The Chrysalids Fear

As Martin Luther King once said, “Men often hate each other because they fear each other: they fear each other because they do not know one another; they do not know one another because they are separated.” While he was talking about our reality, truth lies in his words within the town of Waknuk; of The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham. The people in this community are afraid of what they do not understand and they turn that fear into something more powerful, hate. In the novel, the people of the Fringes lash out and raid the village of Waknuk, because they are afraid of those that attacked them within their own fear. The Waknuk people do not only frighten the Blasphemies of the Fringes, they frighten their own children with stories of monsters

The people of Waknuk are so petrified of God that they hate anything posing a risk to them, including family. Joseph Strorm is perhaps the most fearful of them all, with a passionate hate towards anything that could cause another punishment from God, preaching to her that “You have sinned, woman, search your heart, and you will know that you have sinned. Your sin has weakened our defences . . . ”. (Wyndham 3) He is too focused on the weakening of his defences against sin that he disregards his family completely. His sister in law has created something that will anger God and bring punishment upon him. Because he is afraid, he banishes her and consequently causes her to commit suicide, without feeling any remorse. His fear motivates his every move and has created an extreme and hateful man. While reading, many may feel as though they hate Joseph, but maybe, they are really

Those in the Fringes hatefully attack the Waknuk, fearful of the past terror inflicted upon them. Children are so terrorized by the idea of mutants that their minds no longer question anything they are told. And even those that believe themselves to be oh so righteous fear God, the one thing they put all of their faith in. Fear and hate are easily misunderstood within this community, except for the fact that fear leaves residents vulnerable; provoking them to alter their feelings until they gain more power and protection though hate. And while this may seem trivial as it is described only described within this text, the same logic applies to our reality. For instance, examine the Salem Witch Trials. Twenty people were executed based on the logic of the only those living in the town. They believed that these people were different than the norm; magical, dangerous. They were simply afraid of these so called “witches” and their powers. This historical event bears an eerie similarity to the community of Waknuk. The town of Salem was filled with Puritans who were terrified of the Devil. So when women were accused of being missionaries sent by Satan, havoc was wreaked. You see, the Puritans needed someone that they could use as almost a reassurance scapegoat, to help ease their minds about the looming threat of the Devil. And so, the Salem Witch Trials were held. Within