Discuss how characters in The Chrysalids are deformed by Waknuk
society.
The Japanese say that a nail that
sticks up will be hammered down. So too
in any society, a person who is different will feel pressured to conform to the
norms of that society. In The Chrysalids , for David and his ilk, this
is a matter of life and death. David is
compelled to change himself and those around him in order avoid detection in
Waknuk.
David cannot express his love for Rosalind
openly, forcing him to pretend that they are just friends. David has to hide his romantic relationship
with Rosalind because of family pressure. This puts stress on them and their
relationship as they control what they show to their families and to Waknuk. In fact, it is only the other telepaths who
know the truth.
As David gets older and his powers
increase, he is forced more and more to conceal what his true ability is. This means he must be very careful in his
behaviour when dealing with Norms. His psychic
power must be compartmentalized in ensure that he does stand out as someone different
form the Norm. In a sense, he is living
two lives- a rich internal life as a mutant, and a mundane life as a teenage
Norm.
Most interesting of all is how David
feels responsible for molding
his
siter, Petra. Although extraordinarily
powerful, Petra is only a child who must be nurtured but at the same controlled. There is a tension that David and all of the
group feel as Petra explores her own power.
On one hand, she is beyond anything that other children are, yet on the
other hand, she must be contained be them as they teach her to use her power
without exposing herself or the group.
Davidès personality and behaviour is
stunted by societal pressures. Also, his
relationship with Rosalind is not allowed to grow normally. Most importantly, David is teaching Petra to
shape herself in order to be safe. A white
rabbit will survive in the winter; a brown rabbit will be eaten by a fox.
