The Chrysalids by John Wyndham Book Review

Religion often promotes peace and equality, but sometimes people may twist and/or misunderstand certain concepts and use it to justify horrendous behavior.  The Chrysalids takes place after a nuclear holocaust that wiped out humanity, changed the climate, and caused genetic mutations.  There is a town called Waknuk, whose people are extremely religious, and kill anyone with mutations, “blasphemies”, to achieve purity.  This causes many problems in the story, because the main character, David Strorm, and his friends are telepathic “blasphemies”.  By only accepting those who are deemed “perfect”, the Waknukians prove that blind acceptance of traditions leads to a society full of persecution, destruction, and misery.  

This novel shows a lot of violence towards “blasphemies”, and this forces many people to live very fearful lives.  David knew from a young age that he was telepathic, and that he was supposed to keep this ability a secret, but he did not understand why this was a big deal.  One day, David was talking telepathically with his cousin, and he began speaking out loud to himself to make it easier to communicate.  His Uncle Axel heard him and when he asked him what he was doing, he explained his power.  Uncle Axel then said, “I want you to keep it secret. I want you to promise that you will never, never tell anyone else what you have just told me -- never. It's very important: later on you'll understand better how important it is. You mustn't do anything that would even let anyone guess about it. Will you promise me that?” (Wyndham 22).  David agreed, but did not fully understand that he was in constant danger without even knowing it.  Uncle Axel was extremely worried for David’s safety, but to make him feel safe, since he was just a child, he did not explain the situation just yet.  David was lucky that someone open-minded, like his uncle, discovered his ability, because his life could have ended if someone else did and reported him to the authorities.  Waknuk’s society creates an environment where “blasphemies” are too afraid to be themselves, so they must hide and live their lives dreading what will happen next if they are not careful enough.  

Because the Waknukians do not allow “blasphemies” to live among them, babies who have mutations are severely punished, as well as their mothers.  These babies are abandoned and left in the Fringes, dangerous lands that surround Waknuk.  And a woman who gives birth to three “blasphemies” can be left by her husband.  This was the case of David’s Aunt Harriet, who tried to ask Emily and Joseph Strorm, David’s parents, to help her hide the fact that her baby had a “deviation”.  However, they became furious and refused.  Emily told Joseph, “Send her away. Tell her to leave the house -- and take that with her.” (Wyndham 55).  Harriet’s own sister turned her back on her, even though her and her baby’s lives were at stake.  Emily also referred to the baby as “that”, which proves that the Waknukians do not consider “blasphemies” to be humans.  Harriet and her baby later turned up dead, and while the people believed it to have been suicide, the author implies that it may have been murder.  The Waknukians are desperate to eradicate genetic mutations, so they are quick to banish and let people die.  

Furthermore, Waknuk’s beliefs can tear families apart and destroy relationships with those who you are supposed to be close with in even more ways.  David and his parents never had a very close relationship, but it got even worse when Joseph discovered that he was friends with a “blasphemy” named Sophie.  Joseph was livid and after yelling at David, he grabbed a whip and beat him.  Joseph hurt his own son for making a friend who, in his mind, was evil and non-human.  After that, David said, “I don't know where my mother was, perhaps she was afraid of my father.” (Wyndham 40).  Emily did not defend David, nor did she help David treat his wounds after he was abused.  This also indicates that David was afraid for his parent’s marriage, despite what they put him through.  In addition, this society separated two brothers, which created a huge barrier between them.  Joseph had an older brother named Gordon Storm.  He was sent to the Fringes since he was a “blasphemy”, but he survived. This caused him to seek revenge against Joseph, who believed that this was the right thing to do.  Towards the end of the novel, the Fringes people battled against the Waknukians, and while watching it, David talked about Gordon and said, “His bow came up like a flash, bent to its full. He loosed. The shaft took my father in the left of his chest.” (Wyndham 153).  This showed that Gordon never truly cared about justice, he just wanted to hurt Joseph the way he had been hurt, because of how bitter and angry he was.  Even after all those years, they never had the chance to talk and try to reconcile.  Your family is supposed to be the people that you are closest to, but because of the discrimination and cruelty of Waknuk’s society, many bonds are strained and end up breaking.  

The people of Waknuk believe that all humans must look and be the same, and anyone who is different gets mistreated in major ways.  Because nobody has challenged this way of thinking, Waknuk’s society has surrounded itself with negativity and suffering.  In the beginning of the novel, David knew that he was different from “normal” people but did not understand the gravity of the situation.  Without even knowing it, his life was full of fear, this was the case with many other people. Babies and mothers are judged and hurt for being and giving birth to “blasphemies”, even though this is completely out of their control.  Families’ relationships, as seen with the Strorms, have been completely severed because of the hatefulness between Waknuk’s society and anyone who is different.  The Chrysalids clearly demonstrates the harm that recklessly believing others can do to the world, and that we must always think before acting regardless of what others say.