Chrysalids Essay Example,

Racism, prejudice, inequality, and hatred are all characteristics that are demonstrated in life today and in the novel “The Chrysalids” by John Wyndham. In the novel, the people of Waknuk have very strong beliefs against people who do not fit the true image and try very hard to fit in with their society if they do not exactly fit this image. Today, some people are unable to adjust to change. Therefore anyone who appears or acts differently may be considered strange, and treated very unfairly. When people are treated this way, all they want to do is fit in with the crowd. The true image in “The Chryslaids” is believed to be what god wanted his people to look like. In their bible it stated;
“And God decreed that man should have one body, one head, two arms, and two legs: that each arm should be jointed in two places and end in one hand: that each hand should have four fingers and one thumb: that each hand should bear a flat finger-nail: that each leg should be jointed in two places and end in one foot: that each foot should have five toes...” (11). The people of Waknuk had their lives based on these few sentences. They had to reproduce offspring that fit the true image, they had to produce crops that fit the true image, and they would do anything in their power to make sure everything is pure in the image of god. Including, hurting their families. All deviants would be destroyed or sent to the Fringes. The Fringes were on the very outskirts of Labrador (Waknuk is a region in Labrador) where there were little resources to live off of. If a child was born, and obviously a deviant, it would be sterilized and thrown in the Fringes to die. If a crop or livestock was found to be a deviant, a special ceremony would be held. They pray for forgiveness and sing to God as their leader (Joseph Strorm) slaughtered or burned the deviant. Everyone had a close eye for differences and no matter who the deviant was (could be their own child) they would be