The Chrysalids Essay
The Chrysalids is a book filled with different perspective of how Waknukians view their society. John Wyndham has shown how man treats his own kind in the most realistic way. John Wyndham unfolded numerous actions of our loathsome, commonly seen human nature. Their behaviours towards others, especially the, are shown with intolerance, prejudice, ignorance, and discrimination. Similarly, it is the reflection of the world we are living in today. The novel examines the distress, and behaviours of our society in the past, present, and possibly an unpredictable future due to our current actions.
Before the story begins, their society was originated after a cold nuclear war where it wiped out most of the human population. “
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the wonderful world that the Old People had lived in; as it had been before God sent Tribulation ”(Wyndham 5) The people of Waknuk referred to it as “Tribulation”, which results in affected living beings known as the deviations, mutants, or the work of the devil. Since then, they are living in equivalent of our past due to their fundamental lifestyles, basic knowledges, and technology. Besides, man will continue to eliminate those who are different and will continue to fight his own kind, even if it means murdering the ones most dearest to them. Mainly because of the differences and as a primitive civilisation such as Waknuk, religion is the main source of change and controlling mindsets. It protects delicate, feeble minds yet its manipulation can cause more fear at the same time. So humans grew to be cruel, merciless, and destructive because they only accept the “normal” humans in the society. This novel truly showcased the catastrophic yet truthful side of humanity. And God created man in His own image. And God decreed that man should have one body, one head, two arms and two legs: that each arm should be jointed in two places and end in one hand: that each hand should have four fingers and one thumb: that each finger should bear a flat fingernail. . .(Wyndham 10) Through this definition of God, if anyone or anything is being shown physically different than “ The True Image of God”, they are considered as a blasphemy to God and must be dealt before the evilness is spread throughout the society.
Yet due to their fundamental beliefs and ways of life, the Waknukians often exclude themselves to the outside world and not knowing what is happening outside of their community. Plus, the bible and Nicholas’s Repentances are the only books survived in the war so the Waknukians believed that these are what’s left of the Old People. David Strorm- the main character in this novel soon will learned the real Waknuk and how the people discriminate against the deviants. Starting when he met Sophie Wenders- a pure girl that seems normal until her six toes was found out by David. “Surely having one very small toe extra -- well, two very small toes, because I supposed there would be one to match on the other foot -- surely that couldn't be enough to make her ‘hateful in the sight of God . . .” (Wyndham, Chapter 1) David is trying to make sense of how there is such a discrimination against one, small, little toe. He also doesn’t understand why people find this as a “hateful in the sight of God”and just couldn’t see the danger in having an extra toe because Sophie isn’t similar to how deviants should look like in David’s thoughts. Through Sophie’s case, that shown how much mankind could not handle anything being different and are willing to shown prejudice …show more content…
and discrimination to the deviants. In Waknuk, the present of our society was shown in the people and their reactions to their surroundings. There is a certain amount of prejudice, ignorance, and discrimination in today’s world. In the Chrysalids, the Waknukians are prejudice against anyone who does not fit in “The True Image of God”, and constantly discriminating against those who look or act differently. The one on the left of the fireplace read: ONLY THE IMAGE OF GOD IS MAN. On the opposite wall two more said: BLESSED IS THE NORM, and IN PURITY OUR SALVATION. The largest was the one on the back wall, hung to face the door which led to the yard. It reminded everyone who came in: WATCH THOU FOR THE MUTANT!”( Wyndham 18) By putting numerous of religious quotes everywhere in the house, the people of Waknuk constantly reminding themselves that the normality is always based on their physical appearances. On the contrary, Sophie was cast away into the Fringes due to her extra toe and also Aunt Harriet’s baby was got the smallest deviation on her , yet was still labeled as a deviant. Similarly, nowadays people are not that different from the Waknukians. People constantly discriminate those who have a different cultural background, skin colour, religious beliefs or speaking in another language. These people were treated with unfairness and a disrespectful attitude. For instance, people judge the homeless not knowing the reason why they became homeless. “Perhaps the Old People were the image: very well then, one of the things they say about them is that they could talk to one another over long distances. Now we can’t do that—but you and Rosalind can. Just think that over, Davie. You two may be nearer to the image than we are.”(Wyndham, Chapter 6) Yet because no one knows what the “True Image” is, Uncle Axel predicted that David and Rosalind could be closer to the image due to their telepathic abilities. Meaning that there aren’t a true image because no one knows the real definition. Although one person can avoid the prejudice and discrimination amongst the world, yet are they willing to make a differences in this world and be able to accept the differences? Can humans make changes to how they treat one another? The Waknuk and Sealand society are both similar yet different with their ways of life.
They were both arrogant and egotistic but the Waknuk society was setted as the possible future to humanity due to the ways we treat one another. “God doesn’t have any last word. If He did, He’d be dead. But He isn’t dead; and He changes and grows, like everything else that’s alive. So when they were doing their best to get everything fixed and tidy on some kind of eternal lines they’d thought up for themselves, He sent along Tribulation to bust it up and remind ‘em that life is change.”( Wyndham, Chapter 14) They aren’t willing to think outside of the box such as Uncle Axel, believing where the Old people done some wrongs therefore God sent “Tribulation” to punish humanity. Yet as the concerns was said previously, if everyone can’t tolerate people with differences then how can we continue to live in peace? Because of their fears of the unordinary, it revealed the reason behind this traditional, strict society. “Your work is to survive. Neither his kind, nor his kind of thinking will survive long. They are the crown of creation, they are ambition fulfilled—they have nowhere more to go. But life is change, that is how it differs from the rocks, change is its very nature. Who, then, were the recent lords of creation, that they should expect to remain unchanged?”(Wyndham, Chapter 16)On the contrary, the Sealander’s behaviour is unique and different due to the fact where these people are
able to accept the differences and embrace them in order to advance their society. They are able to move forward and not behaving such as the narrow-minded Waknukians. As the novel has revealed the predictions of our possible future could lead to chaos and completely destroy humanity, if we continue our current actions and how we treat others. The novel, The Chrysalids examined and clarified the actions, behaviours, and challenges of our society in the past, present, and future. It revealed the Old people and how they have dealt with mankind which is similarly like our past. The Waknukians and the Sealanders, was shown with comparable ways of life yet different mindsets, proving the alike behaviours from different people’s point of views today. Lastly, the future- as the predictions were made due to The Chrysalids, Waknuk might be our possible future if we continue to stay where we are and act the way we are. Yet there are people around the world who are aware of this and are willing to change in their own society. The question is can you learn from the past and present, and be the one to change our future?
The characters in John Wyndham’s novel, The Chrysalids may believe that belief and principle are taught, but it does not necessarily mean it is correct.
Authority and power and chaos and order are the main discourses that are present in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Arthur Millar’s The Crucible. Through the context of each novel both authors use different dialogue, plots and situations to get their viewpoint across to the audience. In comparing the two texts with the similarities and differences, it is clear that both authors have had a different effect on the audience of today. It would appear as though both texts are focused around the theme of power and disempowerment, with the authors using different techniques to get their point across to the audience. Both texts will be discussed further through comparing and contrasting and discussing the description of the discourses present in both texts.
Through segregation, loss of identity, and abuse, Wiesel and the prisoners around him devolve from civilized human beings into savage animals. The yellow stars begin separation from society, followed by ghettos and transports. Nakedness and haircuts, then new names, remove each prisoner’s identity, and physical abuse in the form of malnourishment, night marches, and physical beatings wear down prisoners. By the end of Night, the prisoners are ferocious from the experiences under German rule and, as Avni puts it, “a living dead, unfit for life” (Avni 129). Prisoners not only revert to animal instincts, but experience such mental trauma that normal life with other people may be years away.
Despair is evident throughout the book, more so from Waknuk citizens oppressing those who are different. “Katherine, a girl from a neighboring farm who could produce thought shapes similar to David’s was found out and taken to the inspector, where, she was ”broken”. Sally, who was also taken with Katherine to the inspector, said to the rest of the thought shapers, “They’ve broken Katherine…Oh Katherine darling… [t]hey’re torturing her…She’s all clouded now. She can’t hear us.” Her thoughts dissolved into shapeless distress.” (Wyndham 130). Clearly Katherine had been severely hurt enough to reveal her ability of producing thought shapes which would put all the thought shapers in danger and tortured enough that Sally sends distress showing how hopeless they indeed are. Furthermore when David found out his father was apart of the party coming to battle the Fringe people he is in sheer distress. He states, “ ‘Purity…’I said. ‘The will of the Lord. Honor thy father…Am I supposed to forgive him! Or try to kill him?’” (182). David is conflicted and rather flustered between his respect and love for his father yet as a deviant they are fighting for different sides and he knows either he or his father will die in the end. Additionally, during the battle itself, one of David’s most loyal friends parishes before his eyes. D...
David finds out that the teachings of Waknuk are not the only one. In The Chrysalids Sophie,
Some of the people in the novel are also very bigoted like David’s father. He thinks he is the king of the castle and can’t be wrong. If he says something it should happen like where he has an argument with the inspector about the giant horses or when he burnt that families cat because it didn’t have a tail eg “It is your moral duty to issue an order against these so called horses!!” Various people including David’s father all agree that deviants are from the devil and should be castrated or thrown out of society.
“Every situation in life give some important lesson”. The Chrysalids is a science fiction novel by John Wyndham. It's about conformity in a post-nuclear world. The novel revolves around the superstitions which existed in the society at that time. Genetic invariance has been elevated to the highest religious principle, and humans with even minor mutations were considered "Blasphemies" and the handiwork of the Devil. As the story proceeds it teaches different lessons at different stages. The three lessons in the are story characters in the Chrysalids teach us Stand us that one can stand up for what one believe in, acceptance and making Sacrifices.
The pages of history have longed been stained with the works of man written in blood. Wars and conflicts and bloodshed were all too common. But why? What could drive a man to kill another? Many would say it is man’s evil nature, his greed, envy, and wrath. And certainly, they all have a roll in it. But in reality, it is something far less malevolent, at least at first. The sole reason why conflicts grow and spread comes from the individuality that every human cherishes so dearly. This can easily be shown in the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, in which a society has been created where everyone of talent has been handicapped so they are not better than anyone else, all for the sake of equality. This text will show that Individuality
Most women in the novel play the role of bystanders and supporters of their husbands. In Waknuk, the women don't dare to oppose the laws of anti-mutation as they fear the punishment they might receive from God or the society itself. They have to follow the customs of Waknuk, whether they agree with it or not. An example would be Sophie's mother, Mary Wender. Even though her daughter is a deviation and she is supposed to unhappy with the religious laws in Waknuk, she still wears a cross as she is expected to do so within the society. This can be seen from David's first encounter with her, when he noticed the “conventional cross” she had on her clothes. Another example would be during all the times David was hit by his father, his mother, Mary Strorm never once had comforted him. This could probably be because she knew that if she'd helped David, it would've been like going against her husband, which she could not do no matter what as a woman in Waknuk. The women have almost no right to voice ther opinion or raise doubts about Waknuk's religion, even if they find it vey unfair.
Both the Sealand and Waknuk societies experience egocentricism. The Sealand society believes that Waknuk and other societies are uncivilized. An example of this is when the Sealand woman suggests that Waknuk is primitive and David and the thought-shape group are close to being primitive too. The Sealand society also shows eocentricism when they come for Petra, David and Rosalind because they kill everybody who is unable to send thought-shapes. The Waknuk society is egocentric because they banish people who are different to the Fringes or destroy and kill crops and animals because they are offences. Another example that shows Waknuk is egocentric is that they believe they are the “true image” and all other societies are primitive and the work of the devil. Not only do these two societies show egocentricism, they are also ignorant.
Although our past is a part of who we are nowadays, we will never be happy if we can never let go of the painful feeling attached to our suffering. In addition, “suffering pulls us farther away from other human beings. It builds a wall made of cries and contempt to separate us” (Wiesel 96). We should not be afraid to let go of our haunting past and grow closer to others because “man carries his fiercest enemy within himself. Hell isn’t others. It’s ourselves” (Wiesel 15). The wise advice this book gives its audience is one reason it won a Nobel Peace Prize. The books are also part of a very famous Holocaust trilogy, which is one reason it has been so widely read. In addition, it blends everyday stories with Holocaust stories.Therefore, readers are very compassionate towards the narrator and readers create a bond with this character due to his hardships and the similarities he shares with us. Lastly, Day speaks to the needs of the human spirit by intertwining a love story. Readers wonder if his girlfriend will change his attitude towards life because he tells the doctor, “I love Kathleen. I love her with all my heart. And how can one love if at the same time one doesn’t care about life” (Wiesel
lyzes man’s internal and external issues which conveys mankind’s human condition. Survival in Auschwitz conclusively depicts how mankind reacts to the deepest and most torturous oppression within our past. He proves undoubtedly that the majority of man will fall to corruption or fail completely and give up hope altogether in the struggle for survival. His rather alluring account on how to truly survive in the camp and “documentation...of certain aspects of the human mind” relay the process of their dehumanization (Survival 9). Levi ultimately deems man’s reaction to oppression and the backlash of their means.
In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Trial, Ken Kesey and Franz Kafka describe the threat corrupt institutions in modern day society pose to the individual. The authors explore the dehumanizing and conforming effects of societal institutio...
The above passages were taken from the end of chapter three, part one. After finishing reading this book and then going back through it, I found these passages very ironic in regards to how the story eventually ended. Okonkwo believed that because he was such a fierce fighter, he could conquer anything life threw at him. However, it was his fierce, proud, fighting attitude that was his demise in the face of uncontrollable circumstances in the end. Okonkwo believed that war and brute fighting would fix everything. He was a proud and stubborn man constantly struggling to improve his standing in the tribal community. Okonkwo also had intense pride for his tribe and way of life. He believed it was the right way of life and not to be questioned. Everyone was supposed to fear war with Umofia due to their fierce warriors and greatness in battle. When the white men not only did not fear them, but openly threatened the tribal way of life, Okonkwo prepared to handle the situation the only way he knew how. He wanted to got to war against the new white invaders, chasing them from tribal lands and ending the threat of different ways of life.
The people of Waknuk do not utilize the advantages of permitting deviations and blasphemies to be a part of the society, consequently this decision troubles the society. First, the society does not let deviations that are beneficial to the society live amongst them. When Uncle Axel explains to David about how the churchgoers would not accept spices that had come from a foreign land because the spices could be a deviation, then Uncle Axel concludes, “Whatever they were, they are profitable enough now for ships to sail south again” (61). The rejection of the spices by the churchgoers was to their own disadvantage to exploit the profitability of the spices. Second, due to the high deviation rate families are force to destroy their crops and livestock. David asks Angus Morton what is troubling him and Angus replies, “Weeks of work gone up in smoke, pigs, sheep and cows gobbling up good food just to produce ’bominations” (87). Since the society does not accept deviations, therefore Angus Morton’s hard work is profitless. Finally, the attacks by the Fringes people are a vexation to the inhabitants of Waknuk. The sentimentalists in Rigo outlaw the burning of blasphemies, which allows blasphemies to live in the Fringes and Angus Morton fiercely says, “You get more Fringes dwell...