of comfort [P.72]. A cold black terror, as chilling as the icy and evil Queen of Narnia (C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).As in typical fairy-tale folklore, the main characters are victimized by different levels of abuse. While she is desperately trying to deal with her fathers disappearance, Meg also has to cope with taunting school-mates, a sarcastic teacher, and a skeptical school principal. All of whom, along with many members of the small community, believe her father left of his own free will, and openly voice their hurtful opinions. Although Calvin and Charles Wallace deal with their abuses in a healthier manner, none of the children are prepared for the cold abusive environment of Camazotz. Like the illusion of green beauty in Ozs Emerald City (L. Frank Baum, Wizard of OZ), the perfection of Camazotz barely camouflages an erie unnatural presents. And similar to Alice, while on her adventure in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, Alices Adventures in Wonderland], the children soon realize that there are no nice people in (Camazotz) [class lecture]. In fact, Camazotz, which is under the influence of the Black Thing, seriously threatens their livelihood.As in many fairy-tales, special gifts are presented to the children. Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Who part company on the hill overlooking Camazotz, assuring in a fairy-godmother manner that they will be near, (and they) will be watching [P.100], then one by one they bestow a precious talisman for each child. Calvin is given his ability to communicate and a piece of Shakespeares The Tempest, Charles Wallace is given the resilience of (his) childhood and a caution to remember that you do not know everything. Meg, much to her dismay, is given her faults, and much to her surprise, Mrs. Whos glasses. With only these gifts, and each other to lean on, the children now begin to test their limits as they are forced to rely on their own thoughts and decisions in search for Mr....
