Meg Murry - As Meg O'Keefe

As Meg O'Keefe

Meg marries Calvin between the events of Many Waters and those of A Swiftly Tilting Planet. She gives birth to her first child, Polyhymnia (called Poly and eventually Polly) shortly after the later book. Although she has not earned a doctorate, she is a mathematician who helps Calvin with his work in marine biology. As of the later books about Polly, Meg is said to be "restless" and considers going back to school. Having outgrown her awkward "ugly duckling" adolescence, she is considered beautiful as an adult, with long chestnut hair and contact lenses.

In A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978, ISBN 0-374-37362-0), Meg is heavily pregnant and at her parents' house for Thanksgiving, along with Sandy and Dennys. Meg is living in a furnished apartment near the hospital where Calvin works, but it is said that they often visit Meg's parents on weekends. At the time of the book, Calvin is in London presenting a paper, but his mother, Branwen O'Keefe, reluctantly visits the Murrys. When Meg's father gets a phone call from the President of the United States about a threat of nuclear war, Mrs. O'Keefe recites a rune with which she expects Charles Wallace to prevent the end of the world. As Charles Wallace travels in time to change key events in the past, Meg supports his efforts by kything with him. Meg mourns the death of Fortinbras, the family dog mentioned in A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, but welcomes a new dog, Ananda, into the family. She also receives a call from Calvin during the course of the book, during which he reassures her and tells her he loves her.In A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Meg is a stunningly beautiful young woman, and is pregnant with her daughter, Polly O'Keefe, although neither the baby's name nor gender is given.

In The Arm of the Starfish (1965, ISBN 0-374-30396-7), Meg now has seven children, the oldest of whom, Polyhymnia or Poly, is twelve years old. The others, in order of decreasing age, are Charles, Alexander (initially called Sandy, later nicknamed Xan), Dennys (Den), Peggy (presumably Margaret), Johnny and Mary (nicknamed Rosy). Meg assists Calvin in his work with starfish, particularly in tasks involving mathematics. A friend of the family, Canon John Tallis, otherwise known as Father Tom, is said to be the person who gave Poly her unusual name. They live on the fictional island of Gaea off the coast of Portugal, which provides both specimens and privacy for Calvin's work. Meg now appears to be secure and confident, and trusts Poly enough to let her travel without her parents in the company of Canon Tallis. During the book, Poly is kidnapped and then rescued, and her brother Charles shows signs of precognition.

In Dragons in the Waters (1976, ISBN 0-374-31868-9), Meg appears briefly as she and her younger children drop off Calvin, Poly and Charles for a voyage by freighter to South America, and shows kindness toward elderly Leonis Phair, whose great nephew, Simon Renier, is on the same ship. It is established that the O'Keefes are now living on fictional Benne Seed Island, not too far from Charleston, South Carolina. Despite Poly's prior kidnapping, Meg is apparently secure enough about Poly's safety to allow her to travel with only her father and younger brother. Poly tells Simon that according to her father, her mother "could get a doctorate with both hands tied behind her back, but she just laughs and says she can't be bothered".

In A House Like a Lotus (1984, ISBN 0-374-33385-8), Meg is said by Maximiliana Horne, Polly's mentor, to be "restless" now that her children are growing older and less dependent. Polly writes that her mother intends to complete her Ph.D. once her youngest child, Rosy, is in school. Polly is aware that Meg does not want her eldest daughter to suffer the same difficult adolescence that Meg had in terms of peer relationships. Max suspects that Meg has been holding herself back professionally in order to avoid giving Polly an inferiority complex similar to the one Meg had in comparing herself with her beautiful, Nobel Prize-winning mother. Meg appears to be at a loss how to help seventeen-year-old Polly through a crisis that Polly refuses to discuss, but again trusts her daughter to travel to other countries without her parents. This time it is Sandy Murry who is to chaperon her for part of the trip. Meg is said to be strong and slender and still relatively young-looking, in part because she takes care of herself and swims every day. Max and Polly agree that Polly's parents have a strong marriage and love each other. Meg confesses to Polly, however, that on occasion she has had to weather false rumors about Calvin's relationships with some of his female colleagues.

In An Acceptable Time (1989, ISBN 0-374-30027-5), Polly is staying with Meg's parents in Charles Wallace's former room. Polly has a brief telephone conversation with her parents Calvin and Meg, although they are not physically present in this book.