The Chrysalids

by John Wyndham

Chapter I

1. What is the narrator’s dream? Describe it, how it was different than the author’s world, and why it
helps establish the setting of the book.

He dreams of a modern city, complete with tall buildings, care, and aircraft. The author appears to live in
a pre-industrial, agriculture based society that lacks the technology of the modern times. It sets the
setting of the story in the future, yet in a state de-evolved from the present day.

2. Who does the author meet, and what does he discover about this person?

He meets Sophie, a girl his own age, and finds that she has six toes on each foot.

3. What promise does David make to his friend’s mother? Why is this promise important? What are the
consequences for breaking the promise?

He promises that he will keep secret that she has 6 toes on each foot. This promise is imperative
because society is very strict about normality, and terrible things will happen to Sophie if anyone finds
out.

4. What special ability do we learn that David has, and what are the circumstances under which the
reader learns this? Why does this fact allow David to especially appreciate his promise?

David has telepathic ability, the ability to communicate with others by thought, not through normal
communications. He can communicate through “thought shapes”, and tries to do so with Sophie’s
mother but fails. Her mother has only a trace of this ability, and isn’t aware of it. This abnormal ability
David has places him in the same danger of Sophie of being rooted out and expelled or killed for being a
“deviant”.

5. What is this society afraid of? What do they believe is behind their fear? What is the religious basis of
their fears, and the rules they have made to deal with them?

Society fears any deviation, fearing that the Devil creates human-like bodies in which to invade
humanity and corrupt them, such as the Adam and Eve story, where Satan entered Eden in the form of a
snake.The rationale is that Satan doesn’t have the perfect power of God, so he can’t make a human
without some imperfection, or deviation. The people have taken literally the Genesis story, that
describes how a person should look.
6. What doubts does David have about what he has learned about his friend, and how the laws of his
society apply to this situation?

David understands the laws about deviance, but only from constant training. He cannot believe that
Sophie is the Devil’s creature, or that she is somehow “hateful in the sight of God”.

Chapter II

1. What is the name of David’s community? Who built it?

What position does his family hold because of this?

Waknuk was built by Elias Strorm, who claims he left the east for its “ungodly ways”. He started the
community; therefore, David’s father is the unofficial head of the community.

2. What are the two books that are left to form the society? What kind of society have they created?
How does the characterization of David’s grandfather demonstrate the author’s point about this kind of
living?Only The Bible and a book called Nicholson’s Repentences survived, causing the surviving society
to be very fundamentally Christian, and very strict about Christian laws. Elias Strorm’s very strict ways
turned his beautiful wife into a withered, grey woman who was almost glad to die 1 year after David’s
father was born. (It is important to note that a similar situation occurs in Dickens’ Dombey and Son,
where Mrs. Dombey almost gladly dies after the birth of Paul Jr., having a most strict and single-minded
husband.) The author is explaining that such a society stifles life.

3. Who were the Old People, and what were they like? What can you extrapolate (guess) about what
happened to the Old People, and how is this relevant to our society now?

The Old People were our modern day society, and they had our technology, myths of which amaze
David’s society, who believe that the Old People were almost god-like but somehow were lost.

(This is much like the Romantic Era notion of the “Golden Age”, where people were blissful and nearly
perfect, soon after the

Fall of Man. These golden people just disappeared in Romantic myth.) Clues in the story suggest that
the Old People destroyed themselves in a nuclear holocaust, which was a serious threat to humankind in
the sixties, when this book was written.

4. What is the big sign that hangs facing the main door to David’s house? Explain why this is an example
of foreboding.

“Watch thou for the mutant”, which warns all people, above all else, of the “danger” of mutants. This is
foreboding because the reader already knows that both David and Sophie are technically mutants. We
know they will be caught somehow.
5. Explain why it is significant that this fear in society comes more from Nicholson’s Repentences than
from the Bible. Remember that Nicholson’s Repentences is not a real book, but one written after the Old
People disappeared.It is important in Christianity to separate real Biblical text from the ideas and other
books of later Christians. Many people interpret the Bible in different ways. The Bible itself does not
strongly warn against mutants. Rather, Repentences is the hysterical work of a person who interprets
the Biblical description of humans to be somehow very important in detecting and averting evil. The
author is telling us that of the many terrible things that people do, claiming it is “God’s Will”, very little
of it actually comes from the Bible.

6. What are some examples of Deviations?

Anything from crops with strange forms, to misshapen animals, unusual plants, or even slightly
deformed humans.

7. What are the differences between the livable areas, the Fringes, and the Badlands? Considering what
the reader understands about the demise of the Old people, and the effects of radiation, explain the
existence of these three states.

The livable area is low on radiation, and has little deviation caused by it. Still, some variations occur, but
are considered not normal. The fringes are areas where deviation is quite common, likely due to higher
levels of radiation. The badlands, likely sites of nuclear attacks, have deadly radiation levels. However,
the people believe it has to do with the influence of Satan.

8. How are the fringes people a threat? Why are the stories about fringes people eating children a
comment on religious mythology?

Fringes people have made small raids on the civilized areas for food due to less space and more fringes
people. Parents tell their small children about repulsive fringes people who eat children, to keep them in
line. This is much like scaring kids with stories of witches and devils. This is an example of how religious
mythology deceives its followers about the true nature of evil, which is not found in devils and ghosts,
but in people, even religious people.

Chapter III

1. When Sophie says that she doesn’t believe people will be able to fly, even though stories say that the
Old People could, how does this show that Sophie is not the mutant people would think she is?

Sophie shares the arrogant belief of humans that they have almost reached the limit of possible
knowledge, even though humans always surprise themselves with amazing new discoveries. Her limited
view about the future helps characterize Sophie as not a mutant, not so different from the rest of
people, despite her physical anomaly.
2. What casual remark does David make in his home that alarms his family? What is their reaction, and
why is it so extreme?

As he tries to dress his wound from a wood splinter, his casually remarks that if he had another hand, he
would be able to do it himself. Of course, with the family very committed to their idea of religion and
normalcy, they are offended. They believe that David has insulted God, and that he has wished to be a
mutant. They are so super-sensitive about mutations and religion that they are totally unreasonable.
The author is suggesting that religion can be too extreme when the intended meaning is lost.

3. What is the terrible, but prophetic, dream that David has the night after his remark? Explain the
symbolism and meaning of the dream. Also, explain how this dream is foreboding.

He dreams that his father is going to slaughter Sophie like some mutant animal. Sophie begs for mercy
and help, but receives none from the devout people who sing a hymn to God. The irony is that in the
Christian faith, God is merciful and loves all creatures, yet these people are the opposite. David’s father
then kills Sophie by cutting her throat. The symbolism is that Sophie is the innocent lamb, like Jesus, who
is sacrificed by a troop of people who have missed the point about the Bible. David’s father, who
believes he is doing perfect good, is actually evil, under the guise of strict religion. The dream is
foreboding because it warns the reader that Sophie is in real danger.

Chapter IV

1. Who is Rosalind? What does Uncle Axel find out about David and Rosalind? What is his reaction?
What must David promise to Uncle Axel?

Rosalind is David’s cousin who lives as a neighbor. Uncle Axel discovers David “talking” out loud, but
really communicating telepathically to Rosalind. Uncle Axel, unlike David’s father, is very open-minded
about mutancy, and is very concerned but has no intention of ever reporting the two. He warns David
that no one must ever know this about them, and makes David promise never to “talk” out loud again.

2. During the invasion of the normal area by the fringes people, what is special about the prisoner who is
brought to David’s house? What is David’s father’s reaction to the prisoner? What can you speculate
about the prisoner’s identity?

He appears normal while sitting on a horse, but has “monstrously” long arms and legs. He closely
resembles David’s father, and turns out to be David’s father’s brother, a deviant, who was sent to the
fringes at birth. David’s father appears almost ill at the sight of his own brother, a fringes person and
leader of the fringes people.

3. What argument takes place between Angus Morton and Joseph Strorm? What is the inspector’s
position on the matter? How does the matter of the Dakers’ cat relate to Strorm’s character? What
angry remark does the inspector say to Strorm that supports the author’s opinion of Strorm?
Angus Morton gets a legitimate pair of great-horses, who are very large, but sanctioned by the
government. Of course, Strorm’s misguided devotion to his version of Christian faith motivates him to
demand that the horses be destroyed as Offences (deviants), even though the government has
sanctioned them. He accuses the inspector and the government of being corrupt. The inspector reminds
Strorm about an incident where Strorm, acting as magistrate, destroyed a neighbor’s tailless cat before
the people could complete the appeal. The cat turned out to be legitimate, but not before Stror m killed
it. It shows how misguided and ruthless Strorm and other fundamentalists can be about their faith.
Finally, the inspector, who is reasonably understanding and liberal-minded, accuses Strorm of being a
bigot and a fool, which, really, he is. Strorm proceeds to accuse the government and inspector of being
the forces of evil.

4. What does the reader learn about the location of the story?

It takes place on the island of Labrador, near Newfoundland, in Canada.

5. What is “Tribulation”? What Christian story does it resemble?

The people in this society believe that the cause for the loss of the old people, the badlands, and the
mutancy, are caused by some act of punishment by God. It resembles the story of the flood and Noah’s
Ark in the Bible.

6. Explain how the Ethics teacher describes the cause of tribulation, other cases of God’s punishment,
and how people need to act in order to re-attain the Golden Age.

A) The cause of Tribulation is guessed to be “a phase of irreligious arrogance” in the past; perhaps the
Old People didn’t worship God like they were supposed to. B) Other Christian examples of God’s
punishment are the expulsion from Eden, the great Flood, pestilences, the destruction of the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah and the Captivity (of the Israelites by the Egyptians). C) The Ethics man explains
that the religious and government leaders must carefully think about each new thing they find about the
Old People, to decide if it is a sin or a step back to Grace (God/paradise)

Chapter V

1. How does Joseph Strorm explain the fact that the only field with deviations in it belongs to Angus
Morton? How do you explain it? What does this tell the reader about religions linking events to causes?

Joseph Strorm tells people that Morton is being punished for keeping the great-horses. However, it is
likely a coincidence. It is an example of how religions explain certain causes for events, good or bad, that
may in fact be random.

2. Who finds Sophie and David playing in the stream? What does he notice, and how? Why is this so
serious?
Alan Ervin finds them playing. Sophie starts to hide, but Alan notices a Sophie’s wet footprint of 6 toes
on the rock, and knows she is amutant. David doesn’t trust Alan, and Alan’s menacing manner suggest
that he will happily report Sophie. David attacks him so Sophie can escape, but starts to lose the fight,
until Sophie knocks him unconscious with a rock.

3. What does the Wender family decide to do, and why? What does David wants to do? What does
David do as his last act to help Sophie?

They decide to flee at once so that Sophie will not be caught. David wants to go with them, and they
want him to come because David’s father is so terrible, but they cannot take him. David agrees to sleep
at their house that night to buy Sophie’s family more time, even though he will be in trouble the next
day.

4. Contrast the differences in which the inspector and David’s father react to David when he returns.
What is their common goal?

David’s father is absolutely furious and angry about Sophie, a “blasphemy”. He is out of control, and
tries to bully David into talking. He finally sends David to his room to receive a whipping from his father.
The inspector, in contrast, tries to gently and reasonably get David to admit who Sophie is and where
she is going.

5. What happens when David’s father takes the inspector’s whip with which to beat David? Why is this
important to the characterization of the inspector?

When David’s father takes the inspector’s whip, the inspector refuses to allow David’s father to use it
against David. David’s father is a religious zealot, and violent about getting his way. The inspector, on
the other demonstrates some restraint, compassion, and even distaste for his job. He believes he must
find the mutant, but questions if it is worth any cost.

6. Why does David feel guilty at the end of the chapter? Is he justified in feeling guilty?

David, through an extensive beating from his father, is forced to admit the information about Sophie. He
is not truly responsible, considering that his is still a boy and his father was willing to beat him
torturously to get the information. David’s father is out of control and has missed the point of
Christianity. He doesn’t see the loving side of the religion, only the strict, ruthless side, which shows his
own true characteristics of love for power and shallow sense of the nature of evil.

Chapter VI

1. What are the two recurring dreams that David has? How are they both foreshadowing?

He dreams again of his father killing Sophie and of the silver city in the distance. Both of these things
become true in a form.
2. What is ironic about the following comment by the inspector: “Loyalty is a great virtue, but there is
such a thing as misplaced loyalty. One day you will understand the importance of a greater loyalty. The
Purity of the Race.” (pg. 56)

The inspector lectures David about how his loyalty is misplaced, and that his loyalty should be for the
religion. However, the reader see that it is the people who fear mutants so greatly whose loyalties are
misplaced. The people who fear the mutants like the inspector and Joseph Strorm do not understand
the true nature of evil. Their belief in the Devil’s mutants is a misplaced belief. His words echo the words
of Adolf Hitler, who vehemently tried to purify the Aryan race and eliminate the Jews. It is a sobering
comparison for the reader to consider what misplaced loyalties can produce, such as the extermination
of 6,000,000 Jews out of loyalty to Hitler.

3. How does the inspector relieve David’s guilty conscience? Is this consistent with the inspector’s
position? Is it consistent with his character?

He tells David that Sophie and her family were not caught because David has given up his information,
but by chance by a patrol. It is not consistent with the inspector’s position to have compassion for those
who help deviants, but it is consistent with his very humane and decent nature.

4. What does Uncle Axel discourage David from doing? What does Uncle Axel tell David about the
outside world?

He convinces David not to run away, else he will only be caught, and will have no where to go in any
case. Uncle Axel tells of his sea travels and the stories he has heard. He explains that far away from
Labrador, there are groups of people who are very different from the people in Labrador, yet they
believe they are the normal people and the visitors are the deviants. Others don’t worr y about
Deviation at all. He explains that there is no way for the people in Labrador to know if they are the true
image of God, because The Bible doesn’t actually explain what that image is. Nicholson’s Repentences
does, but it was written after Tribulation, so he couldn’t really know

5. Suggest comparable stories in Greek Mythology that match the sailors’ accounts of the land ruled by
women, and that these women caused sailors to get shipwrecked, then ate them. What kind of stories
are these, and how do they help define what level of advancement the Labrador civilization is at?The
land ruled by women is similar to the Greek myth of the amazon women tribe of warriors who mutilated
and enslaved their men children, and raised their girls to be leaders and warriors. However, the
Amazons did not eat their men. They had children by having sex with men from other tribes. The story
of shipwrecking sailors is similar to the Greek Sirens, three bird women who could cause any man sailor
to be shipwrecked on their island through their beautiful singing. These stories are myths, and show that
the Labrador people’s understanding of their world is still very primitive.

6. What does Axel suggest about David and Rosalind’s ability, that helps David see the short sightedness
of the religious policy against mutations?
Axel believes more in Darwin’s theory of evolution, that the fittest creatures survive. New levels of
fitness are achieved through mutation. Mutations that increase an organism’s survivability select those
organisms to reproduce, and therefore become the new norm for the species. David and Rosalind’s
telepathic ability may be such a mutation. In addition, the myth that the Old People could communicate
over great distances (of course, by radio and telephone, but Axel and David don’t know that), suggests
that David might be more like the Old People than the rest in Waknuk.

7. What happened to the ninth of David’s telepathic group? What do they decide happened to him?

He disappeared without explanation. After asking around, Uncle Axel reassures David he must have died
accidentally or moved away.

Chapter VII

1. Who is David’s new sibling?

Petra.

2. Why is the family so anxious until the inspector arrives? Why don’t the Strorms announce the baby’s
birth right away? How does the inspector get some revenge against David’s father during this time?

They are concerned that the inspector will find a mutation in the new child, as all new parents fear in
this community. They dare not announce the birth until the baby is declared normal. It is a great shame
to have a mutant baby, but this occurrence is not rare. If the baby is mutated, they must get rid of it, so
they don’t announce the birth until the baby is cleared. The inspector gets back at Joseph Strorm by not
coming right away to examine the baby. Usually, Strorm’s high position would bring the inspector right
away, but the inspector is taking his time.

3. What does Aunt Harriet want David’s mother, Emily, to do? What is Harriet’s argument in favor of
this? What is Emily’s reaction, and what do she and Joseph tell Harriet to do? Why is this particular
incident particularly bad for Harriet’s marriage? What is Harriet’s final protest to Emily and Joseph?

Harriet has had a slightly mutated baby, and wants Emily to lend Petra to her so that Harriet can get a
normalcy certificate for the mutated baby by substituting Petra for the examination. Harriet argues that
the baby is fine, save only for a slight mutation, and that she loves the baby all the same. Emily and
Joseph, as devout as ever, are angry, and demand Harriet give the baby up for inspection, and that she
pray to God for forgiveness. Harriet is especially worried because this baby is her third mutated baby,
and the law allows her husband, Henry, to divorce her. Harriet herself becomes angry in the end at Emily
and Joseph, and vehemently retorts, “Ishall pray Him (God) too, that the hearts of the self-righteous
may be broken.” (P. 73.)
4. Analysis: Examine the following quote from Harriet (p. 73), regarding the will of God regarding
mutants.

“I shall pray God to send charity into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the
unhappy and unfortunate. I shall ask Him if it is indeed his will that a child should suffer and its soul be
damned for a little blemish of the body....”

Question: How does Harriet’s comment suggest the merciful nature of Christianity, instead of Joseph
Strorm’s harsh version? How do you compare Harriet and Joseph to the New and old Testaments of the
Bible? How do these two characters show the difference between The Bible, and Nicholson’s
Repentences? Use a properly composed paragraph to explain and justify your answer.

5. Why does David’s mother change her tone when David’s father reminds her that she has also had two
mutant babies (Don’t look in the book for this answer- think!)? What can David and the reader guess has
happened to these babies?

She realizes that despite her religious devotion, she may too have a third mutant baby, which would give
Joseph grounds to divorce her and turn her out. The reader and David can guess that the two mutant
babies were killed or abandoned in the fringes.

6. How many mutant babies has David’s mother actually had, detected and undetected? What is ironic
about this?

Four - David and Petra, plus the two abandoned babies. It is ironic that the most devoted anti-mutant
people are producing them as much as anyone, and that some of their children have survived without
them knowing. In fact, Joseph and Emily are responsible for bringing mutants into their community and
keeping them there, something they would be horrified by if they knew about it.

7. What does David learn has happened to his Aunt Harriet and the baby?

Aunt Harriet is found dead in the river, but the baby is missing.

Chapter VIII

1. Why does David pray to God every night - what does he ask God to do? Why does Uncle Axel think
this is a bad thing to do?

David asks God to make his special ability to go away, because David is so frightened. Axel tells him that
this is wrong, that God gave him that gift, and he should not ask god to take it away any more than ask
God to take away his vision or hearing.

2. What are the names of the 9 telepaths (including the missing one)?

David, Rosalind (David’s cousin), Michael, Anne & Rachel (sisters), Mark, Sally & Katherine (neighbors),
and Walter Brent (dead).
3. How is Michael always neat or at the top of his class, and the others able to learn from his school
classes?

They telepathically share his learning, helping each other think, and learning from what Michael learns.

Chapter IX

1. Who is the new telepath? How do the others find out? What is different about this telepath?

Petra is the newest. She falls into a pool, and telepathically calls for help, in a powerful and commanding
way the others are not capable of.

2. What is different about David’s repetitive dream? What story element is this?

He dreams of his father putting a mutant to death, except it is Petra, not Sophie. It is foreboding of what
will happen in the future.

3. Why is the season so particularly bad? What is Jacob’s explanation? In Jacob’s youth, what

happened to women who gave birth to mutants? Why is it unfair that the fathers don’t receive the
same punishment? What happened to the babies and why? Do you think these practices actually helped
keep control of mutancy? If not, why not? Can you suggest other possible reasons to explain the
increased rate of mutation? There is an unusually high rate of deviation this season. Jacob thinks this is
because people are getting away with more deviation, and aren’t punished as much as they were.
Women were whipped for bearing mutant children. Men were not punished, even though men
contribute 50% of the genetic material to conceiving babies. Babies were burnt as other deviations
were. These practices likely had no effect on the rate of mutancy, because mutancy is caused the
radiation. The increased rates of mutation are more likely due to the expansion of the “normal”
communities into previous fringe areas, which suffer more from residual radiation. Also, high winds
during the year have brought more radiation than usual to the normal parts. Remember that radiation is
spread by small particles, known as “fallout”.

4. How does Jacob justify his opinion that mutations must be destroyed? What does David learn
happens to mutant babies or people once discovered? Jacob t hinks that mutants aren’t human, so
killing them isn’t murder. David learns from Jacob that all mutants are sterilized (probably rather crudely
because these people do not yet know modern surgical technique). Babies are abandoned in the fringes,
and people are sent there.

5. Analysis outside the novel: How is Jacob similar to Old Man Warner in the short story, “

The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson? What comment do these characters make on tradition versus
advancement?
Old Man Warner and old Jacob both believe that the old, harsh way is the best way, the way that will
win the favor of God (or gods). Neither or them really understand the original reasons for their
traditions, yet think the younger generations are causing the destruction of society by not adhering to
them. They represent the danger of ignorantly followed tradition, which can survive even after new
knowledge and technology disprove the need for the tradition. Consult me for deeper analysis.

6. What warning does Axel give David?

He tells David that the higher rate of deviation will motivate people to “look for scapegoats”, and blame
any slight deviation for their troubles. That means David and the telepaths will be in greater danger than
ever.

7. What event does David discover will happen? Why is this commonplace event so dangerous for David
and the telepaths?

Anne is getting married. Whoever marries her might find out about her ability and the other telepaths.

10

Chapter X

1. Why is Anne’s choice so especially bad? What arguments does the group use against her decision? Is
their argument aform of discrimination?

She will marry Alan Ervin, who was the boy who discovered Sophie and tried to catch her. He won’t be
at all sympathetic to the telepaths, and will happily turn them in. Michael implored Anne that she
shouldn’t marry him because he does not have telepathic powers. It would be like marrying a blind
person. One might argue that this argument is the seed of discrimination, that telepaths shouldn’t marry
non-telepaths. However, it has a practical application, considering the danger.

2. What does Uncle Axel suggest they need to do to overcome the danger? What does David think of
this choice?

Axel suggests they need to kill Anne to keep the rest of them alive and out of danger. David can’t do it
because he feels it would be a violation of their friendship in the group.

3. What happens to Alan Ervin? Who does Anne suspect?

He is found dead, with an arrow through the neck. Anne suspects the group of telepaths planned and
carried out his murder.

4. What becomes of Anne? What important thing does Rachel find, and why is it important? What does
Rachel do with it, and why?

Anne is found, having hanged herself in her modest home which she shared with Alan. Rachel finds
Anne’s suicide note, which accuses the group, including Petra, of murdering Alan. Rachel hides the note
from the people at Anne’s house, reads it over later, then carefully burns it.
5. What does Michael realize about the members of the group, which could be important to their safety
later in the novel?

He makes a note to the others that it only takes one member to compromise the safety of all the others.
This is important because if one member is somehow captured and tortured, they can compromise all
the others

11

Chapter XI

1. What trouble does Petra have? Why does the group’s response place them in danger? Who questions
them?

She rides her pony alone and is attacked by a strange beast, which kills and begins to eat the pony. She
telepathically calls for help, and the whole group comes running. Once they arrive, they kill the beast,
but are seen by Jerome Skinner, who wonders how they could have known to come to the scene when
he could hear nothing. He checks their tags, and suspects something, but can’t figure it out. The group
must be careful not to let this happen again, but Petra’s commanding telepathic powers make it
impossible for them to communicate when she is calling for help. They decide to teach her some
control.

2. What is important about the “others” that Petra can telepathically communicate with, both in terms
of Petra’s ability and the telepaths social status?

Petra can communicate with telepaths very far away, suggesting more that her powers are much, much
greater than the rest. It also suggests to the group that there really are other telepaths in the world.

3. Why is Uncle Axel concerned?

A man named Joe Darley, known as an informant for the inspector, has been asking questions.

4. How did Uncle Axel figure out that Alan knew about the telepaths?

He saw the expression of malicious knowledge on Alan’s face in church.

5. Who killed Alan, and why?

Axel killed Alan because he knew Alan knew the truth about them, and was viciously happy to turn them
in.

6. What resolutions does the group make in regard to the new danger?

They resolve that Petra is too young to safely withstand an inquiry, so David must be responsible to
escape with Petra, or even kill her, rather than allow her to be captured.
7. By this time, what is the relationship between David and Rosalind? How do their families’ feelings for
each other affect this relationship?

David and Rosalind are in love, and have a sexual relationship. This is greatly tainted by the fact that
their respective families hate one another, and would never allow a marriage, even if Rosalind became
pregnant.

12

Chapter XII

1. Who wakens David, and with what news?

Petra wakens him, and the others tell him that Sally and Katherine have been taken. Meanwhile, David
and Petra must flee from the arriving squad coming to seize them. Their escape is close, and David is ill-
prepared.

2. How did Rosalind’s mother react to Rosalind’s departure? What does David wonder about his own
mother?

She helped Rosalind pack, demonstrating how parental love can and should outweigh the stringent and
arbitrary rules about mutants. David wonders if his own mother will be secretly glad that they escaped.

3. How do Michael and Mark volunteer to help David, Rosalind, and Petra?

Michael, unknown as a telepath to the hunting groups, volunteer to join those searching for David,
Rosalind, and Petra. He will deliberately mislead them while feeding information to his friends. Mark
intends to plant a rumour that they are heading in a different direction.

4. Why does Rosalind get so upset as David wakes up? How do David and the others reassure her?

Rosalind uses her bow and arrow to kill a man following their tracks. The others reassure her she had no
choice.

5. Why are Sally and Katherine sorry to the others? What “incentive” was used against them? What does
Michael vow?

Sally and Katherine were captured and tortured for information, which they finally had to give. The
inquisitors used hot irons to torture the information out of them. Michael vows to kill the torturers for
what they did to Sally and Katherine.

6. Why are the people so eager to catch and telepaths, more eager than they would be for other
mutants fleeing?

Because the telepaths can’t be detected by examination; they could be anyone, and that scares the
normals.
7. Who does Petra detect that the others can’t? Where is this person from? What do David and the
others learn about this place, and how is this relevant to David’s dreams?

Petra communicates with a telepath woman from New Zealand, who has heard Petra’s cries of fear. She
describes New Zealand as a very technologically advanced society, one that David has dreamt of. In fact,
his dreams may only be images that he has received from the advanced telepaths in New Zealand.

8. What warning does Michael give to David, Rosalind, and Petra?

The hunters have picked up their trail and are concentrating their search resources on them,.

13

Chapter XIII

1. Who does David’s group encounter at the outset of the chapter? What action do they take?

They encounter a man on a horse. They shoot arrows at his horse, which is injured but escapes. They do
not kill the man, who falls off the horse, and they ride by him.

2. What instruction does the far-away New Zealand telepath give the group? What is important about
this member of the group? What encouraging news does the New Zealand woman give them?

The NZ woman tells them they must protect Petra at all costs. Petra has powers of thought projection
unheard of even in New Zealand, and she is a very important discovery. The New Zealand woman is
coming to save them.

3. Why can’t Petra understand why David must kill them if they are captured?

Petra doesn’t understand that they present a threat to the survival of normal people, so the normals will
torture them not only to get rid of them, but all the telepaths there are.

4. What happens as the David, Rosalind, and Petra reach the edge of the fringes? What saves them from
capture?

The great-horses charge into the forest as the hunters shoot at them. The great horses can run farther
than regular horses, and are taller and stronger, so they can go deeper into the forest that regular
horses.

5. How does the chapter end? What do you suspect has happened?

Someone drops upon them from the trees. The fringes people have captured them.
14

Chapter XIV

1. What knowledge of Rosalind’s character is presented at the beginning of the chapter?

She is mentally tough, having developed an armored personality to hide her inner self. David has gotten
through that, and shows the reader her fear and tenderness that longs to live in a world where she can
be open about her true nature. Refer to pages 149 and 150.

2. What different version of the Christian religion does David hear from his captor? Specifically, compare
and contrast references to the Devil and God to what David was taught. How does this relate to what
Uncle Axel said to David about the“true image”? How does this support Darwin’s theory of evolution,
and how does this benefit the telepaths?

The fringe man tells David that the Devil does not run the fringes. In fact, he claims that the Devil is in
charge in David’s area, because people there still are arrogant, thinking they are the true image. In
contrast to David’s father, the fringe man says that God is always changing, and that the Tribulation was
sent down upon Humankind to punish them for thinking they were the final stage in evolution. Uncle
Axel surmised that David and the telepaths might be closer to the true image than anyone else,
considering old myths about the Old People’s ability to communicate over long distances. This, of
course, relates to the telepaths because they really are an evolutionary advancement over normal
people. Instead of marking the telepaths’ ability as negative and harmful, thisview gives it more credit.

3. Why is it ironic that all people caught entering the fringes are taken prisoner?

Considering that no normals would want to enter the fringes, and those who do are mutants needing to
flee as all members of the fringes were, it is surprising that the fringes people need to capture all new
people. It shows some of the distrust and fear of others that characterize all of humanity.

4. What do the telepaths agree to tell the fringes people? What do they agree to hide from them?

They agree to tell the fringes people that they are being pursued by the normals. They agree to hide the
fact the New Zealand woman is coming to save them.

5. What opinions does the New Zealand woman express about normal people? How do these comments
echo the very same problems in the attitudes of the normal people and the fringes people? How does
she explain the causes of Tribulation?

She refers to the normal people and old people as little better than savages (p. 156). She disdains them,
and shows discrimination against them, as if they are animals, not deserving to live. It is true that the
telepaths are superior to the normals, but she seems to lack the wisdom of understanding that it is
foolish for any group to think they are the ultimate step in evolution. The NZ woman suggests that the
normal people would either have caused the tribulation through nuclear war, or through overpopulation
anyway. She asserts that the normal humans were doomed to failure.
6. What do David and Rosalind notice about the appearance of the fringes people they meet, and how
does this compare with what they had expected?

They noticed that those with visible deformities were not grotesque, and that most of them weren’t
even noticeably deformed. They have met regular people who sometimes look a little different.

7. Who does David meet in the fringe settlement? What is the story behind this person? Why is this
person so hopeful that David’s father is in the search force?

He meets the spider man, who has extra -Long limbs. He is David’s father’s older brother, and David’s
uncle. He had too long limbs as a child; but before the authorities could take him away to be killed, his
mother (David’s grandmother) and his nurse took him to the fringes and left him there for the chance
that he might survive. He wants to meet his brother, David’s father, in battle for revenge, as the spider
man would have been the heir to Waknuk, not David’s father.

8. What is the fringe leader’s ruthless intention, and why does David try to attack him? What is the
leader’s response, and how is this somewhat characteristically similar to David’s own father?

He wants to take Rosalind and have sex with her, so that he can have children. People a bandoned to
the fringes are sterilized, but Rosalind’s sudden escape spared her this fate. Rosalind is very pretty and
attractive; the spider man’s lust for her is selfish. He will have her regardless of her feelings The
implication is that he will rape her. David senses this and attacks him, but fringe guards repel him. The
spider man, David’s uncle,tells him to live with it, and orders the guards to force David to leave, or kill
him. This self-absorbed, ruthless nature is likeDavid’s father: unreasonable, and self-centered. It
demonstrates that human nature is filled with ruthlessness and avarice, even among those who are
oppressed, such as the mutants.

9. How do the guards deal with David at the end of the chapter?

As they lead him away, he tries to escape from them and head back to confront his uncle, and would be
rapist of David’s love Rosalind. However, the guards anticipate his move, beat him up, knock him
unconscious, and throw him into the bushes.

15

Chapter XV

1. Whom does David meet? What does he notice about this person, and why is this surprising? How
does this make a comment on the idea of divine intervention?

He finds that Sophie, now a grown woman, has dragged him to safety. She is wearing no cross on her
dress, as all girls and women in the normal society had to do. He is at first repelled by this, showing that
the effects of the indoctrination he received in Waknuk are hard to forget, despite the fact that he
knows they are at least partly unfair. It suggests the idea in the New Testament that divine intervention
does not come in the form of adorning ourselves with crosses. Divine influence is passive; God does not
protect those who wear crosses more than those who don’t. God loves all people the same, regardless
of their appearance or dress, of relative wealth. This idea of unconditional love by God is a fundamental
aspect of the Christian religion that the normal people have forgotten.

2. What is the relationship between Sophie and the spider man? How does Sophie react to the fact that
David and Rosalind are in love?

The spider man takes Sophie as a sexual lover, and he cares for her, but he is not faithful to her now that
he has found Rosalind. Rosalind is fertile (can have babies), and is clean (she can wash) and very
beautiful. This truly hurts Sophie, who is very lonely, and makes her resent both the spider man, and
Rosalind, whom Sophie distrusts. Sophie is disappointed by the love between David and Rosalind, and is
skeptical of their telepathy.

3. Who among the telepaths is still alive at this point? What do the telepaths believe has happened to
the others?

David, Petra, Rosalind, Michael (undetected), and Rachel. Walter Brent had died of a logging accident
long ago, Anne died of suicide, Sally and Katherine are likely dead from their captors, and Mark is no
longer reachable, perhaps dead of an accident, or killed by hunters who didn’t bother to try and capture
him alive.

4. What does Sophie volunteer to do to assist Rosalind and Petra? What does she take with her for the
job? What does David notice about this object when Sophie returns?

Sophie volunteers to steal in and rescue Rosalind and Petra from the guard. She takes a knife with her,
which is covered with blood when she returns with Rosalind and Petra.

16

Chapter XVI

1. How do Sophie and Rosalind regard and react to each other? What are each of their reasons for these
feelings?

They warily eye each other, both jealous of each other over David. Rosalind loves David and is his lover,
distrusting Sophie. Sophie might love David in some way, because he was her faithful friend and
defender when they were kids. However, Sophie loves the spider man, for all his faults, and feels hurt
that the spider man preferred Rosalind. Sophie is depressed that Rosalind is revulsed by the very man
that Sophie has grown to love, but who cast her aside for Rosalind.

2. What is the result of the first battle between the normals and the fringes people?The fringes people
prepare an ambush forthe normal army, but mistake the normals’ scout force for their main force. The
fringes people use all their forces to engage the

normals’ scouts, turning their back on the normals’ main force, and the fringes people totally lose the
battle. Two or three hundred people die in the battle.
3. What is the black glass, and where does it come from? What explanation do the people have for its
existence?

It is sand melted and burned by nuclear weaponry, not by God’s punishment as the people think.

4. When Petra communicates with Rachel, what does she learn aboutRachel’s feelings? What is
important about how Petra learned this information? How does this threaten the other telepaths in the
group, considering evolutionary theory?

Rachel is beyond the range of the other telepaths, but Petra reaches her with the message that she must
be strong and that the other Telepaths love her. However, during their communication, Petra sees that
Rachel is in love with Michael, but this is a “behind-think”, a thought that is not visible to the other, less
powerful telepaths. This is disturbing to David, who considers the danger of a telepath being able to
read even the protected thoughts of others. Petra is yet a new breed of telepaths who will eventually
replace telepaths like David and Rosalind.

5. Who is with the normal army? What do David and Rosalind realize this person intends to do,
explaining why this normal army is pressing so far into fringe territory? What can the reader confirm has
happened to Sally and Katherine based on this realization?

David and Petra’s father is with the group. He fully believes that the faithful Christians must never allow
a female mutant to have the chance to reproduce and “spread pollution” (p. 181) throughout the world.
David’s father, the leader of the normal army, is pressing so deeply into fringes territory to kill Petra and
Rosalind, to prevent them from reproducing further mutants like themselves, who cannot be identified
through the normal methods of inspection. The reader can extrapolate that Sally and Katherine were
indeed killed by the normals, because as women, they were too much of a threat.

6. What is surprising about the fact that the New Zealand woman believes in tribulation?

She is still religious, despite the fact that her race is very scientifically advanced. It asks the reader to
consider if science and religion are compatible, if perhaps there is a God, but that humanity has
repeatedly misinterpreted that God. On the other hand, the reader might decide that this opinion of the
New Zealand woman indicates that her race is also subject to the same kind of pitfalls associated with
religion that the Labrador people suffer from.

7. What is he New Zealand woman of what David and the telepaths should do about his father? What is
her reasoning?

She tells the telepaths not to bother about David’s father, because he trying to support and advance a
lost cause. His race of non-telepathic humans cannot survive in face of the telepaths who have superior
abilities and technology. She says that the normal people are doomed; the telepaths should consider
their own future.
8. Describe briefly the course and outcome of the battle between the fringe and normal armies.

The fringes people set anambush in some cliffs, but the normals see there will be an ambush and aren’t
drawn in. Instead, the normals draw out the fringes into battle, while the normals flank the fringes
people and crush them. The result is a rout, with the remains of the fringe force fleeing back to the town
and beyond. The fringes people are caught in the town, and crushed.

9. What happens to the spider-man, Sophie, and David’s father?

The Spider man kills David’s father with an arrow to thechest. He had waited patiently and calmly
through the battle for Joseph Strorm to appear, and killed him. The spider man then picked up Sophie
and ran, but was struck down by arrows from the normal army, which had entered the town. As the
spider man fell, Sophie ran, and took an arrow in the arm. She still ran, but was killed instantly by an
arrow through the neck. She dies and her body slides along the ground to a stop, to the horror of David.

10. What kind of craft does the New Zealand woman arrive in?

A futuristic helicopter with a conical rotor.

17

11. Describe the weapon employed by the New Zealand woman.

It is like a spider web, extremely sticky, which paralyzes and smothers victims. The more the people
thrash and try to escape, the more they are bound, and die.

18

Chapter XVII

1. How does the New Zealand woman undo the effects of her weapon? Whom does she save?

She wears a shiny white suit that is immune to the sticky weapon, and a fine aerosol spray that dissolves
the web. She saves the telepaths David, Petra, Rosalind, and Michael.

2. Describe the New Zealand woman’s appearance, and suggest some possibilities as to what she might
represent through her appearance.She is dressed in white, with perfect, white teeth and creamy, white
skin with dusty, pink cheeks. Her face is sculpted perfectly, and totally self-confident. She has blond,
short hair. She might represent an angel through her appearance, though her beliefs are not perfect. On
page 193, the narrator notes that she appears to have a halo above her (characteristic of angels). This
subtly suggests that the flaws of religious beliefs still exist even for the advanced New Zealand telepaths.
This idea that humans are imperfect is, of course, central to the Christian religion.

3. After the New Zealand woman explains that she has decided that “...it was worth while...” to come,
and mentions the costs of sending the ship, what can the reader extrapolate (guess) about the real
reasons for the rescue? Was it altruism, or gain?
While the New Zealanders likely have some compassion for other of their telepathic kind, it is clear that
this is by far their furthest mission from home. Petra’s extreme powers are what justified the cost and
trouble of the trip, not really the plight of David and Rosalind. The NZ people really wanted to advance
themselves by acquiring Petra.

4. What very unpleasant news does the New Zealand woman have about who can go with her? How is
this matter resolved?

There is not enough fuel to go pick up Rachel. Michael, who is in love with Rachel (and vice versa),
volunteers to back to Waknuk and stay there with her. No one knows they are telepaths, and they will
await their chance to join David and Rosalind in New Zealand. They cannot risk being in Waknuk and be
discovered some day. They will sail for New Zealand. (What are their chances of getting there?...)

5. How does the NZ woman justify what happens to all the fringes and normal people as she landed?
What insightful observation does she make about the fate of her own race in the distant future? Does
this insight support religious or scientific views on creation?

She explains that the fringes people were doomed to a terrible life, and the normals got what they
deserved. She doesn’t enjoy killing any creature, but only the fittest survive, and in this case, the fittest
are the telepaths. This echoes Darwin’s theory of evolution of survival of the fittest through natural
selection. She admits that someday, her race will be superseded by an even more powerful species of
people or other creature, and that while the telepaths will desperately fight to preserve themselves,
they will eventually lose. Nothing lasts forever; the world is always evolving: “... the essential quality of
living is change; change is evolution...” (p. 196)

6. As they return to New Zealand, what recurring image does David see? What is so special about this
place? How isRosalind’s personality affected? What does the population’s reaction to Petra confirm
about Petra’s importance?

David sees the very city he has dreamed of, with its hot sun, white beaches, flying machines and
horseless carts. Most of all, he and Rosalind notice the buzz of an entire population of telepaths.
Rosalind, now feeling within her own element, casts off her emotional armour and can be her own self.
As Petra flashes with excitement, her extreme power actually hurts all the people, who, by their
complaint, confirm Petra’s immense importance as the newest installment in the evolution of telepaths.

19

Literary Analysis:

1. What is the setting of the story? Be specific in regards to time, geographical location, important
events preceding the novel, and the kind of society and how it is generally affected by religion.

The story takes place in Labrador, on the east coast of Canada, well into the future, many generations
after a full-scale nuclear war. The planet has been largely radiated by nuclear weapons. In places, people
have survived. Civilization starts again, and the reader finds a pre-industrial, agriculturally-based society
roughly equivalent to pre-Renaissance Europe. The society has only recovered two books: The Bible, and
a fundamentalist work written after the nuclear war, called Repentances. In an effort to explain their
hardship and the vast (but dwindling) amounts of mutation (caused by radiation), the people fear and
destroy mutants as if they were agents of the Devil.

2. What is the meaning of the title, and how does it relate to the novel?

“Chrysalid” relates to metamorphosis and change in anorganism. The telepaths are an evolutionary
advancement amongst the human race, and represent the idea that evolution is always causing change
and improvement, even among humans. Those humans who do not experience the new changes, will
die off and the human race will evolve into a telepathic one.

3. Conflict: List all conflicts in the novel by type, giving the characters and the nature of each conflict.

Internal

Man vs. Himself

David vs. Himself

: David is a mutant as a telepath, but at first believes the doctrines of “watch thou for the mutant!”. At
the sametime, he also cannot bring himself to fear mutants when he meets them, such as Sophie. When
he realizes he is a mutant too, he is forced to confront his religious beliefs, and partly discard them.
Rosalind vs. Herself: Rosalind is self-reliant and hard on the outside, protecting herself from emotional
harm and detection as a telepath. However, her real self is inside, ready to jump out to David and once
they reach New Zealand. Emily Strorm vs. Herself : Emily (David’s mother) is a strong Christian, fears
mutants, and is indignant when her sister, Harriet, approaches her asking to borrow Petra to get her
own baby a normalcy certificate. However, once Emily realizes that she is not sofar from Harriet’s
position, feeling the love for her own baby, she must ask herself if she really can believe the rules
against mutants and the ruthless adherence to these rules. The inspector vs. Himself: the inspector
believes that he must root out mutations, but he has some humanity to him as well. He thinks Strorm,
David’s father, is a bigot and a fool. He also sympathizes with David, refusing to let Joseph whip David
with the inspector’s whip, and comforting David about Sophie.

Anne vs. Herself: Anne is one of the telepaths, but her fear of getting caught and desire to be normal
and wanted motivates her, ill-fatedly, to marry Alan and reveal her knowledge of the telepaths. Uncle
Axel vs. Himself: Axel is a part of the normal society, but he is open-minded and refuses to adhere to the
rules about mutants. He even goes so far as to kill Alan Ervin to protect the telepaths
External

Man vs. Man

David vs. Father: Father is the most devout of Christians in the community, and dutifully and quite
insanely turns to kill Petra and Rosalind. David cannot abide by his father’s extreme beliefs. As a
telepath, David becomes an object of his father’s fear of evil.

David vs. Alan: David is open-minded and sees Sophie as only another human being. Alan is sadistic; he
wants to catch Sophie because he enjoys the hunt and has no concern for human suffering. He is the
ugly product of a society based on hatred and fear. David vs. The Spider Man

: David is Rosalind’s true lover. The Spider Man lustfully desires Rosalind, also wanting to use her to
reproduce. David loves Rosalind truly and resents the Spider Man’s ruthless desires and intention to
rape Rosalind.

Joseph Strorm vs. Angus Morton: Joseph represents tradition and adherence to old values. Angus is
progressive, but is as antagonistic as Joseph, as they battle each other.

Joseph Strorm vs. Harriet (David’s aunt)

: Harriet can discard religion when she sees that it is ruthless and blind. Joseph rigidly adheres to
religion, unable to see his situation from a detached point of view. Joseph Strorm vs. The inspector:
Joseph is even more extreme than the government laws. He wants the great-horses destroyed even
when the government approves. He is too harsh even for the government, whom Strorm feels is too
weak and liberal. The inspector must enforce the laws about mutation, but must guard against
extremism from people like Strorm. This is why he calls Strorm a bigot and a fool, and refuses to let
Strorm whip David using the inspector’s whip.

David vs. Alan Ervin: Alan Ervin is a ruthless person, and wants to catch Sophie. David is a liberal-
minded, humanitarian person, who defends Sophie from the aggressive Alan. David (and the telepaths)
are in conflict with Alan later as he is ready to expose the telepaths, but Axel kills Alan first. Rosalind vs.
Sophie: They are suspicious of each other. Sophie is suspicious of Rosalind because the Spider Man
chose Rosalind over Sophie. Sophie resents Rosalind for her beauty and her normal, attractive
appearance. Rosalind suspects Sophie loves David. The New Zealand woman vs. The normal army: She,
as a superior variant of humanity, fights and quickly overcomes the normal army.

21

Man vs. Circumstances/Environment

David vs. Society

: David is raised according to society’s laws and at first believes them, but finds that society’s laws are
ruthless,
short-sighted, and unfair, and eventually, they exclude him from society. The telepaths vs. Society: The
telepaths are functional, appear normal and are superior to normal people. They are an evolutionary
advancement; however, they are oppressed and sometimes killed by a fearful and primitive society.
Harriet vs. Society: Harriet is a normal person, but her love and compassion cause her to reject the
harsh, narrow-minded, fear-mongering views of society, and decide not to submit her baby for
inspection. Emily vs. Society

: Emily follows society’s rules, but secretly questions the society’s laws after her sister flees in anger and
fear.

Joseph Strorm vs. Society

: David’s father is more devout than the rest in his generation. He feels that deviation is the natural

sign of evil, and he wants to fight it everywhere. However, he feels society is too tolerant and is letting
evil spread. Sophie vs. Society: Sophie is mutated only by having a sixth toe on each foot. She is
effectively normal, and is a good girl. However, she is cast out from society because of her toes, and is
sentenced to a squalid, brutish life in the fringes. She comes to hate society for what has happened to
her, shown by her resentment for Rosalind. Uncle Axel vs. Society: Axel is normal, but has a liberal,
open-minded attitude to mutants. He doesn’t agree with society, but he must appear to so that he can
survive and do some good for David and the others. Anne vs. Society: As a telepath, she is part of a very
limited group. She fears that society will reject her as a telepath, so she struggles to become part of
society by marrying a normal person (Alan) and shutting herself off from the other telepaths. Her own
feelings of guilt for doing this actually cause her to kill herself, and try to destroy the other telepaths by
revealing their names in a suicide note, which Rachel luckily finds.

22

Man vs. The Unknown

David vs. God (Christianity)

: David disagrees with the laws motivated by the people’s religious beliefs. David must ask himself if it is
God’s will that mutants be destroyed, or agree with the New Zealand woman that God intends change.
Joseph Strorm vs. God

: Joseph fears God’s tribulation, a further punishment, so he works against mutants to try to prevent
another divine punishment. Joseph Strorm vs. Satan: He fears that Satan creates mutants as flawed
attempts to get evil agents into humanity. Like many

people, Strorm fears the evil in the world, and looks hard to find some symbol, some icon, to blame for
the world’s evils. In
 this case, the high degree of mutation caused by the radiation gives Joseph the icon that he needs to
convince himself that the Devil himself is invading their society. Uncle Axel vs. God: Axel teaches David
the ideas of asking what God really wants. Axel does not believe God wants the destruction of mutants.
Axel expects and demands that God be sane and reasonable. The New Zealand woman vs. The unknown
future: She prophecizes that the telepath race will one day be forced to give way to yet another, newer
species. In this way, she must work against the unknown future, or fate, for the survival of her race.

23

4. Characterization: Describe the main characters in terms of their characterization. Include such
concepts as the 3 principles of characterization (plausibility, consistency, and motivation), and character
types (round/flat, stock/unique, static/dynamic).

David

: He is round, as the reader sees his thoughts and feelings. He is unique, being in an original situation. He
is dynamic, because he learns that he does not believe the laws of his society about mutants, learns
that he is a mutant by their standards, and learns that there is a world beyond what he has known. He is
reasonably plausible, because he is a teenager adapting to a moral controversy about the definition of
evil. His actions are not out of character throughout the book, so he maintains his consistency. He is
adequately motivated by his friendship with Sophie and his own deviation as a telepath.

Joseph Strorm

: Strorm is a flat character. Even though the reader sees much of his religious beliefs through
dramatization, the reader gains no insight into the character’s inner self. As the main antagonist in the
novel,

Mr. Wyndham cleverly keeps thischaracter flat so that the reader’s sympathy can be focused on David
and his group, and on the author’s message. Joseph might my stereotyped as a fundamental Christian
except that he is in a unique situation, so he is not stereotyped. Strorm is completely static throughout
the novel, never wavering in his ruthless practices against mutations. Strorm is totally consistent
because he never changes his mind, much less act out of character. He is plausible, not because his
actions are reasonable (which they’re not), but because extreme, fundamental Christians exist quite
commonly. His severe faith and fear of divine punishment sufficiently motivate to the ends that he goes.

Uncle Axel

: He is a round character who explains his quiet but serious disagreement with the society to David. He is
unique in the story, having traveled as far as anyone in that society, offering a uniquely experienced
point of view to David. He is not really dynamic, as he seems to disappear after the death of Alan Ervin.
However, he is somewhat dynamic because he accepts and grows to support the telepaths even at great
personal risk. His belief in reason and humanity make him a plausible character, and he is consistent in
his sympathy for the telepaths and discord with the society. His love for David and hatred of bigotry and
cruelty motivate him adequately to explain his actions.
Sophie

: She is a round character, mostly at the end, when the reader sees her upset about the Spider man
wanting Rosalind. She is certainly unique, as a mutant, outlawed to the fringes when it is obvious that
she is not harmful to the society she has been exiled from. Sophie is dynamic, starting out as an innocent
child, suffering traumatic escape and exile, then becoming tough, and learning to love a deformed and
ruthless man like the spider man. Sophie is entirely plausible, as a simple child. Her transformation into a
tough fringes woman is plausible because her environment forces her to adapt. Her jealousy of Rosalind
is very believable considering her exile, and lover. She is consistent, remaining a good person through
exile and battle. Her exile by a cruel society is acceptable motivation for her actions.

Rosalind

: She is a round character through the author’s portrayal of Rosalind’s connection with David, and her
love and concern

for Petra. As a telepath, Rosalind is unique like the rest. As a strong woman character who fights but has
feelings, she escapes stereotypes usually found in heroines, such as weakness and melodramatism.
Rosalind of dynamic, starting as a young girl and growing into an adult woman, having learned that she
is a telepath and mutant. She is hunted by the normal army, knowing their intent to capture and kill her.
At the very end of the book, Rosalind sheds her emotional armour and can be her true self in the new
telepath society of New Zealand. Rosalind is a plausible character, as her emotional armour and hard
exterior are common traits, especially in tough women who find they must prove themselves in male-
dominated world. She is consistent, supporting the other telepaths and desiring to escape. She is
motivated by her need to escape detection and capture, and the need to get to a new place that accepts
telepaths

. What is the point of view, and how does it assist the characterization of their protagonist?

This novel is written in the narrative first person point of view. It is especially useful because it allows
the reader to gain great insight into the protagonist’s inner feelings and thoughts

Explain the theme or themes of the novel.

Nature of Evil - Human beings constantly look for ways to explain the unpleasant events of life, and
often blame the intangible force of “Evil” for these events. Having established that unpleasant events,
such as disasters, pestilences, diseases, etc.,are caused by evil, humans attempt to define intangible evil
in a tangible form, such as a Devil. Humans try to link this intangible concept with their own world, and
deduce that the Devil exists among them, but can never prove where or when. Paranoia sets in as
people suspect many possible manifestations of the Devil, such as witches, possessions, serious
criminals, or in the case of The Chrysalids, simple genetic deviations. In their vain effort to locate,
contain, and combat Evil, the people in this society target deviations, as if the genetic mutations were
agents of Satan. Ironically, it is this attempt to combat Evil that creates Evil in this novel. It is religious
devotion that allows the people to get away with murder, cruelty, and discrimination. The co-existence
of Science and Religion: Science are religion are often totally opposed, being based on completely
different systems of establishing ideas about the universe. Religion has the advantage of having an
ultimately deliberate design to the universe, while Science lacks this ultimate design (at present), but
deals in tangible evidence. In The Chrysalids, the religion of the characters is in direct contrast with the
scientific knowledge of the reader. The loss of scientific knowledge by the people make them oblivious
to facts the reader accepts already. People must strike a reasonable balance between religious faith
scientific knowledge. This theme suggests to the reader that out own world may be primitive, and our
religions may be immature. It there is a grand design to the universe related to God or some entity, we,
like Joseph Strorm, may have little idea to its true nature. Darwinian evolution as the essence of the
pattern of life - Life is based on change through evolution, causing even humanity to be in a state of flux,
always changing, hopefully improving, and leaving behind those who cannot or will not adapt. Both the
title and the resolution of this novel emphasize the importance of accepting the pattern of Darwin’s
theory of evolution. The “normal” humans in Waknuk cling to their idea that they are the final, perfect
form in humanity. They attempt to crush the “superior variant”, the telepaths. This is useless, as the
reader can see that the telepaths are superior in their abilities to communicate and cooperate. At the
end of the novel, the New Zealand woman echoes Darwin’s theory when she explains that the normal
humans will simply be lost as another step in an ever-changing evolution of humanity and life. The
reader must accept this truth as well, and understand how evolution applies to the reader’s world.

8. What is ironic about the New Zealand woman’s attitudes at the end of the novel?

While she dislikes killing the normal and fringes people, she looks down upon them as a lower life-form,
showing a little of the same discrimination and arrogance that the normal humans show. Is this a human
trait? This is the question posed by her behaviour