Setting
This planet represents forced sameness and is home to IT.
What is Camazotz?
This scientific concept allows the characters to travel quickly through space and time.
What is a tesseract/tessering
This character struggles in school but is actually intelligent and strong-willed.
Who is Meg Murry?
When Meg compares the nothingness during tessering to feeling “like floating in the ocean,” this type of figurative language is used.
What is a simile?
The idea that differences make humans unique and valuable is emphasized through Meg’s struggles, highlighting this theme.
What is the importance of individuality?
This location shows images of Earth through a crystal ball.
What is the Happy Medium’s cave (or planet)?
This character is captured by IT and becomes its controlled agent.
Who is Charles Wallace?
This boy’s gift is communication and understanding others.
Who is Calvin O’Keefe?
The phrase “the wind lashed the house” gives human qualities to the wind, making it an example of this figurative language.
What is personification?
The children’s journey to rescue Mr. Murry shows that this quality is necessary when facing fear and uncertainty.
What is courage?
This peaceful, beautiful planet is where the children first see the Black Thing from afar.
What is Uriel?
Meg rescues her father by using this object to pass through the transparent wall.
What are Mrs Who’s glasses?
This mysterious figure speaks mostly in quotes from literature.
Who is Mrs Who?
Meg’s feeling that the darkness is “so terrible nothing could ever be worse” is an intentional exaggeration used to emphasize fear, making it this type of figurative language.
What is hyperbole?
The battle against the Black Thing suggests that even overwhelming darkness can be resisted, reinforcing this idea.
What is hope?
This alien planet with Aunt Beast provides warmth and healing for Meg.
What is Ixchel?
The group first learns about the danger of the universe by witnessing this dark force.
What is the Black Thing?
This character represents intellect and pride, which make him vulnerable to IT.
Who is Charles Wallace?
When a character says they must “keep their head” in a dangerous situation, this phrase does not mean physically holding their head but staying calm, making it this type of figurative language.
What is an idiom?
Meg’s willingness to risk everything for her father and brother highlights this central theme.
What is the power of family (or loyalty to family)?
The story begins in this windy location where Meg feels isolated
What is the Murry home (during a stormy night)?
Who is the principal Meg argues with?
Mr. Jenkins.
This character works for the governement and has been missing.
Who is Mr. Murray
Mrs Who frequently uses this literary device, quoting famous writers instead of speaking normally.
What are allusions (or quotations)?
Meg defeats IT not with strength or intelligence, but with this force, showing that goodness ultimately overcomes darkness.
What is love conquering evil?