In A Wrinkle in Time, what does IT refer to itself as?

The creature IT is the disembodied brain that controls the people of Camazotz in A Wrinkle in Time.  IT’s goal is to control everyone on the planet in order to ensure absolute conformity.  It is not a benevolent creature.  Charles Wallace tells Meg that IT sometimes calls itself “the happiest Sadist” (p. 135).  A sadist (pronounced by some people as sad-ist) is a person who enjoys causing pain in others.  Charles Wallace explains IT’s purpose to Meg.

Why do you think we have wars at home?  Why do you think people get confused and unhappy?  Because they all live their own, separate, individual lives.  I’ve been trying to explain to you in the simplest possible way that on Camazotz individuals have been done away with. (p. 135)

In this way, there is no war or unhappiness, but the people also do not think for themselves.  They do not really exist as separate, independent identities.  We see this through the character of Charles Wallace, who’s “arrogance causes him to become a robot-like slave to IT” (enotes, themes and characters).  Meg, as you can see, wants nothing to do with it.

 For more, read here: http://www.enotes.com/wrinkle-time/themes-characters

Citation:

Dictionary.com. "Sadist." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sadist>.

Enotes. "A Wrinkle in Time." Enotes.com. Enotes.com. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/wrinkle-time/themes-characters>.

What is "IT" in "A Wrinkle In Time"?

In A Wrinkle In Time, IT is a disembodied brain, that is to say a brain without a body. But it's an incredibly powerful brain, all the same, which allows it to exercise absolute power over the inhabitants of the planet Camazotz. This pulsing, quivering blob of gray matter exerts an almost hypnotic effect over everyone. It speaks through vibrations of thought which allows it to control other people's minds. That's how IT comes to be so powerful.

IT likes to present itself as benign, as saving everyone the pain and trouble of thought and decision. But this is only so it can continue to control people's minds and lives. It may seem a tempting prospect to have someone—or something, in this case—do everything for you in life, but in actual fact, it would turn you into some kind of robot, without any kind of freedom or autonomy.

And that's exactly what happens to the inhabitants of Camazotz. They may appear human, but in reality they're little more than automata, their every movement controlled by a powerful, malevolent brain that punishes anyone who somehow manages to break free from their programming.