The Chrysalids - My Thoughts & Opinions

I have to say that The Chrysalids is very different than anything else I have read. I found the concept of throwing "misfits" aside as mere trash to be very shocking and sad! I couldn't imagine living with the fear of losing my child should he or she be born with some kind of physical or mental deformity. It almost seemed as if even the women in the novel (with the exception of Sophie's mother) had become hardened to the Waknuk way of thinking.

The book really made me think about the way that society operates today. Although John Wyndham took it to an extreme level, ignorance toward people with physical and/or mental problems is still seen today. Society as a whole should be helping these people. We should be offering them our friendship, our support and our understanding. While this kind of support does exist, I think that we have a long way to go when it comes to treating these people as equals.

Getting back on track, I love that John Wyndham took the time to really develop his characters, David in particular. His vivid descriptions of David's thoughts and feelings give the reader a true sense of the horror of being a "blasphemy" in Waknuk. I was happy with David, Rosalind and Petra's escape from the community. It seemed to me that anywhere, even the Fringes, would be better than Waknuk.

Although they were rescued, it was a selfish rescue on the part of the Sealanders. The woman who arrived to pick them up did not seem to be very interested in their well-being and was not at all resistant to Michael's staying behind to go fetch Rachel. She must have known that it would be next to impossible for Michael and Rachel to make their way to Sealand on their own. She was only interested in Petra's extreme telepathic capabilities. She was not rescuing the group as a whole, but she was simply bringing a girl of high talent to live in her community.

Overall, I thought that this was a fantastic read! It kept me interested, entertained and reflective. It is very well written with a developed and interesting plot-line. I do wish that it had extended on for another chapter or so. I think it would be interesting to get a glimpse into their new life. Even still, I hope that the rest of the readings for this class are this great!