The Chrysalids – John Wyndham

Chapter 1: Hateful in the sight of God…

- Find three moments which create an atmosphere of secrecy and control I this
chapter. Write down a quote for each:

Quote 1 “I asked my eldest sister, Mary, where this lovely city could be.
She shook her head, and told me that there was no such place.”
Quote 2 “’You’ll have to take it off,’ I told her
‘No!’ she protested again. ‘No, I mustn’t. Not ever. I mustn’t.’”
Quote 3 “’Very well – but only if you are sure you can come without anyone
knowing,’ she agreed.”

Chapter 2: Watch thou for the mutant!

- How is Joseph Storms , David’s father, set up as the antagonist in the novel? What
does he represent?

Ethics – Education and Indoctrination

Religious

Liberal Authoritarian

Atheist

Liberal:
Liberal education is an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them
to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad knowledge of
the wider world (e.g., science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific
area of interest.

Authoritarian:
The authoritative teacher places limits and controls on the students but simultaneously
encourages independence. This teacher often explains the reasons behind the rules and
decisions. If a student is disruptive, the teacher offers a polite, but firm, reprimand.
Chapter 3: You blasphemed, boy. You found fault with the Norm.

- What do David and Sophie disagree on on p20-21? How does this relate to our
discussion on liberalism vs authoritarianism?

David and Sophie disagree on people being able to fly. Sophie believes this because
she has been brought up in the religious society that has taught her that it is
impossible but on the other hand, David believes that people will be able to because
he saw it in his dreams.

- Its ironic that David’s house is covered with religious doctrine yet he still has a slip of
the tongue about having a third hand. What does this reveal about him and the
doctrine itself?

It reveals that David has not been indoctrinated yet and his mind roams free. It also
shows the floors in the doctrine.

- Explain the symbolism of David’s dream at the end of the chapter.

In David’s dream, he dreamed about Sophie being trapped in a circle of people

involved in the doctrine. She eventually gets killed. This is symbolic of what would
happen to her if she got discovered but also if people found out that David was also
a mutant

Chapter 4: Once we allow things that we know are not right, there’s no telling where it will
end.

- David starts taking on traits from his uncle.

Chapter 5: ‘Who was the child – this Blasphemy – you were with yesterday?’ He shouted.

- David shouldn’t open his mouth because if he did he would be emotional and
sophies mother want him to be brave.

- The relationship between families is heavily distorted and blurred by the religion

- David cries at the end of the chapter because he brakes his morals, insidious, creeps
into the way that people act and think.

Chapter 6: I’m telling you that nobody, nobody really knows what is the true image

- The irony is that when David is speaking with his fellow telepathic people about
Sophie they think she is a mutant even thought they are mutants themselves.

- P53 “Loyalty is a great virtue, but there is such thing as mis-placed loyalty. One day
you will understand the importance of a greater loyalty. The purity of the Race”
- P59 “The lands down there aren't civilized. Mostly they don't have any sense of sin so
they don't stop Deviations; and where they do have a sense of sin, they've got it
mixed up. A lot of them aren't ashamed of Mutants; it doesn't seem to worry them
when children turn out wrong, provided they're right enough to live and to learn to
look after themselves. Other places, though, you'll find Deviations who think they are
normal. There's one tribe where both the men and women are hairless, and they
think that hair is the devil's mark; and there's another where they all have white hair
and pink eyes. In one place they don't think you're properly human unless you have
webbed fingers and toes; in another, they don't allow any woman who is not multi-
breasted to have children.”

Everyone has their own sense of deviation.