A Wind In The Door

“Like the dragons in the garden, their father’s visits to the White House were something best not talked about at school. Unlike the dragons, these visits were real.”

There is an air of mystery surrounding Mr. Murry. He plays a role in the plot without actually being a part of it, similar to his role in A Wrinkle in Time. Now, however, he often travels and tries to work on the novel's central conflict from a different angle. Mr. Murry’s absence also creates a sense of anxiety in Meg, who wishes both of her parents could be present with Charles Wallace’s health in danger.

“His end-of-summer tan could not disguise his extreme pallor, nor his shadowed eyes; why hadn’t she noticed this? Because she hadn’t wanted to. It was easier to blame Charles Wallace’s paleness and lethargy on his problems at school.”

This passage describes that Charles Wallace is not well. He can’t be active without getting short of breath and is constantly pale. Meg has a strong emotional connection to her brother, but she is also afraid that there is something seriously wrong with Charles Wallace. This fear causes her to overlook his symptoms, as she doesn’t want to believe that he’s sick, especially when she has little power to help him. Instead, she wants to believe his illness stems from getting bullied at school, which is much easier to control and change than an illness.

“Charles asked, ‘Why do people always mistrust people who are different? Am I really that different?’”

This quote focuses on one of the novel’s central themes: the idea of what’s normal and the fear of what’s different. Charles Wallace knows he’s not like other kids, but he still tries to relate to them. Because he is interested in mitochondria and farandolae, he assumes that other kids his age might be interested, too. When he finds this isn’t the case, it’s jarring to his character and forces him to question why his differences make him a target for bullying. Charles Wallace is kind and respectful to others, furthering his confusion about why others mistreat him for his differences.

“But Charles Wallace is going to have to live in a world made up of people who don’t think at all in any of the ways that he does, and the sooner he starts learning to get along with them, the better. Neither you nor Charles has the ability to adapt that the twins do … A life form which can’t adapt doesn’t last very long.”

Mrs. Murry knows that Charles Wallace is different from other children, and while she wants to protect her son, she also wants him to be able to adapt and handle himself. She understands he will always be more intelligent than anyone around him, yet she wants her son to be able to fit in and get along with others despite this intelligence. This passage also taps into the novel's overarching focus on science and how science helps answer many of life’s questions.

“Maybe Charles Wallace would be better off in a city school, where there’s lots of different kinds of kids, white, black, yellow, Spanish-speaking, rich, poor. Maybe he wouldn’t stand out as being so different if there were other different people, too. Here—well, everybody’s sort of alike.”

Calvin says this to Meg as they discuss Charles Wallace's challenges at school. Calvin is trying to comfort Meg, who is frustrated that her parents are brilliant scientists yet can’t keep their son safe. This passage also taps into the novel’s theme of excluding what is different. Charles Wallace isn’t like his classmates—or anyone else, for that matter—and this makes him a target for bullying. His differences are more apparent because the characters live in a village instead of a city.

“Of course! Charles isn’t like them, and so they’re hostile towards him. People are always hostile to anybody who’s different.”

This passage is Meg’s response to Dr. Colubra. They are discussing Charles Wallace’s need to adapt if he is going to stop getting bullied. Meg agrees that he needs to adapt but adds that it’s difficult for him to do so in his school. Here, the characters are tapping into the novel’s focus on science and that science is often the answer to life’s most difficult questions.

“When she left the house she had a horrid, premonitory feeling that it would be a long time before she returned.”

Meg and Proginoskes have decided to go to Charles Wallace’s school to speak with Mr. Jenkins. Meg leaves the house after breakfast, knowing that conflict is coming. She also knows it might be some time before she returns, especially given her experience in A Wrinkle in Time. This passage references intuition, an idea found throughout the novel. Intuition is often portrayed as a great tool and guide for the characters and plays a significant role in their success.

“There is a war in heaven, and we need all the help we can get. The Echthroi are spreading through the universe. Every time a star goes out another Echthros has won a battle. A star or a child or a farandola—size doesn’t matter, Meg. The Echthroi are after Charles Wallace and the balance of the entire universe can be altered by the outcome.”

Proginoskes is explaining to Meg how dangerous the Echthroi are and that they are targeting Charles Wallace. Though he doesn’t explain why, Proginoskes admits that the fate of their universe depends on Charles Wallace’s survival. This adds additional pressure on Meg, who is already struggling with her internal conflict about Naming Mr. Jenkins and passing their first test. The passage also shows the magnitude of the novel’s conflict, adding suspense and tension to the plot.

“Meg said, unhappily, ‘If I hate Mr. Jenkins whenever I think of him, am I Naming him?’ Proginoskes shifted his wings. ‘You’re Xing him, just like the Echthroi.’”

This passage links the Echthroi and Xing to hate. The novel’s protagonist is the Echthroi, who thrive on hate and darkness. The only thing that can defeat the Echthroi and drive them away is love. However, Meg hates Mr. Jenkins, the one person she must love to pass her first trial. When Proginoskes compares Meg’s hate to Xing, he firmly states that Meg is acting like the Echthroi when she hates Mr. Jenkins.

“So if I care more about Naming than anything else, then maybe I have to give myself away, if it’s the only way to show my love. All the way away. To X myself.”

Proginoskes is talking to Meg about what will happen to him if they fail their first ordeal. He is a Namer, so Naming is integral to who he is. Thus, if they fail in Naming Mr. Jenkins, Proginoskes has failed as a Namer. This passage also foreshadows Proginoskes Xing himself at the novel's end to save his new friends and defeat the Echthroi.

“Sure I know all the bad things about him, and they’re all true, and I’ve had my own run-ins with him, but on the whole we get along, maybe because my parents don’t make him feel inferior, and he knows he can do things for me that they can’t.”

Calvin says this to Meg to help her better understand who Mr. Jenkins really is. Meg struggles to overcome her dislike for the principal, but when Proginoskes reminds her of the time when Mr. Jenkins bought Calvin new shoes, she begins to see him in a different light. Calvin shows that he understands Meg’s feelings about Mr. Jenkins but also knows the goodness in Mr. Jenkins. This different perspective helps Meg Name Mr. Jenkins, but it will also help her later in the novel as she reminds Mr. Jenkins who he is and that he’s unique and loved.

“‘Idiot,’ Proginoskes said, anxiously rather than crossly. ‘Love isn’t how you feel. It’s what you do. I’ve never had a feeling in my life.’”

The Echthroi thrive on hate and other negative emotions, and only love can defeat them. As Proginoskes talks to Meg about what cherubim are and how they function, he explains that he doesn’t have emotions like hers. Thus, for cherubim, love is something they do, not feel. This truth connects Meg to Proginoskes and shows they have more in common than they realize. It also furthers the role love plays in the novel in defeating the Echthroi. The characters can’t simply feel love, they have to show it.

“You don’t need to have one if you don’t want to. You have simply been faced with several things outside your current spheres of experience. That does not mean that they—we—do not exist.”

This passage is Blajeny’s response after Mr. Jenkins says he’s having a nervous breakdown. He’s having difficulty coming to terms with all that he’s experienced, which references the novel’s theme of knowing what is real. Blajeny is showing Mr. Jenkins that what he sees is real and that he doesn’t have to be negatively impacted by it. Regardless of Mr. Jenkins’s reaction to what he sees, Blajeny and Proginoskes are real. Mr. Jenkins must come to terms with this and realize that things exist that he might not be aware of if he wants to help Charles Wallace.

“Meg felt a flash of intuition as sharp and brilliant as the cherubim’s flame; like flame, it burned. ‘Oh, Mr. Jenkins, don’t you see? Every time I was in your office, being awful and hating you, I was really hating myself more than you. Mother was right. You underestimate yourself.’”

This passage marks a critical moment for Meg and Mr. Jenkins. They have shared a mutual dislike for years, but they are starting to understand each other and appreciate each other’s differences. Both characters realize that when they act negatively toward others, they are actually reacting to their insecurities. This realization strengthens their relationship, a crucial element to Meg and Mr. Jenkins kything in Yadah.

“Proginoskes said, ‘I, too, had misgivings about earthlings. But the girl earthling and I have just come through the first ordeal, and it was the girl who did it.’”

Here, Proginoskes is speaking to Sporos. Sporos quickly shows his dislike for humans, thinking he is far too advanced to work with them. When Blajeny introduced Proginoskes to Meg, Proginoskes shared some of the same feelings Sporos has. However, Proginoskes changes his mind about humans—especially Meg—after teaching and working with her through their first test. Meg earns Proginoskes’s respect, and he tries to help Sporos appreciate the humans for their abilities.

“It is not always on the great or the important that the balance of the universe depends.”

Blajeny is trying to teach Mr. Jenkins about the Echthroi and their desire to X the universe and everything in it. When Mr. Jenkins asks why they would bother with a child-like Charles Wallace, this is Blajeny’s reply. His response relates specifically to young readers, who might wonder what their place in the world is and whether they hold any importance. This passage reminds all readers that size and importance don’t determine worth.

“She flinched, then held on to something, she wasn’t sure what, but it felt like a lifeline. After a moment she knew that it was coming from the cherubim, an outflowing of love, love so tangible that she could hold on to it.”

This passage shows the strong bond that has developed between Meg and Proginoskes in such a short time. Meg often has difficulty relating to others and making friends, yet she immediately becomes friends with Proginoskes and has proven to Proginoskes a human’s worth. Further, this passage illustrates the strength love has to defeat the Echthroi. In this case, Proginoskes’s love for Meg saves her, but Meg will soon extend love to Mr. Jenkins, thus saving him.

“Then she opened herself again to Mr. Jenkins. Muddied thoughts which could hardly qualify as kything moved about her like sluggish water, and yet she understood that Mr. Jenkins was being more open with her than he had ever been before, or than he ever was able to be with most people.”

This quote marks a significant turning point in Meg’s and Mr. Jenkins’s characters. Once Meg Names and begins to love Mr. Jenkins, her relationship with him deepens, and she can help him more. Likewise, as Mr. Jenkins continues to struggle to understand the extraordinary events he’s experiencing, Mr. Jenkins can accept the love of others and be more open and receptive to them. This increases his ability to kythe and defeat the Echthroi.

“‘When Sporos Deepens,’ Proginoskes told Mr. Jenkins, ‘it means that he comes of age. It means that he grows up. The temptation for farandole or for man or for star is to stay an immature pleasure-seeker. When we seek our own pleasure as the ultimate good we place ourselves as the center of the universe. A fara or a man or a star has his place in the universe, but nothing created is its center.’”

Mr. Jenkins continues to learn about the dire situation he finds himself in. In this passage, Proginoskes teaches Mr. Jenkins why it’s difficult for Sporos to Deepen. The idea that Sporos doesn’t want to Deepen because it means he will no longer be responsible only for himself teaches readers a valuable lesson. Growing and maturing are necessary, but it is sometimes difficult to let go of childish desires and become something more. Staying young and carefree might be appealing, but it has no lasting value.

“’But farandolae—why would little farandolae like Sporos—' ‘They appear to be not that unlike human beings.’”

At this point in the novel, Mr. Jenkins finally understands the Echthroi and why they want to destroy all creation. He also understands the farandolae’s behavior and their hesitation to Deepen. Mr. Jenkins’s response to Meg’s lack of understanding shows the irony between Sporos’s detestation of humans and his refusal to mature. Sporos makes it clear how superior he is to humans, yet he has some of the same struggles humans face. His superior intellect does not help him decide to Deepen more easily. Thus, Sporos acts human in his hesitation despite thinking he’s superior.

“You cannot show your concern for Charles Wallace now except in concern for Sporos. Don’t you understand that we’re all part of one another, and the Echthroi are trying to splinter us, in just the same way that they’re trying to destroy all Creation?”

For most of the plot, Meg’s primary concern is Charles Wallace. She does what she can to improve his experience at school, and she sacrifices herself to save his life. However, as Proginoskes states in this passage, she must shift her focus away from Charles Wallace to Sporos if she wants to save Charles Wallace’s life. If she doesn’t help Sporos Deepen, everyone, including Charles Wallace, will die. This shift requires Meg to trust Proginoskes and develop her character. She must let go of her focus on Charles Wallace and put her efforts toward saving everyone else, including herself.

“The strength and calm of Senex cut through the ugliness. ‘It is only when we are fully rooted that we are really able to move.’”

Senex is a witness to and victim of the farandolae’s immaturity and unwillingness to Deepen. As Meg and her companions finally start breaking through to Sporos, helping him see the value and necessity of Deepening, the Echthroi become more loud and insistent that he not Deepen, telling him he will be forced to give up his freedom. In contrast to the Echthroi’s loud voice, Senex is quiet but firm. His wisdom that being rooted provides the ultimate freedom applies to the conflicted Sporos and any reader struggling with their own internal conflicts.

“She was with Calvin, kything with every atom of her being, returning to him all the fortitude and endurance and hope which he had given her.”

While Calvin and Meg are not in a romantic relationship, they have a unique bond. That bond started in A Wrinkle in Time and continues to develop through this novel. Meg has several internal struggles that prevent her from relating to others well, but Calvin keeps her centered and helps her through any problem she faces. In return, Meg helps him with his own insecurities and insufficiencies.