Breaking Norms In The Chrysalids

Breaking Norms The Chrysalids is a science fiction novel written by prolific writer, John Wyndham. The novel centers around a post-apocalyptic town called Waknuk. A place where everyone obsesses in abiding the “norm” and punishing anyone that fails to do so. The norm being that everyone must parallel God’s so-called image of man. The human body must bear no imperfections or abnormalities. As a result, citizens of Waknuk lack many moral and human qualities. However, there are three characters in the novel that displayed many of the human qualities lacking in Waknuk despite not being normal themselves; they are Rosalind, Michael and David. The first and only female of the trio to display character traits missing in Waknuk is Rosalind. Throughout the novel she proves to be perceptive, responsible and loving. A situation that illustrates Rosalind’s perceptiveness is when she looks at the man with an “incredulous expression” and yells, “What! With the way she was yelling! I’d’ve thought anybody who wasn’t deaf would have heard her halfway to Kentak” (John 84). The man finds it confusing that David …show more content…
Throughout he is altruistic, comforting and courageous. For instance, Michael is altruistic when he explains to the Sealand woman, “Rachel deserves just as well as any of the rest of us. All right, then; since the machine can’t take her, someone’s got to bring her” (John 198). Michael understands and knows the consequences of not going with the Sealand woman. At the same time, Michael genuinely cares about and loves Rachel. Therefore, for the sake of Rachel’s wellbeing he pushes away what might have been his one and only chance to go to a place that is filled with his kind of people. In addition to being altruistic, Michael is a very comforting person. To explicate Michael’s comforting temperament is when Michael sends Rosalind “steady and reassuring”