Preview

Chrysalids Essay Example,

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1025 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Chrysalids Essay Example,
Racism, prejudice, inequality, and hatred are all characteristics that are demonstrated in life today and in the novel “The Chrysalids” by John Wyndham. In the novel, the people of Waknuk have very strong beliefs against people who do not fit the true image and try very hard to fit in with their society if they do not exactly fit this image. Today, some people are unable to adjust to change. Therefore anyone who appears or acts differently may be considered strange, and treated very unfairly. When people are treated this way, all they want to do is fit in with the crowd. The true image in “The Chryslaids” is believed to be what god wanted his people to look like. In their bible it stated;
“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 hand should bear a flat finger-nail: that each leg should be jointed in two places and end in one foot: that each foot should have five toes...” (11). The people of Waknuk had their lives based on these few sentences. They had to reproduce offspring that fit the true image, they had to produce crops that fit the true image, and they would do anything in their power to make sure everything is pure in the image of god. Including, hurting their families. All deviants would be destroyed or sent to the Fringes. The Fringes were on the very outskirts of Labrador (Waknuk is a region in Labrador) where there were little resources to live off of. If a child was born, and obviously a deviant, it would be sterilized and thrown in the Fringes to die. If a crop or livestock was found to be a deviant, a special ceremony would be held. They pray for forgiveness and sing to God as their leader (Joseph Strorm) slaughtered or burned the deviant. Everyone had a close eye for differences and no matter who the deviant was (could be their own child) they would be

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    In the novel 'The Chrysalids' written by John Whyndam, males are the dominant gender. Even though women play a key role in the Waknuk society, they are not treated as equals compared to men. The Chrysalids outlines the development of the Waknuk society and the people within it who are very reluctant to change. In every district, women have an extremely important role in the household and are the life givers and care givers to children. Women also have many responsibilities within their communities. However in Waknuk, women are subjected to very strict rules and laws. Men are entitled to disown their wives after conceiving three deviant infants and have automatic control over them. These principles prevent and limit these women from opportunities, privileges and freedom. The four women who are to be considered are Emily Strom, Harriet, Mrs. Wender and Rosalind's mother. These women are all mistreated either by the Waknuk laws or men.…

    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Extremism reaches its utmost limit when a single group deprives all people of the right to safety and protection and instead sanctions their killing and confiscation of their lives and property” (www.factbites.com). Few people other than those in control would wish to live in a society dominated by extremists. It is under these conditions that individuals live with fear, violence, and intolerance. In John Wyndham’s novel “The Chrysalids”, he creates the society of Waknuk where extremist views and policies control the population. Wyndham clearly illustrates the dangers that extremism brings to Waknuk. Living under these extreme social conditions has an obvious negative effect on the happiness of individuals living there. Violence and intolerance creates fear, and fear is a powerful tool when controlling individuals. People who live in fear are unable to create and prosper within the society as a whole.…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The characters in “The Chrysalids” and “The Stolen Party” both face the wall and barrier of being discriminated against due to their social status, which resulted in them not achieving their goal of being accepted.…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    David makes an agreement with Sophie’s parents to keep this a secret from the Waknuk society. The Strorm’s family life is filled with religious practices. The religion is focused on keeping the “pure” form of humans. Anyone who does not conform to the norm is considered Deviant. Waknuk is also concerned with destroying any genetically mutated plant or animal, known as Offences. For mutant crops,…

    • 140 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Change In The Chrysalids

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Waknuk Community is destroyed because of their own rigidness. Joseph Strorm and the Waknuk Community follow the ways of the Old People. They believe they are the true image of God and that none of the deviations are formed by God. (superior) "... ‘And any creature that shall seem to be human, but is not formed…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This shows how Waknuk firmly believes in the definition of man, as described in the Bible. As a result of this prejudice against people with physical malformations, the fringe people invoke battle against the Waknukians to fight for their acceptance in the town.…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The society follows many morals. One is “THE DEVIL IS THE FATHER OF DEVIATION.” (18) Waknuk attempts to rid itself from all mutants due to fear. They believe that the devil is linked to deviations therefore fear it as well. The community members in Waknuk all fear God and the Devil so they dare not go against the beliefs in any way whatsoever.…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Chrysalids

    • 546 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The main theme of the Chrysalids is the blind acceptance of traditions strict social conformity leads to the persecution and destruction of fellow human beings. What this means is that the community of Waknuk tries their best to strictly apply the word of god. As a result anyone that has something special with them such as an extra limb, the community punishes them for it and sends them away to the fringes where the rest of the ‘deviations’ go. An example of this is when Sophie escapes to live a free life in the fringes because she has an extra limb, if she didn’t escape she would have been punished or killed by the community. This main theme in the Chrysalids relates to the Holocaust. The reason why I believe this is because I learned that Hitler and all of the NAZIs thought the Jews were a weak race of people and that they needed to be eliminated from the world, just like Waknuk thought the deviations were a disgrace to mankind and had to be eliminated. Hitler then sent all the Jews to concentration camps where they were worked until death. This relates to the fringes. Many Jews tried to escape to safer countries to avoid the punishment of the Nazis. This is how I related the theme in the Chrysalids to something I have learned that happened in our history.…

    • 546 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Chrysalids

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In society today, discrimination presents itself as a major issue around the world whether in favour or against the lack of individuality leading up to religious intolerance. In the book, The Chrysalids, written by John Wyndham the story reveals a world unhinge by genetic mutations. The Waknuk district is a community that isolates themselves from anything they believe is a deviant or does not follow the description of the ‘true image’ of God – also referred to as the Fringes people. The Waknuk community shows resentment towards the Fringes people because they dread the mutants which they consider as ‘blasphemies’ since the community believes they are sent by the devil to tempt them away from Purity. Their community is very restrictive and does not tolerate any change. Their obsessive compulsive need to cleanse and purify all deviations reflects on the Waknuk community because of their religious values, which results in more bias ways. The process of development is evolution, which results in prejudice, conformity, and fear…

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Chrysalids

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Despite what many might think, It is a clear fact that The Chrysalids has been written, read and acknowledged as a warning for today’s society in many ways as I will elaborate more within the following paragraph such as; different types of racism still in our society, we still have this fear that god might be sending us a message through actions like disasters and This book is well known across hundreds of nations all over the world. Chrysalid has been around for several centuries and has a very important meaning in the lives of many. It would be safe to assume that this specific piece of Wyndham’s work is going to be around for a long time and have an enormous impact on the lives of many people.…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Image of God

    • 2518 Words
    • 11 Pages

    “The most distinctive feature of the biblical understanding of man is the teaching that man has been created in the image of God”. (Hoekema, 1986). The bible refers to man being made in God’s image in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the book of Genesis references man being made in God’s image in the Creation Story, in explanation of the generations of Adam to Noah and also again in the Covenant With Noah. Genesis: 1:26-28; 5:1-3 and 9:6. The New Testament references in many different books that man was made in the likeness of God and also speaks frequently of Jesus as being the perfect man who is made in the image of God. Hoekema states “Since Christ was totally without sin (Heb 4:15), in Christ we see the image of God in its perfection”. Christian belief follows that man was made in the image of God; however, differing theologians have developed differing theories over the years in regards to what it means to be made in the image of…

    • 2518 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, Uncle Axel shows dismay toward the society of Waknuk for their conflicting beliefs and ethics. Uncle Axel thinks deviations are not sinful or hateful in the sight of God. He believes that the definition of man is not represented by their physical appearance, rather he believes “what makes man man is their mind… the better they are, the more they mean” (79,80). Uncle Axel is fortunate enough to venture past Waknuk and sail through the Black Coasts, making him knowledgeable and aware that people from exotic lands have contrasting beliefs on what the true image is. Therefore, the true image of man cannot be solely proven by religious theories, and is undefined. These thoughts defy the Old People’s narrow minded…

    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    People react differently in moments of desperation. There are generally many different kinds of reactions towards moments of desperation in the world. Joseph Strorm and David Strorm (his son) had different reactions in moments of desperation. Joseph and his son had opposite reactions in the novel. Joseph Strorm and his son had opposite reactions in the book. Joseph Strorm reacts to deviants very seriously and without sympathy. He is also portrayed to be very religious. David Strorm on the other hand, is the only son of Joseph Strorm. He possesses a telepathic ability which is unacceptable in his community, Waknuk. David’s reactions towards deviations are quite different from his father. He makes certain decisions wisely. He is very considerate unlike his father. Joseph Storm shows no sympathy towards mutants because he believes that they are sent from the devil. In the Chrysalids, how characters react in moments of desperation reveals insights into their true nature.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is clear that John Wyndham wrote The Chrysalids as a warning for today’s society. This is based on the comparisons between our current civilization, that of the Old Peoples, and that of Waknuk. More specifically, technological advancements, fundamentalism, and the pressures to fit into a certain ideal.…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    A “kitchen sink drama” is a phrase used to describe a British cultural movement which came around in the late 1950’s to early 1960’s in plays, art, films and television. It used a style of social realism which often depicted the domestic situations of working class people living in rented housing and spending their time off work in grimy pubs to explore social issues and political controversies. The films, plays and novels using this style are often set in poorer industrial areas in the North of England, and use the rough accents and slang heard in those regions. The kitchen-sink drama is placed in an ordinary home setting and typically tells a fairly dull family story. Family tensions often come to the forefront with realistic conflict between husband and wife, parent and child, between siblings and with the wider community. The may also be a family that has to pull together against external forces that range from the rent-collector to rival families.…

    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays