The Role Of David In The Chrysalids

David: The Hero

In The Chrysalids written by John Wyndham, many characters put their lives in risky situations, proving themselves as heroes. David can be seen, he’s always there to save the day, protecting others before himself and he does the right thing even when it get difficult. David is part of “the group”. The group communicates with special thought shape powers. This power is a deviation which they are not allowed to possess in the town of Waknuk. This power can cause them trouble. Three things that David really demonstrates that doing the right even when it gets difficult is key to being a hero, being brave and him have special abilities. He may not be the ideal hero but, these characteristics and actions prove David as a character that can play the role as a hero.

Doing the right even when the going gets hard, David plays this role a lot through the novel.

David and Sophie have a great relationship, you could say they were best friends. David lies to his own father who he is scared of, so that Sophie can remain safe. He did this so that no one will figure out about her deviation. The Inspector asked David many questions but he would not tell the truth. “Now he says this child you were with has six toes. Is this true? ‘No’ I [David] told him” (51). In result of David lying to his father he is beaten by his father as a punishment. This proving that he had to do the right thing, which was lying to keep Sophie safe. When David figures out about Sophie’s toe, Sophie takes him to his house. Mrs. Wender (Sophie’s mom) explained to David that he cannot tell anyone about her toe. David was very confused “it seemed a very little toe to cause so much anxiety” (13).David still kept the secret to keep his new friend safe from harm/death. He knew he had to do the right thing even if he got in trouble or had to go to prison for concealment of blasphemy. David always knew he had to do the right thing even when the going gets

tough.

When you live in Waknuk and your father hates deviations and you happen to have one, you better be brave. Being brave is the key to being a hero and a very good hero indeed.. There are many acts of braveness performed by David throughout The Chrysalids. The Sealand Lady gave David very specific orders “protect her [Petra] at all cost” (156). David protected Petra as asked, this required braveness and David did very well at this. Another act of braveness was facing his father. Fighting for someone’s safety uses a lot of braveness. David did this for Sophie when Alan found them playing in the creek with her six toed foot fully exposed. “I [David] ran up the stone and flung myself at him. He [Alan} was bigger than I was, but it took him by surprise” (44). By doing this act of braveness David saved Sophie from Alan. David’s braveness really affects the way he is a hero in The Chrysalids. This helps him gain trust from the people who look up to him and believe in him.

Special Powers. Sounds pretty fancy. Even though Petra was the strongest of “the