The Chrysalids Essay (stressay)
A Hunger for Survival, A Greed for Life Religion teaches one to fear change, or more specifically, natural succession, which occurs when an original population evolves or invades and outlives the population prior.
According to Nicholas’s Repentances, a religious text worshipped in the novel, religion provides a reason for destroying or dispersing deviants as seen through the eyes of God (which includes but is not specifically limited to noticeable physical abnormalities). Such actions delay the inevitable succession of the Norms. The greed for life itself and the belief that expelling deviations of any kind (people, animals, crops) will satisfy that greed, fuels the practice of religion in the community of Waknuk. In John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids, the fear of change is provoked by religion, which is used to justify self-righteous attitude. The importance of religion in Waknuk is introduced early in the novel, and right away it is obvious that Repentances lay strict law upon deviants and upon the community in order to destroy them. When one is in the presence of a deviant he or she is obliged to report it for the common good, otherwise the deviant will breed impurity into society and bring back Tribulation, the condemnation God had sent to remind one of His ultimate power.
‘… concealment of a Blasphemy – not reporting a human deviation – is a very, very serious thing. People go to prison for it. It is everybody’s duty to report any kind of Offence to me – even if they aren’t sure ... It’s always important, and very important indeed if it is a Blasphemy’ (Wyndham, 51).
As demonstrated in this passage, the inspector, who may grant or remove normalcy certificates from the people in Waknuk, explains to the protagonist, David, the necessity to report all possible animate deviations to be inspected. Furthermore, the inspector is not the only one who is adamant about enforcing the law, in fact he is considered too lenient in the eyes of Joseph Strorm, David’s
According to Nicholas’s Repentances, a religious text worshipped in the novel, religion provides a reason for destroying or dispersing deviants as seen through the eyes of God (which includes but is not specifically limited to noticeable physical abnormalities). Such actions delay the inevitable succession of the Norms. The greed for life itself and the belief that expelling deviations of any kind (people, animals, crops) will satisfy that greed, fuels the practice of religion in the community of Waknuk. In John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids, the fear of change is provoked by religion, which is used to justify self-righteous attitude. The importance of religion in Waknuk is introduced early in the novel, and right away it is obvious that Repentances lay strict law upon deviants and upon the community in order to destroy them. When one is in the presence of a deviant he or she is obliged to report it for the common good, otherwise the deviant will breed impurity into society and bring back Tribulation, the condemnation God had sent to remind one of His ultimate power.
‘… concealment of a Blasphemy – not reporting a human deviation – is a very, very serious thing. People go to prison for it. It is everybody’s duty to report any kind of Offence to me – even if they aren’t sure ... It’s always important, and very important indeed if it is a Blasphemy’ (Wyndham, 51).
As demonstrated in this passage, the inspector, who may grant or remove normalcy certificates from the people in Waknuk, explains to the protagonist, David, the necessity to report all possible animate deviations to be inspected. Furthermore, the inspector is not the only one who is adamant about enforcing the law, in fact he is considered too lenient in the eyes of Joseph Strorm, David’s