Explain what is the main theme of The Chrysalids by John Wyndham.?

Answer 1

The Chrysalids is a post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi novel. Some themes are Christianity, Telepathy, and Mutation.

If you are looking for literary theme, (the message the author wishes to convey to the reader), there are 4 main ones. They are: Loyalty to the group comes before personal loyalty. Survival of the fittest-you cannot resist change, you must adapt. Having power over someone does not make you right. Violence only creates more violence. Religion is also a huge aspect of this novel.

The major themes in chrysalids are Power and authority, survival, Heroism, journey of childhood to manhood, woman in society, challenges and structure/point of view,childhood experiences,prejudice/discrimination in the society.If you're asking for the main theme, it'd probably be Deviation vs conformity.

• Intolerance of Deviation

The important issue of the intolerance towards Deviationsis shown through the extreme reaction of Joseph to David's comment.In the Chrysalids, the theme of Deviation is a constant theme that runs throughout the novel. In fact, it is the main focus of the book.Attitudes towards them, hence, is an important factor in deciding how the reader will view them and will also impact their choices on their future courses of action- if they had been accepted by society, the telepaths would not have had to run away from society and run such a risk to their lives. This attitude consists of prejudice, open hatred, ostracism and even killing intent.This can be seen from Joseph's furious outburst when he heard what David heard. Such is the extent of his set attitude against Deviation that he employed selective hearing and chose not to hear David apologising and saying it was not meant to be said that way.Joseph represents the entirety of Waknuk Society's view on Deviation; being the son of the one who pioneered them in the first place. Hence just the utterance of such Blasphemy - "If only I had another hand"- was enough to turn on his paranoia and make him display his utter intolerance of Deviation.He yelled at David, made everyone pray for 'forgiveness', and even implied he would punish David later, physically. It shows how Deviations are not tolerated at all in Waknuk society.

• Prejudice towards Deviation

The people of Waknuk believe that Deviants are an abomination and the work of the Devil. From a young age, the Definition of Man and the importance of Purity are drilled into them. This causes them to have a fixed mindset to persecute Deviants when they grow up. It can also be seen from how they regularly undergo inspections to destroy all Deviations from their property, like in the case of the Strorm household, especially Joseph, who take it as a personal insult to have a deviated crop or livestock in their farm. Deviants [Blasphemies] are cruelly sterilized and abandoned in the Fringes, never allowed to return. This harsh treatment of Deviations shows us that the theme of prejudice towards them is prevalent in Waknuk society.

• Importance of Conformity

Through Joseph Strorm's harsh treatment of David, we can see how important the issue of conformity is to the inhabitants of Waknuk.Conformity in Waknuk is manifested in several ways, be it burning of Deviant crops, slaughtering of Deviant livestock and spreading awareness on the dangers of the Mutant to their peaceful society.Joseph shows this need for conformity in this passage by blasting David for even suggesting deviation from the Norm. The evidence for this is "you Blasphemed, boy. You found fault with the Norm," "This is a terrible thing, an outrageous thing. You are…committing blasphemy!" Joseph immediately accused poor David of having blasphemed and started yelling at him, without mercy or bothering to understand the truth.His treatment of David therefore shows how important conformity to the Norm really is to him.

Of course, every other theme in the book is significant as well. These include the theme of fear of authority, oppression, punishment, Purity and the Definition of Man, Friendhip, Love, Sin, Telecommunication, Sacrifice, Death, Religion, Extremism, Superstition and so on. They all play an important part in carrying the plot forward.

Answer 2

The main theme of The Chrysalids is the fear of difference and the dangers of intolerance. The story explores how society marginalizes and discriminates against individuals who are perceived as abnormal or different, and the consequences of such prejudice. It also highlights the importance of acceptance, empathy, and embracing diversity.

Answer 3

Maturity, Racism, Evolution, That about sums it up. Alternate answer: Personally I'd say that it has a number of universal themes the main one being Darwins ascertion that evolution is the triumph of the fittest. Religious intolerance, bigotry (I don't remember any discrimination based on race), the rights of the indiviual as opposed to society and a warning about the possible consequence of nuclear war are all themes in the novel. And there may well be other themes that I haven't even touched upon.

Answer 4

Man vs. Man Man vs. Society Man vs. Nature Man vs you

Its mostly about David and his telepathic friends trying to hide the fact that they are mutants from the surrounding society. When some of the members are discovered David, Rosalind and Petra run away into the Fringes.

Answer 5

(Kevin Rivera, Delta, 6th, OLG)

Imagine living in a world where an extra toe on a newborn will automatically result in the death of the baby, a pig with more hair than normal will be put down, and corn kernels that are not in perfectly formed rows will necessitate burning an entire field. This world exists in John Wyndham's novel, The Chrysalids.

This is the world of David Strorm, the main character in the novel. As a young child, he often dreamed of a city filled with objects considered fantastical in his world, such as flying machines and carts that move without horses. However, as David grows older, he realizes that he has the ability to communicate telepathically with certain other children. This ability means that David would be considered to be a Blasphemy in his community.

David does not understand the severity of such status until he meets Sophie, a girl who was born with an extra toe on each foot. David befriends Sophie and keeps her secret. When her secret is discovered by another boy in the district, Sophie and her family are forced to flee. As a result David realizes that, if his secret is discovered, he will suffer dire consequences.

As David gets older, he and the other telepathic children master the use of their abilities. David's forward-thinking uncle, Axel, becomes aware of David's telepathic power; he makes several efforts to convince David that the extra ability is something worth having, but must be concealed. The others agree to keep their secret, and they are able to live normally for some years.

The secret is threatened when one of the others, Anne, chooses to marry a normal (non-telepath) man; although Anne attempts to renounce her powers, her husband eventually discovers the truth, putting the lives and David and his fellows in danger. Another risk emerges when it becomes evident that David's little sister, Petra, possesses far greater powers of telepathy. Petra's thought projection is painfully strong and usually involuntary; she is young, and her powers are tied directly to her emotions. When she gets upset, she becomes a compulsive beacon, drawing the others to her. This creates a potentially dangerous situation.

Members of the community become aware of David's powers, and he must flee with Petra and his girlfriend, Rosalind, who has also been revealed as telepathic. They must make a dangerous journey in search of a region where no one knows who they are, or why they left their home.

On their journey, Petra begins communicating with a woman in a faraway land, who promises to send help. She also promises to bring them to Sealand, a land which is populated by telepathic people. David and the girls must avoid the posse from their district that continues to pursue them, and are captured the Fringe people, a group of exiled Blasphemies who seek revenge.

Themes examined in The Chrysalids include the inevitability of change, man's inhumanity to his fellow man, ignorance, and bigotry. Despite being over 50 years old, the ideas expressed in this science-fiction novel are still timely today. This novel is an excellent reader for individuals who are avid readers of classic science-fiction.

Answer 6

people fear and hate those who are differant.

Answer 7

One of the themes of the Chrysalids is intolerance and ostracism. Another might be mistrust and alienation of the other.