to harness those strong emotions into acceptable actions. She doesn’t understand the things around her, but she feels a need to understand things. I have related to each of these things over the course of my life so far, and I still see myself in some of these things now. I think it is rare to find a character who is portrayed honestly and without hesitation in their flaws being on display. I love how honest Madeleine L’Engle wrote Meg. The way she was written definitely helped me feel more understood, even as a seventeen year old.
When reading A Wrinkle in Time, one of the things that struck me most was the relationship between Meg and Charles Wallace. Their relationship reminds me greatly of the relationship I have with my brother. I don’t always understand my brother, but he always seems to understand me. He is protective, and loyal, and smart. There are so many times where I have been confused about something and he has instantly understood, and there have been times when no one has understood something about me but he has. My little brother is my very own Charles Wallace, and I consider myself very lucky.
I love this book very much. One of my favorite sentiments of it is to never be afraid of being afraid. I have always been a nervous person, and anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I scare easily. Still, I do my best to push myself out of my comfort zone on a regular basis. Another theme of the book that I love so much is the idea of love being bigger than hate. The only way Meg is able to help Charles and get everything sorted out is by remembering that she has the power to love. I think if we all remembered that love is greater than hate, and that we all have the power to love, the world would be a much better place.
If I read the book at 11 when I was first given it, or at 14 when I was the age Meg was, I don’t think I would have noticed all the similarities like I do now. I don’t think I would have related to Meg because I didn’t see how we were the same. Time was good, and having the perspective as a 17 year old reading it and as a 19 year old performing it is better, I think. At least it is for me. Oh, yeah, I may have forgotten to mention that my school is doing A Wrinkle in Time as our spring production, and I have been cast as Meg. I am extremely excited about this opportunity, and I can’t wait to continue with rehearsals and grow in my acting ability. This is certainly a challenge, but it is a challenge I believe I am ready for.