A Wrinkle in Time Mad Summary,Themes,Characters & Synopsis

Title	A Wrinkle in Time
Author	Madeleine L’Engle
Genre	Science Fiction, Fantasy
No. of pages	256 pages
Language	English
Publisher	Ariel Books
Published Year	1962
Setting	Contemporary Earth and other planets

Characters

The main characters of “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle are:

1. Meg Murry – The novel’s heroine, a brave and smart girl who goes on a journey to rescue her missing father.
2. Charles Wallace Murry – Meg’s young brother, who is extremely intelligent and plays a crucial role in the adventure.
3. Calvin O’Keefe – A kind and friendly boy who joins Meg and Charles Wallace on their quest.
4. Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which – Mysterious celestial beings who guide and assist the children on their journey through space and time.
5. The IT – The story’s main antagonist, a powerful evil force that controls minds and threatens their mission.

Themes

The themes of “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle are:

1. Good vs. Evil – The battle between good and evil is a central theme, where the characters must confront darkness with love and courage.
2. Individuality – The story celebrates the uniqueness of each person, showing that our differences can be strengths.
3. Family Love – The importance of family and the love that binds it together is a recurring theme.
4. Friendship – Friendship and teamwork are essential in overcoming challenges.
5. The Power of Love – Love is portrayed as a powerful force that can conquer even the darkest of evils.
6. Accepting Differences – The novel encourages acceptance of people who are different from us.
7. Science and Faith – It explores the relationship between science and faith, suggesting that they can coexist.
8. Finding Identity – Characters go on journeys to discover their true selves and potential.

Synopsis

A Wrinkle in Time is about a girl named Meg Murry, her brilliant brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe.

They go on an adventure through space and time to save Meg’s father, who’s been lost while working on a secret project. They’re helped by mysterious beings called Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which.

Along the way, they encounter strange worlds and face a powerful evil force called IT. The story is about love, family, being unique, and the battle between good and evil.

Summary

In the novel, A Wrinkle in Time, Meg Murry, a teenager in high school, embarks on a journey through time & space with her younger brother Charles Wallace and her buddy Calvin O’Keefe to save her father, a brilliant scientist, from the evil forces that are imprisoning him on another planet. At the beginning of the book, Meg is a shy, quiet, and loving girl who is troubled by her shortcomings and worries about her father, who has been gone for more than a year. 

The narrative begins when Mrs. Whatsit visits the Murry residence on a cloudy, rainy evening. Though she may seem like a strange wanderer, she is a heavenly entity that can read minds. She shocks Meg’s mother by assuring her that there is a tesseract, a type of “wrinkle” in space and time. In search of Mr. Murry, Meg, and her friends will traverse this kink to the fifth dimension.

Meg & Charles Wallace travel to Mrs. Whatsit’s cabin in the afternoon after her visit. Along the way, they run with Calvin O’Keefe, a well-known student at Meg’s school who Charles considers to be a kindred spirit. The three children learn that a tremendous evil known as the Dark Thing, which manifests as a huge cloud that engulfs the nearby stars, is endangering the cosmos. They learn this information through Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who’s and Mrs. Which’s pals. Several planets, including Camazotz, the planet where Mr. Murry is imprisoned, have already been devastated by this dreadful power.

While searching for Mr. Murry, the three Mrs. Ws take the kids to Camazotz & order them to never leave each other’s sides. On Camazotz, everything is the same because everything must follow the terrible rhythmic pulse of IT, a huge disembodied brain. Charles Wallace’s genius is insufficient to overcome IT. Instead, he is changed into an artificially intelligent monster who says the words IT feeds him. Charles directs Meg and Calvin to Mr. Murry while under the influence of IT, and the three of them face IT together. 

They can only escape when Mr. Murry shows up and kidnaps Meg and Calvin. Together, they “tesserae” away to a gray world named Ixchel where towering, hairy monsters look after the visitors. However, they are also powerless against IT’s influence. Camazotz’s hostage Charles Wallace is still under IT’s control.

When the three Mrs. Ws resurface on Planet Ixchel, Meg realizes she must go back to Camazotz by herself to save her brother. She is told by Mrs. Which that she possesses a quality that IT lacks & that this quality will be her defense against evil. Meg will have to search for this weapon on her own. Meg understands what this is when she is in front of IT: her capacity for love. 

By concentrating on her love for him, she can expose Charles Wallace’s true personality. Meg liberates Charles from IT’s influence and journeys through space and time with him until alighting at the twin brothers’ vegetable garden on Earth, where her father and Calvin are waiting. The Mrs. W’s stop by the pleasant scene on their way to their next destination after the family joyfully reunites.

FAQs

About the Author-Madeleine L’Engle

Full Name	Madeleine L’Engle
Date of Birth	November 29, 1918
Date of Death	September 6, 2007
Nationality	American
Genre	Science Fiction, Fantasy, Children’s Literature
Notable Works	A Wrinkle in Time (1962) A Wind in the Door (1973) A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978) Many Waters (1986) A Ring of Endless Light (1980)