Examples Of Arrogance In The Chrysalids

The Chrysalids is about arrogance, self-delusion and self destruction. These elements are seen in the different characters and they are manifested through the characters' behavior, activities, actions and perception.

The characters who portray actions of arrogance most frequently seem to be the leaders of the different societies in the book, one of them being Joseph Strorm. Joseph Strorm portrays arrogance as he allows his arrogance to blind him from the truth which is that he in fact does not know who or what the "True Image" is. However, because of his belief to think he is always right, he pushes the society of Waknuk to believe and accustom themselves to live by the rules of a book called Nicholson's Repentences. He dispenses
judgement of who or what can live and reside in Waknuk as he claims authority over the land and the people living there due to his strong belief that deviations are unholy and the work of the devil. He leads them by his beliefs and how what he believes is right and just. This is shown as he responded to Aunt Harriet regarding her mutated child, "The enemies of God besiege us. They seek to strike at Him through us. Unendingly they work to distort the true image; through our weaker vessels the attempt to defile the race. You have sinned, woman, search your heart, and you will know that you have sinned. Your sin has weakened our defences, and the enemy has struck through you. You wear the cross on your dress to protect you, but you have not always worn it in your heart." Joseph Strorm is so blinded by his arrogance in his belief that deviations and mutations are the work of the devil that he can lead an entire society into believing and doing as he says. Furthermore, because of his strong belief, he is able to punish his own people relentlessly and amorally. However, there have been incidents when his arrogance had proved him wrong. For example, Joseph killed Daker's cat for thinking it was a deviation because of it's short tail when it was not. He believed he was right due to his arrogance and because of that he had stolen a life. The Sealand woman is another character who portrays arrogance. The Sealand woman believes that thought shapers are superior in comparison to every other person as well as deviations. The Sealand woman says, "We know that we can make a better world than the Old People did." She says this referring to the people who once lived on the earth who Waknuk aspires to be like. She thinks herself better than even them and shows arrogance when speaking of others as she thinks herself better and does not want to have to do with those inferior of herself.

Self-delusion is the outcome of arrogance and to be deluded is to have a fixed belief resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact.
In the Chrysalids, the author shows that not only do the main characters show corruption in the society but so do the mere and seemingly insignificant people of the society, for there may be deviations amongst them. Anne is an example of self-delusion. In the novel, Anne objects to all the arguments of her fellow thought shapers when they ask her not to marry Alan. She responds to them finally with, "Why should I wait? It might be for years, or for always. I’ve got Alan and you want me to waste years waiting for someone who may never come – or whom I may hate if he does. You want me to give up Alan, and risk being cheated of everything. Well, I don’t intend to. I didn’t ask to be the way we are; but I’ve as much right to get what I can out of life as anyone else." Anne gives up her friends from the group of thought shapers of Alan Erwin, a man who believes will not report her if he were to find out that she was a deviation, herself. She thinks she can control her thought-shaping and be accepted as a norm. She believed so strongly in her deserving to be like the other norms that she deluded herself into risking the safety of her own friends. She was blinded by her fantasy of becoming like the norm and refused to respond to everyone in the thought-shaping group. Because of this delusion, she killed herself writing a letter to
the inspector telling on the group of thought-shapers. Anne was a victim of self-destruction due to her delusion of becoming a norm when she knew she was not. In the novel, the author shows that everyone is deluded to a certain extent. He does this by pointing out single persons who are deluded-Anne, Joseph and Sealand woman and also by showing that even societies, as a whole can be deluded. The entire Waknuk society is unaware of science and the reasons as to which why deviations are deviations and therefore, they draw conclusions as to why they are mutated to religion. They have no reason to knowing why or what is wrong with the people whom they call deviations and reject from social interactions with, therefore they delude themselves into thinking there must be something wrong with them as they are different from the majority. Their self delusion serves as a comfort to themselves knowing that they are accepted and gives them confidence that they will always be accepted and that they are the best. That is why they call themselves the norm, or in other words, the "true image".

The author shows that self-destruction can come from anywhere, for any reason.
An example of self destruction for a different reason besides arrogance or self delusion is Aunt Harriet. Aunt Harriet produced a third baby and like the first two, this baby was yet another deviation, having something different from what was stated to be the acceptable norm. Knowing that her children would be taken away from her, and thinking that her husband will leave her for producing a deviation again, she decided to take her own life. However the last words that David Strorm heard from her were not words of desperation of her wanting her children to be normal but instead she said, "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... And I shall pray Him, too, that the hearts of the self-righteous may be broken." Even in times of desperation, Aunt Harriet was able to tell what was unjust and what was just. She prayed for the people of Waknuk to realize that they have done wrong and that everything they have been believing in is, too. She knew that she would be unable to change the beliefs of the society and therefore she took her own life, hoping that her death would make an impact to the people. And fortunately for her, it
did.

The Chrysalids showed me that there is arrogance and self delusion in everyone. However, those are not the sole reasons of self destruction. The author showed me that everything is linked to each other and every aspect of immoral acts plays a part to destroy someone. Everything is a part of everything and even a mere decision of a change of belief in a way someone or something should be treated could go a long way. The Chrysalids shows that even though everything around you might seem corrupt, you can make a decision and play a part to make a change in the world. There should always be hope and there will always be change so hope for change, and hope that the change is for the better. Hope is all you need.