Note students will not be provided with additional copies of this booklet.

The
booklet will be posted on the schools homework website; if you lose it, you must
make a copy at your own expense.

The
Chrysalids
by John Wyndham

Note: "The word chrvsalid is a biological term which means the state into which the
larva of most insects pass before becoming a perfect insect. In this state the larva,
wrapped in a hard sheath or case, takes no food and is inactive. In general usage
the word can mean a sheltered state or stage of being or growth. Thus, as with all
good titles, the reader of The Chrysalids is left to extend this definition so as to
apply it in a suitable way to the novel itself " (W.J. Holt, from the 1965 House of
Grant edition)

Introduction

John Wyndham was born in England, on July 10, 1903. When he was growing up,
he went to a series of boarding schools because his parents were separated. He
then attended an advanced co- educational school until he reached the age of
eighteen. After he left school, Wyndham studied farming for a while, then
"crammed" to write the examinations for Oxford University.
Finally, in 1929, Wyndham picked up a copy of an American magazine called
Amazing Stories, and became very interested in science fiction. Not long after that
a series of stories under the name of John Beynon began to appear in Amazing
Stories, as well as in another publication called Wonder Stories. He wrote English
science fiction stories under the names "John Beynon Harris," "John Beynon," and
"Lucas Parkes," as well as John Wyndham. By 1937, he was being called the best
living British science fiction writer.
Wyndham's work in science fiction is interesting in its emphasis. He does not
generally concentrate on amusing the reader with strange inventions of technology
from a bewildering future. The settings he employs for the future are logical,
identifiable extensions of the world of today. His consuming interest lies in
speculation about human nature and human behaviour. This would account for his
attention to customs and moral codes displayed in the different societies in his
books. Thus, time and again he points out the hypocrisy, bigotry and ignorance
which are so often a part of our social life, and he stresses that changing conditions
demand new ways, new customs and new codes of conduct.
Wyndham died in 1969.
John Wyndhams novels include: The Day of the Triffids (1959); The Kraken Wakes
(1953); The Chrysalids (1955); and The Midwich Cuckoos (1957). Several of these
were turned into successful movies.

The Chrysalids
[1]

Science fiction demands a certain suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader,
meaning that the author has to make it possible for the reader to not question the
possibility that such a situation could actually occur. For example, light-year speed
is explained away by the term "space warp" or "warp speed", and the reader
accepts this. (Cowboy stories don't explain how to run a ranch either!) But
generally, science fiction has a healthy respect for fact.
The Chrysalids maintains this respect. It is not at all "way-out" science fiction.
There are only two assumptions: (1) that a nuclear holocaust took place at some
time in the past that destroyed civilization as we know it, and (2) that certain
members of Waknuk can communicate through telepathy.
Both these factors are at least scientific possibilities. The threat of Tribulation,
although we don't call it that, needs no explanation for today's reader. As far as the
group's ability to communicate telepathically is concerned, some major universities
are doing research in parapsychology, and although there is no scientific proof that
telepathy exists, the possibility remains.
The Chrysalids is a story of the future. Most stories of the future fall into one of
three categories:
1. total destruction of a civilization,
2. total redemption,
3. or a combination of both.
This novel looks beyond the pessimistic future shrouded in the nuclear "mushroom
cloud," and into the time of reconstruction after such an event. Following
"tribulation" we are shown a world of the frontier. As North America has moved
recently from the world of the frontier we look at our past as a quaint heritage, a
stage in the development of our civilization which has gone forever, except in
Hollywood and made-for-TV movies. In The Chrysalids the frontier has returned and
the people are beginning again. They have emerged from the chaos of an after-theholocaust world and have reached a stage of organized community life, farmlands,
and a strict and stern inflexible morality based on a dark, incomprehensible fear of
an unknown past. The people of this frontier do not look towards a new future, but
instead have an all-consuming passion for stability. Things must not change. The
past of the "Old People" must be resurrected and preserved. The scattered
communities of Labrador and the Waknuks are unconsciously creating a "fossil
world" as the Sealand woman maintains. Paradoxically, then, Waknuk is a society of
the future with a setting from the past.
This community's obsession against change can be answered by the scientific
realities of the present. Physical mutations can be produced by intense doses of
radiation and the people of Waknuk have a basis for their fear that physical
conformity could break down. The winds which from time to time blow in from the
"badlands" to the south west are winds of change in grim physical reality. Out of
[2]

their fear of physical change, a severe conformity to the "true image" has
developed, a set of beliefs which stifles the human mind and much worse, the
human spirit. The beliefs of the people in Waknuk are anti-intellectual and try to
eliminate both logic and imagination. All this is done in the name of God, who, in
this case, is used as an excuse, a shield to hide behind for purposes of persecution.
Humans have not survived because they are physically superior to other creatures,
but because of their minds. If the mind stagnates so will the human race. This is
the message of the novel. Why the author felt it necessary to make this statement
is clear. If the human race acts with indiscretion, its fate, or the fate of the few
possible survivors, might be a life in "the fringes" or Sealand. We cannot, however,
be sure that there will be a choice.
Once the author has made the two fictional assumptions, he never moves beyond
the limits established. The society of Waknuk is perfectly plausible, as are the
characters in it.
At the end of the story Wyndham doesn't neatly tie everything together, but leaves
us with a number of unanswered possibilities.
The word "chrysalid" is a scientific term meaning the state into which the larvae of
most insects pass before becoming adults. In general usage, the word can mean a
sheltered state or a stage of growth. Thus, as with all good titles, the reader of The
Chrysalids is left to extend this definition so as to apply it in an appropriate way to
the novel itself.

Chapter Questions
Chapter 1:
[3]

1. The city David dreams about contains images with which he Is not familiar. Name
at least three.
2. What is David's eldest sister's name?
3. From where does David's sister say his dreams may come?
4. How does David feel about the dream he sees in his dream?
5. What two words does David use to describe what he and Rosalind have in
common?
6. Since this book is set in the future after a nuclear holocaust, what then is "the
bank, coming round in a wide curve, and then running straight as an arrow towards
the distant hills"?
7. What happens to Sophie while playing with David?
8. What important information is revealed about Sophie's foot?
9. What is the image of God as decreed by Waknuk society? Quote directly.
10. David gives an indication of special abilities in reference to Mrs. Wender. What
are these abilities?
11. What secret must David keep?
12. Why are Sophie's toes of such concern?
JOURNAL
At the end of Chapter One, David is in a serious dilemma. On the one hand, he
believes in the religious teachings he has received, while on the other hand, he
cannot accept that having six toes on your feet can be a serious offence. How
would you feel if you found yourself in a situation where your beliefs clashed with
what you really wanted to do? Some ideas you might discuss include:
* What do you believe in?
* In what ways will your actions clash with your believes?
* Is it worth keeping your beliefs, or would it be better not do?
* What damage might be done either way?
Chapter 2:
1. How old is David's house?
2. Who built this house?
[4]

3. Describe the materials from which this house is built.

4. Explain the words: "My grandfather appeared to have been a man of somewhat
tediously unrelieved virtue. It was only later that I pieced together a portrait that
was more credible, if not more creditable." (tediously - tiresome, annoying; credible
- believable; creditable - good)
5. How did Ellas's wife react to her marriage?
6. What are two of Joseph's occupations?
7. Quote two of the axioms hanging in Joseph's house.
8. What is an Offence?
9. How is the problem of an Offence solved?
10. What are human deviations called?
11. How does Joseph Strorm react to deviations?
12. What is the Wild Country?
13. What are the Fringes?
14. What are the Badlands?
15. Give a description of Uncle Axel. Give at least three details.

Chapter 3:
1. Describe David's schooling.
2. What is significant about the steam engine?
3. Who are the Old People?
4. Why does John Wender regard David with suspicion?

SETTING
The setting of a story is simply the time, place, and mood in which its events
happen. An author uses the settings of his story to tell something about his
[5]

characters and their feelings. The author will have to use good descriptive words
if the reader is to get a clear picture of the settings.
Your task is to go through Chapters 1-3 and list at least ten descriptive words the
author has used in describing the time and place of this novel.
Then choose one to three words that you think describe the predominant mood of
this story, and select a minimum of three quotes that you think help set this mood.
Include the page numbers in brackets after the quote.
Chapter 4:
1 . What information does Uncle Axel discover about David?
2. David becomes aware of something during his conversation with Uncle Axel.
What is it?
3. What does David notice about one of the captured Fringe leaders?
4. Choose a quotation from page 36 that describes Joseph's reaction to this man.
5. Why does Angus want the Great Horses?
6. Describe the size of the horses.
7. Where is Waknuk located?
8. What is the author and title of the book that survived Tribulation?
9. What other book survived from the time of the Old People?
10. What are Ethics?

JOURNAL
As David uses his E.S.P. talent, he is mastering the skill of communicating with it.
Think of a skill you have mastered. Skate-boarding, swimming, a video-game,
ping-pong, photography, drawing, dancing, diving, knitting, gardening, riding a
[6]

bike, building a campfire, cooking, ice- skating, sewing, flying a paper aeroplane,
typing, and delivering a speech are a few examples out of many more. Write an
journal entry about "conquering" your skill.
You might begin by explaining how and why you were attracted to this skill. Then
outline the steps you took in becoming proficient at it. If you had setbacks - and
most people do - mention them. At the end, describe your moment of personal
conquest. Be sure to include:
* the objective or goal
* an indication of the setting
* a description of any obstacle that occurred
* how the obstacle was overcome
* your feelings about it

Chapter 5:
1 .Who sees the different footprint on the rock?
2. Why does Sophie hit Alan?
3. What do the Wenders decide to do?
4. How does Mrs. Wender feel about David?
5. What does Mrs. Wender do that is unfamiliar to David?
6. What does Mr. Wender ask David to do?
7. How does the inspector attempt to help David?
8. How does Joseph persuade David to tell where Sophie is?

Chapter 6:
1 .Of what does David attempt to convince the other telepaths?
2. What does the inspector bring with him? Why?
[7]

3. How are the Wenders found?

4. What are Uncle Axel's views about running away?
5. According to Uncle Axel, why do people become angry at new Ideas?
6. What do sailors say about sailing to the East?
7. Describe some of the strange things sailors have seen.
8. Describe the area where nothing grows.
9. What probably has caused the damage the sailors have seen there? (See Ch. 1,
#6)
10. In real life, what sea are the sailors referring to?
11. What does Uncle Axel say about the "true image"?
12. What does Uncle Axel learn from David?
VISUALLY REPRESENTING YOUR IDEAS
In the story, David and Rosalind communicate by telepathy. Check the story how
that is done, then take Rosalind's position giving David advice after he has told her
he wants to run away.
Remember the following:
* David and Rosalind communicate through images and ideas, NOT words.
* Don't make fun of David or be accusatory. Respect his point of view. Try to
express sympathy.
* Remind David that he is not alone. Explain how things might turn out when he
carries out his plan
* Tell him that you have confidence in his ability to make a sound decision.
* Conclude with your advice to David, and offer strong evidence to back up what
you are advising.
Chapter 7:
1. Why is no mention made of Petra's birth?
2. What cause is there for concern with regards Petra's inspection?

[8]

3. What is the punishment for having three babies who do not pass inspection?
4. Why does Aunt Harriet visit David's mother at this time?
5. How does David's mother respond to Harriet's request?
6. What does Harriet do as a result?

Mood
What is the mood of this chapter? (more than one answer possible)
___ thrilling and illuminating
___ humorous and lighthearted
___ bleak and depressing
___ tender and teasing
___ violent and vengeful
___ gloomy and tense
For each of the moods you selected, list a detail from the chapter that helps create
that mood.
Chapter 8:
1. About what does David begin to worry as he converses with Uncle Axel?
2. Quote the lines that contain Uncle Axel's advice to David?
3. Wyndham is presenting his own views through the lecture Uncle Axel gives to
David. What are Wyndham's views here?
4. What does Uncle Axel say makes a man?
5. Who are the other members of David's special group?
6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of education according to David?

Characterization
The author uses a process called characterization to create memorable details
about personalities in the novel. This can be done as follows:

[9]

what the author states directly about the character

what the character says and does

what others say or think about the character

how authors act toward the character

Since the story in The Chrysalids is told by David - not the author or an all-knowing
narrator - you must rely on the on the last three methods to gain information about
characters.
Directions
Each of the following charts lists some traits possessed by a character in the book.
Find several specific pieces of evidence for each trait (from anywhere in the book as
you read the text) to prove the character does have that characteristic.
Then decide which characterization method (or methods) in each piece of evidence
is used to reveal that trait. Check the appropriate column.
a. what the character says or thinks
b. what the character does
c. what others say or think about the character
d. how others act toward the character
Below you will find an example of a chart for David. Make a similar chart for each of
the following characters in the book:
David
Trait
curious

How trait is
revealed

Evidence

questions the validity of The

a
Definition of Man.

persistent
sensitive
brave

Other characters in the book:

[10]

Joseph Strorm - Emily Strorm - Aunt Harriet - Uncle Axel - Spider Man - Rosalind
Morton - Anne - Sophie Wender - The Sealand Lady - The Inspector:
2. Joseph Strorm
a. narrow-minded
b. authoritarian
c. hardworking

3. Emily Strorm
a. narrow-minded
b. compassionate
c. pathetic

4. Aunt Harriet
a. compassionate
b. understanding
c. pathetic

5. Uncle Axel
a. open-minded
b. compassionate
c. honest

6. Spider Man
a. proud
b. narrow-minded
c. pathetic

7. Rosalind
a. proud
b. loving
c. sensible

8. Sophie Wender
a. proud
b. loving
c. pathetic

9. The Sealand Lady

a. proud
b. understanding
c. sensible

10. The Inspector

a. understanding
b. shrewd
c. obedient

Chapter 9:
1. What is the first hint that Petra is not ordinary? Quote the lines from the text.
2. How are Petra's communications different from everyone else's?
3. About what does David dream this time?
4. What does Old Jacob advise doing with any deviation?
5. Why does Old Jacob believe that deviations are increasing in number?
The moral of the story is...
In The Chrysalids, David learns many - mostly painful - lessons. These morals
(principles or lessons taught by a story or experience) prepare David to become a
responsible adult.
Throughout the following chapters prepare a list of learning experiences in The
Chrysalids and create a moral that expresses what David gains from the learning
experience.
Examples:
1. Both he and Rosalind rush towards Petra after they "hear" her "cry" for help.
What is the learning experience? What is the moral?
2. David listens first to Old Jacob and then to Uncle Axel. What is the learning
experience? What is the moral?
Chapter 10:
1. Give two reasons why Anne's marriage is frightening to the group.

[11]

2. How do the members of the group feel about marriage to a norm? Quote a line
from the text that supports your claim.
3. Why is Uncle Axel worried about Anne being in love with a norm?
4. How does Uncle Axel suggest they deal with Anne?
5. Why can David and Rosalind not see each other openly?
6. What happens to Alan? What happens to Anne?
7. What fortunate accident regarding Anne's letter prevents the group from being
exposed?

Character Connections
The Chrysalids has a large cast of
characters and they relate to David's life
in a number of ways. To distinguish all
these characters and understand their
relationship to David, a simple visual
diagram can be helpful.
Directions
In each circle on the next page, write the
names of at least three characters that
fit the label. Pick the names from the
character box; some names will be used
more than once. Then answer the
questions that follow.

[12]

CHARACTER BOX
David Strorm
Joseph Strorm
Emily Strorm
Petra Strorm
Aunt Harriet
Mary Strorm
Uncle Axel
Elias Strorm
Spider Man
Petra
Michael

Rosalind
Anne
Rachel
Katherine
Sally
Mark
Sophie Wender
Old Jacob
Alan Ervin
Sealand Lady
Jerome Skinner
The Inspector

Chapter 11:
1. What two forbidden things does Petra do?
2. Why is the strength of Petra's call dangerous to the group?
3. What causes Petra to call for help?
4. How does David greet the stranger?
5. What is the stranger's name?
6. What makes the man suspicious of the group?
7. What does the group decide that they cannot do?
[13]

8. How does David determine that Petra can receive thought-shapes?

9. What new information does Petra give the group?
10. Who is Joe Darley? Why is he asking questions?
11. What did Anne do before she died that endangered the group?
12. What did Uncle Axel do as a result? Outline the situation.
13. What other information is provided about banishment to the Fringes?
14. What do David and the group decide to do to Petra if necessary?

In this chapter the Group has to deal with possible betrayal and blackmail. It is
becoming clear that the Group will be in conflict with the Waknuk society soon.
Growing up means meeting a number of challenges and the Group, with the
exception perhaps of Michael, has some very fast growing up to do as conflict has
become unavoidable.
Conflict, or a clash of opposing forces, is a vital part of most novels. Five types of
conflict are defined below.
character vs.
character

the character faces a problem with one or more other

characters in the story.

character vs. self

the character faces a physical or emotional problem or

struggle

character vs.
society

the character faces a problem with a part, or in this case, the

whole of society (government, school, traditions, rules, laws)
[14]

character vs.
nature

the character faces a problem with some force of nature

(cold, storm, radiation)

character vs. fate

the character faces a problem with a force such as fate, God,

or luck (good or bad)

Directions
List one conflict that arises in each of the following situations. Some of them may
have more than one type of conflict, but you need list only one.
After you list the conflict, explain who or what is involved. See the example below.
Example
David discovers that Sophie Wender has six toes on each foot.
a. Conflict: Character vs. Self
b. David believes that having six toes is such a little thing, but he is very much
aware of the teachings he has received, "Beware thou of the Mutant!"

1. David jokingly wishes he had a third hand and his father and mother
overhear him.
2. Uncle Axel tells David to keep quiet about his picture-talking with Rosalind.
3. Sophie Wenders has six toes on each foot.
4. Aunt Harriet kills herself and her baby.
5. Anne announces that she going to get married.
6. Members of the Group meet Jerome Skinner.
Chapter 12:
1.What causes the group's flight?
2. Who is best planned for the escape?
3. What has Rosalind brought with her? How is this symbolically appropriate?
4. Who assists Rosalind in her escape? What are David's thoughts about this news?

[15]

5. With whom are Rosalind, David and Petra communicating for information?
6. What do we know about the guns used in Waknuk?
7. What does Rosalind do that she finds to be traumatic?
8. What is happening to Sally and Katherine?
9. About what are the authorities most upset regarding the group?
10. What advantage do the telepaths have over normal people?
11. What does Petra mention for the second time?
12. From where are the thought pictures coming?
13. Why does David know about this land?
14. What technique does Wyndham use to end his chapters?
A World of Differences
The Chrysalids is told from David's viewpoint. But the various conversations he has
with other characters in the story give the reader different views on the same
subject.
The inclusion of these different views serves two important purposes. First, it allows
the reader to get a clearer picture of the other characters and perspectives.
Second, the views serve as a force of change. Being exposed to other thoughts help
David mature from a naive small boy into a mature young man.
Directions
Determine what the characters listed feel about each of the following topics. You
may use quotes, passages, or inferences (logical conclusions) in your responses.
1. the religion of Waknuk
a. David
b. Uncle Axel
c. Joseph Strorm
d. Old Jacob
e. The Inspector
2. the Group
a. David
b. Michael
c. Anne
d. Joseph Strorm
e. Ellen Ervin
[16]

3. the marriage of Anne

a. David
b. Michael
c. Rachel
d. Uncle Axel
4. the Fringes
a. David
b. Sophie
c. Spider Man
d. Uncle Axel
e. Joseph Strorm
5. the people of Waknuk
a. Uncle Axel
b. Old Jacob
c. the Sealand lady
6. the destruction of the Waknuk posse
a. David
b. Rosalind
c. the Sealand lady
Chapter 13:
1.What area have the three travellers reached?
2. Who or what is most important right now? Why is this the case?
3. What had happened to Sally and Katherine?
4. David explains to Petra why people hurt other people. Quote the lines.
5. What does Petra tell David about Sealand?
6. What happens to David at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 14:
1. Explain the difference between the external Rosalind and the "real" one.
2. Who has captured the group?
3. Where do the Fringe people think the Devil dwells?
4. After listening to the Fringes man, David observes that all people think they
know God's truth. What does the man mean by saying "life is change"?
5. What does the Fringes man mean by "they try to strangle the life out of Life"?
[17]

6. Who are the New People?

7. Why do the Sealanders believe they are superior to the Old People?
8. How does the spider-man introduce himself to David?
9. What does the spider-man intend to do with Rosalind?
Links in the Chain
One way of tying a story together is through the use of motifs. Motifs are incidents,
Images, or ideas which appear again and again in a novel. Like links in a chain,
they serve to unite a story.
Directions
Some motifs in The Chrysalids are listed below. List four examples of these motifs
from the book. Then answer the questions that follow.
Motif
1. Death
2. Lack of personal freedom
3. Cruelty
4. Punishment
5. Humiliation
6. Weather conditions
7. Kindness and compassion
8. Jealousy
9. Superstition
Questions
1. Mention one way in which motif 3 is linked to motif 5 in the book?
2. Mention one way in which motif 2 is linked to motif in the book?
3. Mention one way in which motif 6 is linked to motif 9 in the book?

[18]

4. Mention one way in which motif 4 is linked to motif 7 in the book?

5. Mention one way in which motif 1 is linked to motif 2 in the book?
6. Mention one way in which motif 1 is linked to motif 7 in the book?
7. Mention one way in which motif 3 is linked to motif 9 in the book?

[19]

Chapter 15:
1. Why did David say Sophie's clothes were "almost indecent"?
2. What is the relationship between Gordon and Sophie?
3. Describe Sophie's cave.
4. Who is the last of the original group still communicating with the refugees?
5. What two groups are soon to converge on the Fringes area where David and
friends are?
6 What did Sophie mean when she says to David, "This is the Fringes"?
7 How did Sophie free the girls?
Matching Causes and Effects
Match each effect (action or decision) with its cause (the reason that something
occurs). Each answer may be used only once.
Effect
1. Jerome Skinner becomes
suspicious of the Group.
2.The crops show more deviations
than usual.
3.Uncle Axel puts an arrow on his
bow.
4.The Sealand people come to
rescue members of the Group.
5.Aunt Harriet kills her baby and
herself.

Cause
a Petra's powers of picture-making
. are enormous.
b.The Sealand people have to detour
around the Badlands.
c.Beware thou of the Mutant!

d.At the end of the story Rachel is

all alone in Waknuk.
e.David and Rosalind come to the
aid of Petra as she is attacked by a
wild cat.
6.Michael does not go to Sealand
f.In the past there has been a
massive nuclear war.
7.The Spider Man becomes the
g.South-Western winds bring
leader of Fringe people.
radiation to Waknuk.
8.David and Rosalind hide in a cave
h.Allen Erwin finds out the secret of
in the Fringes.
the Group.
9.The Sealand people have to detour i.Sophie loves David.
around the Badlands.
10.Not every member of the Group
j.Joseph Strorm had a brother who
can be rescued.
developed a deviation.

[20]

Chapter 16:
1. Why did Sophie become angry with Rosalind?
2. Who comforted Sophie?
3. Where is Michael?
4. Where is Rachel?
5. What is a "behind think"?
6. Who does Petra ask Michael is pursuing David and Petra?
7. Quote the lines that express David's conflicted feelings about his father.
8. What does the Sealand woman say about the future of Waknuk and others like
it?
9. What idea does she express that repeats the ones of the Fringes man in chapter
14?
10. For whom was the spider-man looking? For what reason?
11. How were you to escape the power of the strands coming form the ship?

Note: The Sealanders' arrival and rescue of David and company is an example of a
"deus ex rnachina" ending, or literally, "god out of a machine". This theatrical
device, often used in Greek tragedy, involved a god appearing to solve the
problems of the main characters. The god arrives from the sky and externally
solves the problems of the play. Often the god takes the protagonist into his
machine and the two return to the heavens together. The protagonist is then
granted immortality.
Chapter 17:
1 . How did the Sealand lady get rid of the deadly filaments?
2. Describe the Sealand woman.
3 . What "holy" imagery is associated with the Sealand woman on page 193?
4. What bad news does the Sealand woman give?
5. How many of the fighters are alive?
[21]

6. The Sealand woman speaks about the Fringes people being condemned to a life
of "squalor and misery", with "no future for them". The reader then learns that the
Sealanders consider themselves to be the current "lords of life". What does she say
will eventually happen even to them?
7. What do Michael and Rachel decide to do?
8. Give a few details about the city in Sealand the travellers reach.
9. What is the "buzzing" the travellers hear as they approach the city?
10. Would you describe the ending of this book as hopeful, hopeless or something
in between? Explain your answer.
11. Explain briefly why John Wyndham chose to title this novel The Chyrsalids. See
the note below.

[22]

Plot Structure Diagram

The Chrysalids breaks down into a traditional five-part plot structure. These parts are as
follows:
exposition - an introduction to the main characters, settings, and situations of
the information to follow, and ending in an initial incident.
rising action - the events and complications that lead to an important and
dramatic
climax - the point of greatest interest and emotional involvement in the plot,
where the problem presented in the initial incident is finally solved
falling action - the events that develop from the climax and lead to the
resolution or denouement - the final outcome which ties up any loose
ends left in the story
This structure can be depicted as a lopsided pyramid, with two base lines.

Directions
On the next page is a list of major episodes in The Chrysalids.
1) Write the numbers from 11 to 1 counting down your page. Be sure to leave an even
amount of space between each number and try to use the whole page.
2) Write the major episodes on the paper in order; starting at the end of the novel and
working your way back.
3) After you finish putting the events in proper order, draw a plot pyramid on a separate,
unlined piece of paper. Label the part of the plot pyramid (including the initial incident),
and then place the numbers of the events of the novel on the plot pyramid.

[23]

Note: Your pyramid should look a little lopsided like the example above (one side longer
than the other).

Major Episodes:

Petra, through her awesome telepathic powers, gets in touch with a distant
civilization in New Zealand (Sealand).

David meets Sophie Wender and discovers that she is a physical deviant with six
toes on each foot.

David sees his aunt driven to suicide because she has given birth to a deviant
baby.

David, Rosalind, and Petra flee to the Fringes, where they are pursued by the
people of Waknuk, including David's own father.

The birth of David's little sister, Petra, causes innumerable problems.

Under torture Katherine and then Sally admit that David, Rosalind, and Petra also
have the ability of mind reading.

In the Fringes, David, Rosalind, and Petra are captured by the deviate
inhabitants.

David, Petra, and Rosalind escape by helicopter to New Zealand.

David is concerned for his own personal safety when he realizes that he and his
group of E.S.P. friends are also deviants

As a child, David has learned the strict morality of his society: "Watch Thou for
the Mutant," "The Norm is the Will of God," and "The Devil is the Father of
Deviation."

[24]

The people of Waknuk invade the Fringes camp. A major battle ensues and
David and his friends are caught in the middle.

The Chrysalids and The Hunger

Games
Some people say that there are a lot of similarities between these two pieces of
fiction. So you see it?

[25]

Theme
[26]

Theme and satire are very closely interwoven in The Chrysalids. Many of the critical
ideas in the novel are pointed directly at the shortcomings of David's society and,
indirectly, at our society. The people of Waknuk, for example, purge from their
midst anything that is not normal or, at least, does not look like their concept of
normal. In the history of mankind, certain groups have always reacted negatively to
other groups they feel are different. Recent history includes some horrendous
events that make what the Waknuk people do look like child's play. Genocide has
occurred, for instance, during World War II, when 6 million Jews were
exterminated, during the expulsion of the Armenians from Turkey, in Cambodia
during the 1970's, and in 1994 in Rawanda. Unfortunately, there are many more
examples in the history of mankind, even in Canada. Our own countrys
government forced aboriginal children into residential schools, where up to 25%
died every year, and where children were routinely physically and sexually abused
by the very people who should have cared for them. During World War II, Canada
forced all Canadians of Japanese heritage to abandon their homes and move to
internment camps in the interior of B.C.
David's society, despite its concern for the True Image , allows the great-horses to
be bred and used. These horses are huge, far bigger than any normal horse. But,
they do twice the work of a normal horse at less than twice the feed. For the sake
of profit, the True Image can be ignored. Hypocrisy is shown to be a universal
human condition and the people of Waknuk are no different from us.
Another of the author's statements directed at us is no less bitter. The graphic
description of the Badlands, the deviations, the age of barbarism, the horror of
Tribulation , all point out the inherent dangers of nuclear war and, perhaps more
effectively, the finality of such a war.
The chief critical theme, however, is the one implied by the title of the novel.
Chrysalid is a term taken from biology. It describes the state through which a
larva must pass before becoming an insect. In this state, the larva is wrapped in a
hard case or shell, takes no food and is totally inactive. This is precisely the state
that Joseph Strorm and his kind are trying to maintain and force on humanity
As the Sealand lady points out, evolution cannot be denied and the chrysalid cannot
be stopped in its development to the next stage. The Waknuk society's antiintellectualism, which tries to eliminate both logic and imagination, and its efforts to
deny evolution, are doomed to be a dead end.
Wyndham's attacks on this kind of thinking varies from satire to outright bitterness.
The satire is chiefly directed at Joseph Strorm. Since he personifies all that is wrong
with the community's religious ideas, he is made to appear as a frustrated and
dangerous buffoon.
But criticism can take a crueler form, such as Sophie's fate, or Aunt Harriet's
suicide. Their stories introduce a sense of helpless frustration for they point out not
only the foolishness of the Waknuk philosophy but, also, the futility of trying to
defeat it.
[27]

Uncle Axel, as the mouthpiece of the author, supplies the most apt analysis of the
situation, for he tells David that every group of people he has seen in his travels
thinks that the True Image is themselves. No one, he points out, could ever be sure
that the True Image is right, for it comes from Nicholson's Repentances , written
after Tribulation.
Only the Sealanders offer hope to David and his friends and in their wish to improve
and develop mankind, they give hope to the novel.

Concluding Essay
[28]

Your task is to write a five-paragraph essay on the importance of treating

everyone with respect, regardless of their differences.
You may use the novel or not, but you must provide examples and details to
support your ideas.
You will be assessed using the same rubric that will be used for the PAT exam.
The process will be as follows:
1. Brainstorming working with one to two other students, make a list of the
reasons it is important to treat everyone, including those who are different, with
respect. If time permits, come up with examples of what happens when people are
not treated with respect.
2. Planning working alone, use the information you gathered in brainstorming to
plan your essay. You may use any of the graphic organizers provided.
3. Rough draft working alone, use your planning to write the three body
paragraph of your essay. We will then work as a class on how to write an
introduction and a conclusion, which you will then type into your rough draft. BE
SURE TO DOUBLE SPACE YOUR ESSAY!
4. Self and Peer Editing working both individually and with a single partner, you
will read over your rough draft with a critical eye. In addition to checking spelling,
punctuation, and grammar, you will also check for:
avoiding the use of the word you
the quality of the examples
the depth of the explanation
clarity of voice
a varied vocabulary
sentence variety
In this stage, you will work with your rough draft in the classroom. The teacher will
discuss each point you are to examine first, and then you will read your paragraph
over for errors or areas of need.
As a peer editor, your job is not to criticize, but to help. If you do your job well,
your partner will end up with a stronger, better-written essay, and will therefore get
a better mark.
Couch your work in positive and helpful terms:
I like how you
I wonder if you did, would your point be clearer?
I dont really understand what you are saying here. Can you tell me so we can
make this sentence easier to understand?

[29]