The Chrysalids Theme

The Theme in John Whyndham’s novel “The Chrysalids” can actually be inferred from the book’s title. “Without change, there would simply be no progress or improvement”, is the main theme of this novel. The scientific definition of chrysalids is an insect in the stage of development between a larva and an adult insect. Chrysalids can also mean a preparatory or transitional state. In “The Chrysalids”, three main stages of civilizations can be identified. They are the Fringes civilizaztion, the Waknuk civilization, and the Sealand civilization. The Fringes civilization and the Waknuk civilization are both in a stage of change. The Sealand civilization is the end result of the progress of change, a well technological civilization. The Fringes people have the poorest civilization in the novel. They live in tents and shelters and often have to steal for food. On the other hand, the Waknuk people are a bit well off. They have steady lives and farm for a living. However, the Fringes people have a totally different view from the Waknuk people. The Fringes people think life is change and the reason that God sent Tribulation is because of the little change that is happening. The Waknuk people resist change. They think that if they have kept everything perfect, or in another word have kept everything the same, God would not have sent Tribulation. This belief made the Waknuk people have no progress in civilization. No newer breeds of animals are allowed and no new crops should be planted. Anything different from the original species would be cast away and thrown to the Fringes. The Fringes people had wanted change but sadly were repressed from doing so by the concepts of the Waknuk people. Similarily, as a result both the Fringes civilization and the Waknuk civilization made no further progress in their current civilizations. Unlike these two civilizations, the Sealand civilization has already made an amazing progress since the Tribulation. Large cities were built, and