A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is the first of a series of novels commonly known as The Time Quartet. While it is marketed as a book for young adults, L’Engle argued that the themes are adult. She felt that the reason it was marketed to young adults is because of the age of the protagonist, Meg Murry.
Adult Themes
The plot of the novel, A Wrinkle in Time, revolves around the efforts of Meg and Charles Murry and their friend Calvin O’Keefe to find and rescue the Murry children's father who has been missing for several years. Meg and Charles soon discover that their father was working for the government on a top secret project that dealt with high speed travel through space using a technique similar to time travel known as tessering or making a ‘wrinkle in time.’
As the story unfolds, they discover that they will have to travel to a distant and dangerous planet to save Mr Murry. During their travels, two significant themes are revealed in the story. Madeleine L’Engle affirms the importance of the individual and she stresses the need for Christian love to combat the evil in this world.
The Individual
Madeleine L’Engle has always felt that the individual is extremely important. An ongoing theme in all of her books is the need to protect individuality and the individual. She argues that no matter how small or insignificant; the life of one person is more important than the greater need. She is unwilling to sacrifice one for the greater good unless it is the willing choice of the one. In other words, the individuals must choose to actively and willingly sacrifice themselves; the community of which he is a member cannot make the decision for him.
In A Wrinkle in Time, the theme of the individual is reaffirmed on multiple occasions. At one point we learn that Mrs. Whatsit had once been a star that sacrificed herself in the battle against darkness. Yet none of the three, Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, or Mrs. Whatsit, are willing to sacrifice any of the children to the evil they must fight to save Mr. Murry.
The children must walk into the danger knowingly and willingly. They are not sent as sacrificial lambs but as willing warriors who know that they might die.
Christian Love
During a pivotal scene in the novel the three Mrs. W’s reveal to the children that more is at stake than just Mr. Murry’s life. They show the children that there is a cosmic battle of light against darkness. In order to help the children wrap their minds around the issue, they have the children list people from earth who have stood for justice and light. As the children list off historical figures, they name Jesus.
When Meg is angry at her Father and wants to rescue her brother, who was left behind in the darkness of an evil planet, her father combats the anger with love and quotes the Bible: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." —Romans 8:28 (KJV)
Later the alien, Aunt Beast, explains to Meg that they too are fighting the ‘Black Thing.’ Aunt Beast says to Meg, "We are the called according to His purpose, and whom He call[s], them He also justifie[s]." —Romans 8:30 (KJV)
In the last chapter, Meg who is the weakest member of the party agrees to go back and rescue her brother. Mrs. Who gives Meg the following advice, "The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are." —1 Corinthians 1:25–28
Timeless and Ageless
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is not a difficult or lengthy book. However, the themes in the book make it a book for people of all ages. The themes also guarantee that the book will have a place in book collections far into the future.
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle In Time. Square Fish. 2007. ISBN: 978-0-312-36755-8 ISBN-10: 0-312-36755-4
Read more about Madeleine L'Engle at Suite 101.
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