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The Chrysalids Argumentative Essay

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The Chrysalids by John Wyndham is a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel about how the Waknuk people believe God has willed one race with specific characteristics. This race of people is determined by the ‘Definition of Man’. To keep this race unmixed, they eradicate all blasphemies and deviations. In doing so, they believe they are creating a perfect society when they are only causing innocent lives to be lost. Believing that one race is better than another results in conflict and harm to their own kind. This novel is considered an allegory of the Holocaust. There is a similar chain of events leading to disarray when one race thinks it is superior to another. It teaches the danger of discrimination and superiority which results in eradication …show more content…

David was taught to believe in the same things but he does not understand where it is coming from. Thus, David is struggling to understand the meanings behind these sayings. This community has taught children from the day they were born to believe that even a slight difference is bad. It shows the cruelty of the society because they have only one world view and do not think any other views are considered right. It is due to their ignorance towards acceptance that they are creating more trouble. In Waknuk, people have to identify themselves as a norm by being able to meet the qualities stated in the ‘Definition of Man’. The purpose of this identification is so that they are aware and able to recognize any deformities and imperfections. The Normalcy Certificate is used to confirm that the person is normal and is approved by the government. In addition, women are forced to wear crosses to identify their faith. Though, this encourages people to spread hatred to those who are different. Specifically, when David's father, who is the leader of Waknuk, did not accept Aunt Harriet's newborn because it had a small blemish. Joseph Strorm and the town agree to

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