Identity In The Chrysalids

Although both the previous events did put David into an adverse position, the following experience changed David’s outlook on life for the better. Finally there was someone to tell David the true meaning of mankind, Uncle Axel. Uncle Axel tells him to be proud of his telepathic abilities, instead of praying to be what everyone else thinks is the true image. Uncle Axel also changes David's outlook on the true image of man, he explains to him how it's not one's physical features that define him, but what's in his mind.

In this essay it will be discussed how the theme identity played its role in the film “The Sapphires”. It will also see why young people have difficulties when it comes to knowing who they are. There will also be a further discussion about why friends and family can help on deciding who you are and why even some older people have to ask themselves who they are.

Secondly, John Wyndham's novel The Chrysalids shows the consequences of going against the beliefs of closed society through major conflicts in the novel. Firstly, Joseph became enraged and accuses David for wishing to have another hand. Wyndham writes, "you- my own son- were calling upon the devil to give you another hand!"(26). To explain, this creates a conflict between David and his dad, Joseph Strorm. David’s father is a strict believer in the Waknukian faith.

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

Uncle Axel for his knowledge and educating him for the things that he never knew about or were beyond his imagination. Uncle Axel provided him the confidence of accepting and believing in his ability and himself. For example, Uncle Axel asks David “What do you think it is that makes a man a man?' I started on the Definition. What makes a man a man is something inside him. No, what makes man is mind; it's not a thing, it's a quality” (80). In this quote we see that David learns an important lesson about the image of man. Uncle Axel seems to explain it well but David wonders how he came up with this because if he was to ask Joseph this question he would’ve said something like" What makes a man a man is how he look" (80). David looks up to Axel like a step father he is given him advice for the world and his surroundings. Sophie for her kindness, strength, and her heartwarming personality she has showed this when her foot was stuck under the rock and by always having a smile on her face. Sophie was very kind to David when they first encountered, she showed much affection towards David. David remarks towards Sophie were, “She likes to have fun, be excited, and be happy" (7). David comments, "She is empathetic” (8). When seeing all these qualities of Sophie, David set a mindset she was a norm. Therefore, when finding out that Sophie has six toes, he was very astonished because throughout David’s life he has been taught that deviations are a sin. When encountering one it made David think the exact opposite. This caused David to question that Sophie could not be a deviation because she is found to be very out going. So he realizes that Sophie couldn’t be portrayed as an evil person. When David, "Finds it hard to see how the very small toe on each foot could make much difference either."(55). David begins to trust her

Sumayyah- Betrayal and loyalty those are two strong words that might have affected us some time in our life. The terms betrayal and loyalty are also relatable when we started our novel the Chrysalids by John Wyndham. In the novel the author shows the concept of betrayal and loyalty as the ultimate result of poor relationships.

This meand he is being selfish and makes perfection farther away. Secondly, Joseph does not tolerate people thinking outside the box. This character responded the following to his when he was trying to tie his tie, but could not do it, so he said that if he had another hand he could tie it all right: “You- my own son- calling upon the Devil to give you another hand!” This shows hoe Joseph Strorm wants everything as it is written and he does no encourages creativity. Now in day, creativity is needed to invent new identical things, and this things are the ones that get closer to perfection. Thirdly, David also shows the image he has about his father. In one of David’s dreams, Joseph was killing a friend David had made called Sophie, just because she had 6 toes on her feet. “I explained my dream of my father treating Sophie as he did one of the farm offences…” David said. Joseph Strorm seeks so much for perfection, that he is willing to kill people who have small defects. People who want to kill show the poor love they have for everyone else, and a society without love will never reach perfection in any way. To have a society where everything is perfect, a lot of values are needed, and Waknuk had a clear lack of them.

Another predominate lesson in the novel is, how change is possible, but quite difficult to become accustomed to. David proves this point in a conversation he shares with Uncle Axel. Since David was raised in a society where change was not an option, but instead it was mandatory for the people of Waknuk to move towards Gods true image and move away from all deviations. David and many others had a hard time going against their way of living. David admits that he is reluctant to change saying, “Moreover, I was reluctant to admit the flaw in the tidy, familiar orthodoxy I had been taught (pg 64). Similarly, Waknuk is against change and always resisted when change was an option. David reveals that change is quite difficult to become accustomed to when he states, “The place may have been called Waknuk then, anyways, Waknuk it had become; an orderly, law-abiding, God- respecting community of some hundred scattered holding, large and small” (pg 17). This shows that their town, Waknuk, had never become anything different through-out many years. Also Joseph Strorm was a very strict and rigid man who unfortunately was at a point where he and many others who lived in Waknuk were brain washed with the Bible, and Nicholson’s Repentances. Therefore change was a possible option but hard to go forward with it. In this novel it therefore teaches us how change is possible, but overall very hard to do.

In the book “The Chrysalids”, it shows how messed up the society there is, and is sort of a representation of our society now and back then. The similarities between the book’s society and our society back then and now are discrimination, fear and death/killing of the “minority”.

The society of Waknuk is taught to follow the laws of God and the ’Definition of Man’ for they fear the punishment that they will receive if they do not so. This fear has blinded the people of Waknuk, so much so that they cannot differentiate between right and wrong, devotion and discrimination.

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.

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.

Female characters are influential in John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids. In the novel, three women are of paramount importance in comparison to all others in shaping David’s views and opinions: Sophie, the Sealand woman, and Aunt Harriet. In the society of Waknuk, individuals exhibit prejudice repeatedly throughout the novel through their own blinkered treatment of deviations. David Strorm’s, a twelve-year-old boy whose parents brought him up in such lifestyle, interactions with those three women throughout the novel sways him to have second thoughts about it. Their dealings with David each have a particular impact on his life. Sophie allows for doubt to enter David’s life for the first time; the Sealand woman expands his views and prompts him to consider other beliefs different from those of his society; and Aunt Harriet makes him more conscious of his society’s despicable activities and more attentive to it. In John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids, Sophie, the Sealand woman, and Aunt Harriet are instrumental in influencing David’s outlook on society.

Throughout the novel, David, the protagonist is abused and tortured several times by his very own father, Joseph Strorm and his recently discovered Uncle, Gordon. David’s father is a strict believer in his religion and is unyielding on the subject of mutations and blasphemy’s. If anyone neglects to follow his beliefs and rules, he has serious consequences for them, like with David, once Joseph found out that David knows a blasphemy, he immediately subjected to abusing him for answers. David’s father continues to beat him until he receives the information he demands. David has been abused more than once by his father and this is evident when David says, “I knew well enough what that meant, but I knew well too, that with my father in his present mood, it would happened whether I told or not. I set my jaw,

Throughout the book Sophie had an exponential effect on David development even when not present. Firstly, when David meets meets Sophie and learns about Sophie’s supplementary toe, David accepts Sophie for who she is. “ It was all twisted and puffy - I didn't even notice then that it had more than the usual amount of toes...” (Wyndham 9). This is critical to David's development as it influenced him to ignore the rules of the uneducated town of Waknuk. Secondly, when Sophie is a suspected deviant David helps her run away to the fringes evading the law. “I managed to find some candles and light them,and when I had blown up the fire and put some more on, that helped to make the place seem less lonely.” (49). In this quote David is trying to make the house seem occupied so the people of Waknuk do not get suspicious. This is imperative as for the first time in his life David rebelled against the rules