Conformity In The Chrysalids

The Chrysalids is a book full of hatred, unethical behaviour and evil. The evil taking place in Waknuk is the intolerance of those who are different . Of all the characters in the Waknuk society, Joseph Strorm is the most evil. Due to his unethical beliefs, religious perversion and hateful violence, Joseph Strorm is the epitome of evil in the Waknuk society.

The practices of a collective society such as the one in this book disregard all belief in the individual. By doing this, the society and its leaders brainwash the people into having no personal priority or authority. Everything is done with the betterment of the entire group in mind, no sense of self involvement. Their life is fated in almost every

is found to be very out going and happy. But what he hears from Waknuk is that deviations are

John Wyndham presented the themes the dangers of the nuclear war, the acceptance of others who are different than the “norm”, the negative effects of religious fanaticism, and the evolution of the human species throughout The Chrysalids. These themes, specifically the acceptance of others who are different than the “norm”, make The Chrysalids a futuristic and memorable novel. Accepting others who are different than the norm is a common theme in both The Chrysalids and our society today. This was demonstrated by presenting a town with no imperfections and contrasting it with a town full of imperfections, Wyndham displays a great progression from our reality. After the tribulation anything other than the “norm” is not acceptable in the town of

Subsequently, The people in The Fringes see Waknuk as a society that does not wants perfection, but they want to be more like God. In the first place, the people in the Fringes have a very different idea about Waknuk from the one the people livig in

The Chrysalids takes place in Waknuk, a society based on rigid laws and a strict religion. The citizens value what they believe to be normal, enforcing harsh consequences for those who go against the norm or possess traits that are undesirable or feared. Their society developed with strong influences from The Bible and Nicholson`s Repentances, with laws and customs put in place to keep Tribulation from happening again. Deviations and otherwise undesirable traits are not tolerated in this society, anything in question or suspicious is carefully inspected to ensure it is not an offense. The people of Waknuk are a very traditional, law-abiding community built on generations of fear and extreme regulations.

The novel coincides with today’s society through its intolerance towards others which also comes along with prejudice and ignorance. Within the novel, the people of Waknuk do not accept the abnormalities defined from their views and faith. They do not tolerate the fact of others being different from them and are quick to eliminate them from society giving you the impression of The Holocaust. “'Why should they be afraid of us? We aren't hurting them,' she broke in. 'I'm not sure that I know why,' I told her. 'But they are. It's a feel-thing not a think-thing. And the more stupid they are, the more like everyone else they think everyone ought to be. And once they get afraid they become cruel and want to hurt people who are different —'” (Wyndham 144). In today’s society, you find different people considered inferior because of

Change, the essential of life, it can be tranquility or turbulence, change has no set goal, it occurs all around us without us knowing. In the novel, The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham, change is the major problem in the society even though it is hidden in different aspects of life. To the society, change is their enemy, but it is themselves who are their enemies without knowing it. A society that fails to realize the inevitability of change will indubitably agonize.

“The Chrysalids” by John Wyndham is a science fiction novel about a town that does not accept difference. The novel takes place in a post nuclear time in the community of Waknuk. It describes how human nature can be cruel and the act of acceptance which everyone strives for. David Strorm morally and emotionally grows throughout the novel through character, setting, theme and plot. Significant events that David experiences teach him both something about himself and the world he lives in. When he firstly meets Sophie and realizes her difference, his aunt expressing that she does not feel bad about her newborn that has a deviation and lastly when he, Petra and Rosalind flee Waknuk.

Perfection “Everyone thinks that we’re perfect” (Melanie Martinez). John Wyndham authored a book by the name of The Chrysalids and in a town called Waknuk there lived many people, a few of the main ones being David, Rosalind, Petra and Axel. The book takes you on a journey throughout David’s life and his difficulties in being different than others. The residents of Waknuk are getting farther away from perfection with how they view perfection. THE TELEPATHIC

community can be viewed as prosperous, peaceful, and the epitome of perfection; however, as time goes on, it is revealed that all is not as it seems. Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” is one such example of a place not being as peaceful as first made out. Omelas is portrayed as the most perfect place to live; however, behind the scenes, all the prosperity is the result of a single child's suffering. In a society such as this, even if a single individual is suffering, it will never truly be perfect. Dystopian communities will try to present themselves as outstandingly flawless while also trying to hide the fact that there is still suffering amongst the prosperity.

taking a dark turn in society. The truth brought to one’s eyes, concerning the cruelty that can be brought to this world, including all past events that we had suffered through, is traumatizing; especially witnessing connections from Waknuk to Earth. The horrors of Waknuk, was illustrated through the way the community treated other. However, the realism, that reflects on the monstrosity of our society is uncanny. With the characteristics of racism, ignorance, and fear, it shows how our two realities are similar.

Sixty years separate the publication of the dystopias The Children of Men and Brave New World, but both authors express their depictions of a future world in which religion is drastically changed, and not for the better. Religion and spirituality serve a number of purposes in the two novels, most notably to illustrate the difference between our society and their dystopian society, and also to show the importance of faith in overcoming the difficulties which human beings face.

The story is that of a society turning against its creator, believing that they better understand perfection and morality, even going to the extent of killing what they don’t like or understand. This aspect of the story directly parallels the Nazi Regime and the Holocaust in a digital

David Strorm is the protagonist in the book, "The Chrysalids." He is a telepath in a dystopian era where genetic mutations are believed to be works of the devil. His father, Joseph Strorm, is a strict religious leader in their community, strongly against mutants like David. He doesn't know about David's mutation, but if he did, he would surely banish him like they do all deviants, even though David is his son. These two characters, despite them having different beliefs, can be similar. David and Joseph Strorm are the same because they both think they are doing the right thing and are both seen as leaders. However, they are different because, while David accepts deviants, Joseph is strongly against them.