A Wrinkle in Time Content Review
It is a dark and stormy night. Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are in the kitchen for a midnight snack when a most disturbing visitor arrives.
"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger tells them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."
Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?
Violence
Meg fights a boy on the way home from school when he calls her baby brother dumb. She comes home with a torn shirt and black eye. This event is not dramatized, but mentioned as a memory. Chapter One.
A tramp steals some sheets, and during a storm, and Meg fears the tramp will come into their house with a knife and attack. Chapter One.
Charles Wallace threatens to kick the Man with the Red Eyes. Chapter Seven.
Charles Wallace punches the Man with the Red Eyes as the man tries to control his mind. Chapter Seven.
Meg tackles a hypnotized Charles Wallace, and he hits his head on the floor. Chapter Seven.
The Man with the Red Eyes threatens to starve the children to get them to comply. Chapter Seven.
The Man with the Red Eyes suggests the takeover of Charles's mind could make his head explode. Chapter Seven.
Meg and Calvin try to hold onto a hypnotized Charles Wallace. He twists away from them. Calvin tackles him and Meg tries to hit the Man with the Red Eyes, but black-smocked men take them and hold them. Chapter Eight.
Anybody who has any sort of physical ailment on Camazotz is murdered. Chapter Eight.
Meg and Calvin see a little boy suffering extreme pain every time he bounces a ball, a punishment for bouncing a ball differently. Chapter Eight.
Charles Wallace punches Meg in the stomach. Chapter Nine.
Meg fantasizes about cutting IT with a dissecting knife. Chapter Nine.
Charles Wallace threatens to kick the Man with the Red Eyes. Chapter Seven.
Charles Wallace punches the Man with the Red Eyes as the man tries to control his mind. Chapter Seven.
Meg tackles a hypnotized Charles Wallace, and he hits his head on the floor. Chapter Seven.
The Man with the Red Eyes threatens to starve the children to get them to comply. Chapter Seven.
The Man with the Red Eyes suggests the takeover of Charles's mind could make his head explode. Chapter Seven.
Meg and Calvin try to hold onto a hypnotized Charles Wallace. He twists away from them. Calvin tackles him and Meg tries to hit the Man with the Red Eyes, but black-smocked men take them and hold them. Chapter Eight.
Anybody who has any sort of physical ailment on Camazotz is murdered. Chapter Eight.
Meg and Calvin see a little boy suffering extreme pain every time he bounces a ball, a punishment for bouncing a ball differently. Chapter Eight.
Charles Wallace punches Meg in the stomach. Chapter Nine.
Meg fantasizes about cutting IT with a dissecting knife. Chapter Nine.
Language
The word "hell" is used in the phrase "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Chapter One.
Calvin calls Charles Wallace a moron several times, but not in a mean manner. Chapter Two.
Calvin calls Meg a dope and a moron, but in a fond manner. Chapter Three.
Calvin touches Meg's arm in a protective gesture. Chapters Two and Three.
Sexuality
Calvin touches Meg's arm in a protective gesture. Chapters Two and Three.
Calvin and Meg go for a walk alone in the dark. They hold hands. Calvin tells Meg she has pretty eyes. Chapter Three.
Calvin puts his arm around Meg to comfort her when she is distressed. She shakes him off. Chapter Five.
Meg takes Calvin's hand to comfort him. Chapter Six.
Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin kiss the Happy Medium goodbye on the cheek. Chapter Six.
Meg and Calvin hold hands. Chapter Six.
Charles Wallace, Meg, and Calvin hold hands. Chapter Seven.
A female alien strips a hurt Meg of her clothes and massages her. The alien is the only one around to see. The alien then dresses her. Chapter Eleven.
Aunt Beast bathes and dresses Meg. Chapter Eleven.
Meg and Calvin kiss. Chapter Twelve.
Controversial Topics and Mature Themes
The father of the main character, Meg Murry, is gone for several years and many people think he just ran off to be with another woman. Meg has a hard time adjusting in school because of his disappearance. Meg and her mother refuse to believe Mr. Murry ran off.
The townsfolk where the Murrys live believe that Charles Wallace and Meg have below-average intelligence. This belief is cemented by the fact that Charles Wallace refuses to speak around most people.
When Meg meets Mrs. Whatsit for the first time, she is unable to determine Mrs. Whatsit's gender because she is enveloped in so much clothing. Chapter One.
When Sandy and Dennys hear about Mrs. Whatsit being invited into the house in the middle of the night, they express a desire to have been awakened to protect their mother. Chapter Two.
Charles Wallace, a small young boy, frequently tries to order people around, many of them female. They do not treat him as a figure of authority, but as a young boy.
Calvin is from a neglectful, abusive family.
Meg calls herself a biological mistake. Chapter Three.
When Mrs. Whatsit transforms into a centaur-like creature, the children are unsure what gender she is. Chapter Four.
Calvin is told to take care of Meg. Charles Wallace is upset and states he can take care of Meg. Chapter Six.
Meg forces herself not to reach out to hold the hand of a male. Chapter Eight.
When encountering aliens, Calvin is unsure of their gender. Chapter Ten.
Aliens ask Calvin what he'd do if they suddenly arrived on Earth, and Calvin says he'd probably shoot them. Chapter Eleven.
When Meg is to go alone to Camazotz, her father and Calvin try to forbid her to go. Chapter Twelve.
Calvin is told to take care of Meg. Charles Wallace is upset and states he can take care of Meg. Chapter Six.
Meg forces herself not to reach out to hold the hand of a male. Chapter Eight.
When encountering aliens, Calvin is unsure of their gender. Chapter Ten.
Aliens ask Calvin what he'd do if they suddenly arrived on Earth, and Calvin says he'd probably shoot them. Chapter Eleven.
When Meg is to go alone to Camazotz, her father and Calvin try to forbid her to go. Chapter Twelve.
Religions and Worldviews
Calvin reads Charles Wallace Genesis as a bedtime story at Charles Wallace's insistence. This is mostly off-screen. Chapter Three.
Mrs. Whatsit claims Mrs. Who is a few billion years older than her. Chapter Three.
When Mrs. Whatsit transforms into a centaur-like creature, Calvin falls to his knees in front of her. Mrs. Whatsit admonishes him and tells him never to kneel to her. Chapter Four.
Centaur-like aliens sing a joyous song. When Charles Wallace and Mrs. Whatsit translate it for Meg and Calvin, the words are Isaiah 42:10-12. Chapter Four.
The children are fighting the Black Thing, which is a physical manifestation of evil itself and the Powers of Darkness. The Black Thing is wherever there is trouble. Earth is partially enveloped by it, and Camazotz has completely given in. When Meg despairs about what to do, the three ladies state they will continue to fight. They say many of the very best fighters have come from Earth. Mrs. Who quotes John 1:5. Charles Wallace says Jesus fought the darkness, and the children list other fighters, among them Albert Schweitzer, Gandhi, and Buddha. They watch a star give itself to destroy the Black Thing. When Charles Wallace is seduced into giving into the Black Thing via IT, Meg saves him with love. Meg is also taken by the Black Thing. The Black thing makes her cold and paralyzed and brings out her worst faults. Aliens drive it from her. She recovers on Ixchel and is forced to be taken care of like a baby.
Mrs. Whatsit states she is 2,379,152,497 years, 8 months and 3 days old according to the human calendar, and she is the youngest of the three ladies. Chapter Five.
While under the influence of IT, Charles Wallace claims that everyone is unhappy and troubled and when individuals are done away with, people are happy. Meg and Calvin argue with him. Chapter Eight.
Meg's father mentions IT has been ruling over Camazotz for "thousands of centuries." However, he also mentions that time moves differently on Camazotz.
Meg refers to her father as omnipotent in the sense that she thought he was, but he isn't. Chapter Ten.
Mr. Murry quotes Romans 8:28. Chapter Ten.
Aunt Beast quotes Romans 8:28b and 30b. Chapter Eleven.
Aunt Beast quotes 2 Corinthians 4:18. Chapter Eleven.
Calvin calls Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which guardian angels and messengers of God. Chapter Eleven.
Mrs. Who quotes 1 Corinthians 1:25-28. Chapter Twelve.
The children are fighting the Black Thing, which is a physical manifestation of evil itself and the Powers of Darkness. The Black Thing is wherever there is trouble. Earth is partially enveloped by it, and Camazotz has completely given in. When Meg despairs about what to do, the three ladies state they will continue to fight. They say many of the very best fighters have come from Earth. Mrs. Who quotes John 1:5. Charles Wallace says Jesus fought the darkness, and the children list other fighters, among them Albert Schweitzer, Gandhi, and Buddha. They watch a star give itself to destroy the Black Thing. When Charles Wallace is seduced into giving into the Black Thing via IT, Meg saves him with love. Meg is also taken by the Black Thing. The Black thing makes her cold and paralyzed and brings out her worst faults. Aliens drive it from her. She recovers on Ixchel and is forced to be taken care of like a baby.
Mrs. Whatsit states she is 2,379,152,497 years, 8 months and 3 days old according to the human calendar, and she is the youngest of the three ladies. Chapter Five.
While under the influence of IT, Charles Wallace claims that everyone is unhappy and troubled and when individuals are done away with, people are happy. Meg and Calvin argue with him. Chapter Eight.
Meg's father mentions IT has been ruling over Camazotz for "thousands of centuries." However, he also mentions that time moves differently on Camazotz.
Meg refers to her father as omnipotent in the sense that she thought he was, but he isn't. Chapter Ten.
Mr. Murry quotes Romans 8:28. Chapter Ten.
Aunt Beast quotes Romans 8:28b and 30b. Chapter Eleven.
Aunt Beast quotes 2 Corinthians 4:18. Chapter Eleven.
Calvin calls Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which guardian angels and messengers of God. Chapter Eleven.
Mrs. Who quotes 1 Corinthians 1:25-28. Chapter Twelve.
Magic and Allegorical Elements
(See Religions and Worldviews section for discussion of the Black Thing.)
Charles Wallace has an ability to almost read minds and know future decisions and past events of certain people. He appears to have been born with this ability.
Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which live in a house everyone believes in haunted. It is later revealed they are faking this impression to keep people away from them. Chapters One and Two.
Calvin mentions he sometimes feels compulsions, which he always obeys. He says a compulsion led him to come to the haunted house, which is where he first meets the Murrys. This subject is only mentioned again once in Chapter Six. Chapter Two.
Mrs. Who is seen to be cooking something in a big black pot over a fire that appears to be of a chemical nature while in the haunted house. Chapter Two.
Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which have the ability to shape shift, materialize and dematerialize out of thin air, and communicate with thoughts. They are stated to not be substantial. Meg feels what the ladies truly are is beyond human understanding and what they are is only a fraction of what they could be. Charles Wallace states they don't need to eat. Calvin says the ladies don't know everything and suggests that they can't completely dictate what they look like when they shape shift. Mrs. Who's spectacles also have special properties. They appear in Meg's hand, help her walk through a wall, and help Mr. Murry tesser, then lose all their power. Charles Wallace, while under the influence of IT, calls the three ladies witches. Meg and Calvin argue and say it's only a game they play. Calvin calls the three ladies guardian angels and messengers of God.
Mrs. Which dresses and looks like a stereotypical witch.
The main characters visit a woman called the Happy Medium, who wears a turban and can show images in a crystal ball. No explanation is given for the source of her power. Chapters Five and Six.
There is a wall that is not completely substantial. It is referred to as a machine. Someone puts a paper in the wall that disappears, then the wall disappears. Chapter Seven.
There is a transparent wall, much like the one in Chapter Seven referred to as a machine. Chapter Nine.
A man who is overtaken by the Black Thing and It has the power to speak into the children's minds. He attempts to take control of the children's minds. He has red eyes and a hypnotic light above his head. Charles Wallace states something is talking through the man. He can make Meg and Calvin believe they're smelling and eating a roast turkey dinner. Chapters Seven and Eight.
Charles Wallace's mind is taken over by the Man with the Red Eyes and It begins to speak through him. Chapters Seven through Twelve.
While taken over by IT, Charles Wallace can rearrange the atoms in a wall to create an opening by waving his hand. Chapters Eight and Nine.
While under the influence of IT, Charles Wallace can make walls transparent. Chapter Eight.
IT radiates out an artificial pulsing that draws people into IT's control. Chapters Nine and Twelve.
IT is a disembodied brain and can read minds. Chapters Nine and Twelve.
There are aliens that can read minds. Chapter Eleven.
There is a wall that is not completely substantial. It is referred to as a machine. Someone puts a paper in the wall that disappears, then the wall disappears. Chapter Seven.
There is a transparent wall, much like the one in Chapter Seven referred to as a machine. Chapter Nine.
A man who is overtaken by the Black Thing and It has the power to speak into the children's minds. He attempts to take control of the children's minds. He has red eyes and a hypnotic light above his head. Charles Wallace states something is talking through the man. He can make Meg and Calvin believe they're smelling and eating a roast turkey dinner. Chapters Seven and Eight.
Charles Wallace's mind is taken over by the Man with the Red Eyes and It begins to speak through him. Chapters Seven through Twelve.
While taken over by IT, Charles Wallace can rearrange the atoms in a wall to create an opening by waving his hand. Chapters Eight and Nine.
While under the influence of IT, Charles Wallace can make walls transparent. Chapter Eight.
IT radiates out an artificial pulsing that draws people into IT's control. Chapters Nine and Twelve.
IT is a disembodied brain and can read minds. Chapters Nine and Twelve.
There are aliens that can read minds. Chapter Eleven.