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I cry much too much. I should be like mother. I should be able to control myself.
Meg responds to Calvin’s gentle invitation to cry with this statement, making obvious her insecurity around her own emotional vulnerability. Meg sees her strong emotions and her inability to control them as a weakness, but this quality actually proves to be a source of strength later in the story. Meg’s sensitive spirit is easily grieved and easily angered, but through the novel she learns how to draw from her authentic emotions for the sake of good and channel them to help others in need.
“Whatt ddoo yyou underrsstanndd?” “That it has to be me. It can’t be anyone else. I don’t understand Charles, but he understands me.”
Mrs. Which asks Meg this question in one of the most climactic moments of the story, when Meg realizes that she must be the one to save Charles Wallace from IT. Meg’s response reveals her own growth in understanding that she is capable of great heroism, even if she does not feel courageous or fully understand everything about the situation. She is finally confident enough in herself and in the support from her loved ones to step out in bravery, knowing the safety of her family and the world is at stake.
“You don’t know the meaning of moderation, do you, my darling?” Mrs. Murry asked. “A happy medium is something I wonder if you’ll ever learn.”
Mrs. Murry unknowingly foreshadows the presence of the character Happy Medium in this quotation, while also commenting on Meg’s emotional intensity. Spoken in love and truth, Mrs. Murry’s words reveal how turbulent Meg’s emotions and conclusions can often be, and when Meg later encounters the celestial presence of the Happy Medium herself, it sparks the beginning of Meg’s journey to find balance amid chaos.
“Meg, I give you your faults.” “My faults!” Meg cried. “Your faults.” “But I’m always trying to get rid of my faults!” “Yes,” Mrs. Whatsit said. “However, I think you’ll find they’ll come in very handy on Camazotz.”
In this quotation, Mrs. Whatsit points out perhaps the most important lesson Meg learns through the course of the story: her greatest faults are actually her deepest strengths. Meg’s anger, stubbornness, emotional depth, and individuality are all qualities she views as negative traits, often wishing them away. However, on Camazotz, where emotions are stifled and everyone is forced into society-wide conformity, Meg’s faults are the very things that allow her to remain strong against evil forces and ultimately to rescue both her father and Charles Wallace.
