The chrysalids
The chrysalidsPrejudice and discrimination are the key conflicts in The Chrysalids. Critical theme is the one implied by the title of the novel. Chrysalid is a term taken from biology. It describes the state through which a larva must pass before becoming an insect. In this state, the larva is wrapped in a hard case or shell, takes on food and is totally inactive. This is precisely the state that Joseph Strorm and his kind are trying to maintain and force on humanity. I think what the author is trying to say about human nature is that everyone have their own point of view and judgment of something, and all believing in themselves ignore other’s opinions. The waknuk group is held together by its religion, the Fringes people by their deviations, and David and his group they their telepathic abilities. David’s society, despite its great concern for the True Image, allows the great-horses to be introduced into their society. Although they are obviously not normal, for the profit the True Image can be ignored. This is shown to be a universal human condition and the people of Waknuk are no different from us. The society will change, circumstances will change, but human nature will remain the same.
Joseph Strorm played an important role in the novel. He embodies all that is wrong with the community’s religious ideas; he is made to appear as a frustrated and dangerous person. We were introduced to the severity of Joseph Strorm’s character when he tends to kill Sophie, who has a mutation. Each foot of hers has six toes. She was considered a blasphemy. A blasphemy was a human being that did not look right, like their parents. They were sent to the Fringes, an area near Waknuk where deviation ran amuck. When David was little, he made an innocent remark about wanting an extra hand to help him tie a bandage. His father yells at him and accuses him of calling upon the devil. David’s remark received such a negative reaction from the people around him because he was wishing for a deviation, and therefore defying everything that Waknuk society believes in. The stories such as Sophie’s fate, or Aunt Harriet’s suicide showed the foolishness of the Waknuk society.
On the other hand, we were also briefly introduced to the character of Uncle Axle, who had married one of Emily’s sisters. He’s an open-minded and caring person, who used to be a sailor. Axle has always been a good friend of David, he used to tell him stories that he heard while he was at sea. He describes several different tribes that they met; all had some sort of deviation, all believing that their image was the true image of God. When Axle discovers David’s telepathic ability he asks him if he could keep this a secret and never tell anyone about it. In this sense Axel acts as David’s guardian until David understands how important it is to not reveal that he has this special ability. Uncle Axle seems to know and understands more about the True Image of God, Deviation, etc. I was shocked when I discovered that he was the one who murdered Alan. He was risking his own safety to help David and the rest, and that’s something I wasn’t even aware of. Uncle Axle is someone we should all be admired to.