The plot in the story of ‘A Wrinkle in Time‘ sets with 13-year-old Meg Murry leading the characters as author Madeleine L’Engle takes the reader through her personal struggles fitting in at school but also her family struggles as a result of her father going missing – which is, in fact, the reason for her sadness and self-loathing.
Meg Murry
13-year-old Meg becomes the heroine of Madeleine L’Engle’s ‘A Wrinkle in Time.’ She is described as being a genius child, slightly too smart for her age, and a bit of an awkward character who struggled to fit in, especially among her peers in school.
Meg herself is seldom found in a happy mood – and part of the reason for this is her talent not being appreciated by her teachers and her inability to blend in a formal learning setting. However, her biggest reason for staying sad and unhappy is because she misses her father, Mr. Murry, a brilliant scientist who has gone missing for a few years now.
Despite the fact her family somehow manages to remain calm, fun, and peaceful, Meg realizes she must find her father to truly be complete. With her 5-year-old also genius brother, Charles Wallace Murry, she ventures out to save her father – aided by a few friends she would cross paths with along the way.
Charles Wallace Murry
Charles is Meg’s little brother, and based on the author’s description of this kid, he is easily the smartest in the book. His IQ level is nuts, and he even appears to read strangers he hasn’t met before and knows a bit about them – including what they are more likely to do next.
With his sister, he pursues the quest to save their father, and his good judgment is relied upon in picking their friends for the trip. His mental brilliance is fundamental for Mr. Murry’s rescue but also nearly jeopardizes their mission after he is taken over and controlled by IT. Meg serves him in the end with the virtue of love.
Calvin O’Keefe
He is a kid whose family lives in the same neighborhood as the Murrys. Calvin comes from a large family, and having eleven siblings, he would often feel left out and abandoned.
Unlike all his brothers and sisters, who are normal people, Calvin is slightly different and possesses an unusual ability to persuade, which he effectively brings to the table in the quest with Meg and her brother.
Mrs. Murry
She is a brilliant scientist and mother of four children – with Meg as her eldest child. She is described as a loving and caring mother, but aside from her motherly qualities, she’s also an able researcher who – with her husband, Mr. Murry – was studying the fifth dimension before his eventual disappearance. She’s kind and reasoned and seizes every moment to teach morals to her children and their friends.
Mr. Murry
He is a famous scientist who spent a significant amount of his life researching and obsessing over time travel, the universe and the interstellar. He eventually disappears into an unknown land after we experimented with the tesseract. He is later rescued by the heroics of three children – his children Meg and Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin.
Mrs. Whatsit
With a strange and weird personality, Mrs. Whatsit is the first person that brings practical hope of finding Meg’s father when she disrupts their home and reveals that such a thing as ‘The Tesseract’ does exist.
Although she brings news that might help in finding Mr. Murry Camazotz, she herself has a score to settle with The Dark Thing as they both have a history together, being that she was a star who fearlessly fought The Dark Thing in her previous life. She and her two friends prove pivotal for the overall success of Meg’s quest.
The Dark Thing
A sort of dark, non-physical entity that corrupts the universe – killing the shine and light of stars. The Dark Thing appears to grow stronger by the day and has a grim impact across planets in the universe – including Earth.
Unlike weak humans, the stars are capable of challenging – even fighting – The Dark Thing but not without losing their own life. This was the root of the unfinished business that Mrs. Whatsit was going with the kids on the quest.
Mrs. Who
Well-read and learned, Mrs. Who is a close friend of Mrs. Whatsit and one of the three women who are phenomenal to the quest of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe. She is influential in tessering the kids through time and space and across planets and dimensions.
Mrs. Which
Probably the most sage of the three-star sisters, Mrs. Which helps the children battle the dark thing – a villain she has been fighting all her life and more than a billion years. She’s the oldest of the three sisters and is described as loving and kind to the children.
Mr. Jenkins
He is the head of Meg’s school, whom Meg doesn’t like very much because she considers him a hypocrite. He wants to get Meg to open up and be more social with her teachers and classmate. Meg’s biggest reason for disliking him is because of his blobby interest in her father’s disappearance.
IT
Described as a sort of oversized, skanky brain, is the ruler and most powerful being on the planet Camazotz. Its leadership strategy involves controlling every being on his planet. IT is corrupt and evil and wants to take over anything that might challenge – including Earth’s humanity, which is why it masterminded the abduction of Meg’s scientist father Mr. Murry.
Aunt Beast
Aunt Beast is an inhabitant of the planet Ixchel – a place where several of her kind dwell. The adventuring team Meg and Calvin encounter this creature when Mr. Murry (now released from IT’s captivity) tessers them into this creature’s realm while trying to save them from the IT mind arrest trick after it successfully takes over Charles Wallace.
Sandy and Dennys Murry
10 years old apiece, Sandy and Dennys are twin boys and middle children of Mr. and Mrs. Murry. The two are juniors to Meg but are seniors to Charles Wallace, and are described as the only normal of all the Murrys. Always found in each other’s company, they are practically inseparable and stop at nothing to protect their family from being bullied.
Man with Red Eyes
One of the minions controlled by the villain IT, The Man With Red Eyes appears only for a short stint when Meg and her team enter the planet Camazotz and demand to see who’s in charge. He addresses them as instrumental in his boss IT’s take over of Charles Wallace’s mind.
The Happy Medium
The Happy Medium appears to have life but is not quite a human-type character. She lives on another planet within Orion’s belt on the outskirts of Earth. She possesses a form of a mirror or crystal ball with the ability to see the situation happening in the planets of the universe happy and sad – although she would prefer seeing only the happy, pleasing ones.
During their quest, Meg, Charles, and Calvin O’Keefe are taken by Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which to meet with The Happy Medium to have a glimpse of what to expect in the planet Camazotz but also across planetary plains and galaxies.
FAQs
Who are the three prominent characters in ‘A Wrinkle in Time’?
Meg Murry, Calvin O’Keefe, and Charles Wallace are the three child characters in L’Engle’s ‘A Wrinkle in Time.’
How old are the three main characters in ‘A Wrinkle in Time’?
In the first book of the Time Quintet series, Meg is thirteen years old, while Calvin and Charles Wallace are fourteen and five years old respectively.
Is the Happy Medium a person or place?
In L’Engle’s book, the Happy Medium is represented in the likeness of a woman.
Who is the Man with Red Eyes?
He is a scary man controlled by IT. He is able to read through people’s minds and hijack them for his master IT.
What were the three Mrs before they became humans?
Before they became women and aided the children in their quest, Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which used to be stars and have lived for billions of years – fighting the darkness and even laying their lives on the line for the cause.
