
What are major issues in 'the chrysalids'?
- David returns from Sophie
- We learn that Davids grandfather, Elias Strorm, was one of the founders of Waknuk
- David tells the audience how his father, Joseph, is a very strict, religious priest in the community
- We learn about Tribulation, and how all Deviations and Blasphemies are killed to "keep pure the stock of the lord"
What are the main events in the chrysalids?
The Chrysalids Timeline. David and the telepaths decide to run away from Waknuk but there are people searching for them. Sally and Katherine were caught and they are being tortured to reveal more information about telepaths. The Spiderman tries to convince David to let Spiderman have Roslaind.
What are the main characters in the chrysalids?
The Chrysalids Characters Next. David Strorm. David Strorm. David is the main character and narrator of the novel. His ability to communicate telepathically, or through “thought pictures,” with others makes him abnormal within the town of Waknuk, where he lives. As a result…
What are the names of The Chrysalids the characters?
the telepaths
- Michael - Michael goes to another school somewhere nearby, so he learns other things the rest of them do not.
- Sally
- Katherine
- Mark
- Anne - She denies the rest of the group after marrying Allan, who is also the boy who turned Sophie in.
- Rachel
- Rosalind - She falls in love with David.
- David

What is the main theme of The Chrysalids?
The Chrysalids is a story that deals with many different subjects. Some of the main themes in the story are dicrimination and religion. Some of the minor themes that are found throughout the story are loyalty; trust; prejudice; judgement; conformity; and superstition.
What is the climax of The Chrysalids?
Climax. The climax of the book occus when the Waknuk people attack the location of the three telepaths, who are defended by people from the fringes. David's father is killed in the conflict, as is Sophie. Then, the Sealand people arrive in a helicopter, and use a new type of weapon to kill all Fringes and Waknuk people ...
What is the lesson of The Chrysalids?
The greatest theme in the story is morality. The book argues that even within societies that are morally corrupt, individuals have the power and responsibility to make their own moral decisions.
What is the ending of The Chrysalids?
David, Petra, and Rosalind leave in the flying machine with the Sealand woman, and they go to the island of Sealand. The book ends as they approach a city that looks exactly like the one from David's dream at the beginning of the book.
What are some conflicts in The Chrysalids?
Situations:David jokingly wishes he had a third hand and his father and mother overhear him.Uncle Axel tells David to keep quiet about his picture-talking with Rosalind.Sophie Wenders has six toes on each foot.Aunt Harriet kills herself and her baby.Anne announces that she going to get married.More items...•
Is The Chrysalids a movie?
The Chrysalids is a 2019 American/British science fiction horror film directed by Christian Carion and written by Nicholas Kazan based on the 1955 novel of the same name by John Wyndham.
What is the true image in The Chrysalids?
Well in the novel The Chrysalids the image of God, as reflected in Nicholson's Repentances, seems to agree with the first option. The image of God within this novel demands very strict guidelines. Due to these guidelines this image seems to discriminate against others who are not perfect in their eyes.
How does The Chrysalids relate to the real world?
Wyndham wrote The Chrysalids in the 1950s, after the atrocities of World War II and in the midst of the Cold War, and the ideologies espoused by the Waknukians and the Zealanders are similar to those of real-world groups at that time.
What kind of society is The Chrysalids?
The Chrysalids takes place in Waknuk, a society based on rigid laws and a strict religion. The citizens value what they believe to be normal, enforcing harsh consequences for those who go against the norm or possess traits that are undesirable or feared.
How long does it take to read the Chrysalids?
3 hours and 44 minutesThe average reader will spend 3 hours and 44 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).
Why is the book called the Chrysalids?
Therefore, the title Chrysalids illustrates the conservativeness in the Waknuk society, parallel to the confined state of the cocoon stage of a butterfly. The title of the novel reveals the necessity of change in the Waknuk society, with regards to the theme of change is inevitable in the novel. ...read more.
What does Sophie look like in the Chrysalids?
The Chrysalids illustrates how physical appearance is not as important as a person's inner qualities. Firstly, Sophie looks like a monster to Waknuk because of her physical deformities, but she has a very loving personality.
Why is it appropriate that David, Rosalind, and Petra make their escape on the great horses?
They are considered deviants and so is the great horse.
Does the sealand woman have a family?
There is very little if anything about the Sealand Woman's background. I don't think this is answered in the book.
In the introduction, what are the important facts about John Wyndham's work?
I'm sorry, what version of the text are you using. I am looking for the proper introduction.
What is the meaning of the book The Chrysalids?
Wyndham wrote The Chrysalids during the Cold War, and the novel reflects the fear of nuclear disaster that was prevalent at that time.
What is the Chrysalids?
The Chrysalids is a 1955 science fiction novel written by British author John Wyndham. The novel takes place in a dystopian society set in the future after a nuclear holocaust. The inhabitants of the society subscribe to a fundamentalist religion focused on keeping all living things in their “pure” form, denouncing genetic mutations.
Why did Gordon kidnap Rosalind and Petra?
Gordon kidnaps Rosalind and Petra so that Rosalind can bear his children. Sophie helps David rescue them from Gordon’s tent, but she is jealous of David and Rosalind’s relationship. An army of people from Waknuk, including Michael, invades the Fringes and engages in battle with the Deviants, who are led by Gordon.
What is the name of the boy who follows David and Sophie?
One day, when David and Sophie are playing together, a boy named Alan follows them and becomes suspicious when he sees Sophie’s six-toed footprints.
What is the theme of the Tribulation?
Other major themes in the novel include religious fanaticism, purity, contamination, dreams, and knowledge.
Where does the novel Waknuk take place?
The novel takes place in a farming society called Waknuk, located in rural Labrador many years in the future. The“old civilization”—our own—was destroyed by a “Tribulation,” or nuclear apocalypse. David Strorm is the 10-year-old grandson of Elias Strorm, the founder of Waknuk. David’s parents, Joseph and Emily, ...
Who is David's uncle?
David discovers that he is telepathic and can communicate with other telepathic people through “thought shapes.”. However, only David’s Uncle Axel and his cousin Rosalind, who is also telepathic, know about his special ability. Rosalind’s father, Angus Morton, owns large horses.
What is the song Crown of Creation about?
The song " Crown of Creation " by the American rock band Jefferson Airplane was inspired by the novel. Its title and lyrics are drawn from the text and plot with permission from Wyndham. One example lifted almost verbatim from the text reflects a philosophical explanation by the New Zealand woman: "But life is change, that is how it differs from rocks, change is its very nature." This line is rendered in the lyrics as "Life is change – How it differs from the rocks." The portion of the song that reads: "In loyalty to their kind / they cannot tolerate our minds. / In loyalty to our kind / we cannot tolerate their obstruction" is from an explanation by the New Zealand woman that asserts the inevitability of conflict between a more advanced species and its less advanced progenitors. (The book's original phrase is "they cannot tolerate our rise ".)
Who is David's closest friend?
The group of telepaths discovers that her ability is extraordinarily strong and difficult to resist, placing the group at greater risk of discovery. Rosalind Morton is David's closest friend among the group of telepaths. They become more of a couple later on in the book.
What mutation does Sophie's family hide?
David and other children in Waknuk hide their own form of mutation: telepathy.
What does Sealand mean by the power of gods in the hands of children?
A woman from Sealand, a character with evident knowledge of the Old People's technology, mentions "the power of gods in the hands of children", referring to the nuclear capabilities of world power which were led by incompetent political leaders.
What do the inhabitants of Labrador believe?
Plot summary. The inhabitants of post-apocalypse Labrador have vague knowledge of the "Old People", a technologically advanced civilization they believe was destroyed when God sent " Tribulation " to the world to punish their forebears' sins. The inhabitants practise a form of fundamentalist Christianity; they believe that to follow God's word ...
Who are the two telepaths captured in the Fringes?
Later, two telepaths, Katherine and Sally, are captured and tortured for information, while David, his cousin Rosalind, and Petra escape to the Fringes.
Is the Chrysalids a coming-of-age novel?
Unlike most of his novels, it is also a coming-of-age story.
What is the main character in the Chrysalids?
The Chrysalids Summary. Chapter 1 begins when the main character, David, is a young boy, narrating in the first person in the past tense. He confides in his older sister, Mary, about a dream he has about a fantastic city he has never seen before. Mary advises David not to tell anyone about the dream. David meets a girl by the name of Sophie ...
Who is David's grandfather in Chapter 2?
Chapter 2. Chapter 2 discusses David’s family tree and his grandfather, Elias Strorm, the founder of Waknuk. Elias' son, Joseph, who is David's father, is an important man in their town and is a very religious individual—as is his wife, Emily. The Strorm’s family life is filled with religious practices.
How does Sophie rescue Rosalind and Petra?
Sophie rescues Rosalind and Petra from Gordon’s tent by killing the guard watching them. Chapter 16. Chapter 16 begins by illustrating the jealousy and tension between Rosalind and Sophie over David; Rosalind is suspicious about Sophie’s intentions of helping them.
What chapter does David and Sophie fish together?
The chapter ends by telling the readers more about the status of Waknuk as a society, and David shares that he passes his knowledge from his schooling onto Sophie. Chapter 5. David and Sophie are fishing together in the river when an older child, Alan, sees them.
Why do David and Rosalind share their names?
At the end of the chapter, the telepathic group, which includes a few other characters apart from David and Rosalind, share their names and locations with each other so that they can be more aware of each other in case of any emergencies. Chapter 9.
What is the beginning of Chapter 11?
Chapter 11. Chapter 11 begins with a scene where almost everything is normal in Waknuk. Petra rides her pony into the woods and meets a scary creature. She lets out a loud telepathic cry for help, which attracts the entire telepathic group, and also is so strong that it blocks them from communicating with each other.
What is David punished for in Chapter 4?
As a result, David is punished by his father and is made to repent and to seek forgiveness for his statement. David has a dream at the end of the chapter in which Sophie is being purified/sacrificed like an “Offence” and that his father slits Sophie’s throat with a knife. Chapter 4.
What is the historical context of the Chrysalids?
Historical Context of The Chrysalids. The Chrysalids is a novel that is deeply intertwined in historical events. Written not long after World War II and in the midst of the Cold War, the book looks at what might happen in a world that has been irreparably damaged by nuclear warfare.
What is the persecution of people for their physical appearance in The Chrysalids?
Finally, the persecution of people for their physical appearance in The Chrysalids is similar to the racism prevalent throughout the American South in the years leading up to and during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
What is the setting of the book Waknuk?
Genre: Science fiction. Setting: Waknuk, Labrador (which likely correlates with present-day Wabush, Canada) in the distant future. Climax: The convergence of the group in the forest after Petra’s call. Antagonist: Joseph Strorm, and, more broadly, the Waknukian system of beliefs.
What is the ideology of the woman from Zealander?
Much of the ideology represented by the woman from Zealander is related to Communist ideas—specifically, the belief that history is a series of struggles between different races or classes and the idea that communal action is preferable to individual action.
What chapter does the chrysalids start?
The Chrysalids: Chapter 1. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Chrysalids, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The book begins with David, the young narrator, telling us that when he was young, he sometimes dreamed of a city with “carts running with no horses to pull them” and “shiny, ...
What is David's dream?
David’s dream of an Old People city with cars and planes sounds familiar to the reader, but is unfamiliar to David, which immediately shows that this book is set on a future version of Earth.
Why does Sophie's extra toe not stand out to David?
Sophie’s extra toe does not stand out to David because he sees Sophie as a friend, and as a child he isn’t focused on her physical appearance. The reader does not yet understand why Sophie must conceal this toe, but the vehemence of her attempt to hide it hints at something sinister in their society.
Why did Sophie's toe provoke David's response?
The incident with Sophie’s toe should have provoked a response in David because he has been taught that human beings do not have extra toes. The fact that the sight of her toe does not trigger thoughts of the rules he has memorized shows how easy it is to repeat something without fully understanding it. Active Themes.
What does Sophie say when David sees her foot?
He doesn’t, and when he sees her foot, Sophie says that he “musn’t ever tell,” but he doesn’t understand what she’s talking about. David tells the reader that at the time he didn’t notice that she had an extra toe. David and Sophie go to her house, where Sophie apologizes to her mother for letting David see her foot.
Why did David not connect Sophie's foot to the rules he learned in church?
David tells the reader that at the time, he did not connect Sophie ’s foot to the rules he learned in church, because he learned those rules by mechanically memorizing them, and had not thought about what they meant.
Does David internalize the norms of Sophie?
At the time of meeting Sophie, David himself has not yet internalized these norms. Active Themes. When David tells Sophie that she’ll have to take off her shoe to get free, Sophie becomes upset and adamantly tells David she has to keep her shoe on her foot, even though she is in a great deal of pain.

Overview
Plot summary
The inhabitants of post-apocalypse Labrador have vague knowledge of the "Old People", a technologically advanced civilization they believe was destroyed when God sent "Tribulation" to the world to punish their forebears' sins. The inhabitants practise a form of fundamentalist Christianity; they believe that to follow God's word and prevent another Tribulation, they must preserve absolute normality among the surviving humans, plants and animals, and therefore pra…
Tribulation
Though the nature of "Tribulation" is not explicitly stated, it is implied that it was a nuclear holocaust, both by the mutations and by the stories of sailors who report blackened, glassy wastes to the south-west where the ruins of faintly glowing cities can be seen (presumably the east coast of the US). Sailors venturing too close to these places experience symptoms consistent with radiation sickness. A woman from Sealand, a character with evident knowledge …
Major characters
• David Strorm is the narrator of the story. David is one of a small group of youngsters who can communicate with each other via telepathy. However, their community's theological prejudice against anyone who is abnormal means he and the others must keep their abilities carefully hidden. David and Rosalind's love for each other is kept secret from their parents because of a bitter feud between their families.
Allusions to actual geography
The inland village of Waknuk (Wabush) is in southwestern Labrador. Labrador has become a much warmer place in the fictional future, with large tracts of arable land. Rigo (Rigolet) is the capital of Labrador and the fictional government in the book, a fairly large river town near the east coast. The port of Lark (Lark Harbour) is mentioned as a way-point on the west coast of the island of Newf (Newfoundland) where sailors may obtain provisions.
Literary significance
Although stylistically The Chrysalids does not differ markedly from Wyndham's other novels, the subject matter is rather different. While most are set against a mid-twentieth-century English middle-class background, The Chrysalids is set in a future society which is described in some detail. Unlike most of his novels, it is also a coming-of-age story.
It was written after The Kraken Wakes and before The Midwich Cuckoos.
Critical response
J. Francis McComas, reviewing the American release for The New York Times, declared that the "outstanding success" of the novel lay in Wyndham's "creation of humanly understandable characters that are, after all, something more and less than human" and concluded that the novel "will be well noted and long remembered".
The critic and science fiction author Damon Knight wrote that Wyndham "failed to realize how go…
Radio adaptations
BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour presented an unabridged reading by Geoffrey Wheeler of the novel in ten 15-minute episodes, broadcast daily between 17 and 28 August 1970.
The novel was adapted by Barbara Clegg as a single 90-minute drama for BBC Radio 4, directed by Michael Bartlett, and first broadcast on 24 April 1981. The cast includes:
• Stephen Garlick – David