Chrysalids 2 Essay, Research Paper
Why is the resolution of a novel important in concluding the author’s themes and issues that are presented throughout?
The resolution of a novel is important as it summarizes the themes and issues expressed by the author in the novel, giving the audience a better understanding of what is trying to be said. No matter what themes and issues are presented in a novel, the ending is always the section that is most satisfying from the reader’s perspective. It is where you find out what happens to the characters, whether they live or die and if they are crowned as heroes or punished as enemies. To find evidence to prove that the ending is important and to see what changes occur to the characters by the time the ending takes place. I have examined the novel The Chrysalids by John Wyndham.
The novel revolves around the people of the village Waknuk, a large village that has survived the trials and tribulations brought upon by a nuclear war between the old people. These people live in a constant fear of being genetically different. This fear has occurred because men like Joseph Storm and his employee Jacob share a strict religious belief, that being different means not being in the true image of god. There for the mutant characters in the story are forced to live in the outskirts of the town called the Fringes. This cold-hearted belief that is so strong, forces humans to turn other humans away because they are slightly different. This occurs when David’s mother turns his Aunt Harriet away after she came seeking help to disguise her child as theirs in order to get a certificate.
“I shall pray to God to send charity into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the unhappy and unfortunate” said Aunt Harriet after being turned away. Apart from Aunt Harriet the only non-mutant man who comes close to acceptance of people’s differences is the main character David Storm’s uncle. Uncle Axle realizes that the true image of God may be different to what they expect and that being different may be what He wanted.
Throughout the novel the characters are constantly changing and by the end they are different to who they once were. David the main character in The Chrysalids, narrates the story of his early life. He explains dreams that he had been having for years about buildings, cars and boats in a harbour. He progresses over the years, developing his telepathic skills along with a select group of others with the same abilities. As he matures his responsibilities increase. He changes from looking after just himself to also making sure no one finds out about his younger sister’s telepathic powers. By the end of the story he had changed from a fearful young boy who is afraid of his father to a determined young man who risks all to get his sister Petra and future wife Rosalind away from the terror of Waknuk. Sophie is another example of change. She was born into a well off family and lived a normal life, the difference however is the fact that she had six toes on each foot. Her life changed dramatically when she was discovered. She was outcast to the Fringes where she lived an appalling life and was also unable to have children as she was sterilized as a child. This culminated in her death near the end of the novel.
There are also many other characters throughout the novel, who although don’t change as rapidly, do change. Rosalind for example, her personality does not change that much but the way she protects her identity does. She starts as a fairly vulnerable girl that slowly changes as she builds up her armour. David notices this as he has a timeout during their escape from Waknuk (Cht 14, Pg 149). He realizes that at that moment all her defenses have been let down. This brings back memories of the vulnerable girl she once was during child hood. The characters like Uncle Axle and the inspector do not change dramatically through the novel but are necessary in linking the story and passing on the authors themes. (Cht 8, Pg 80)
John Wyndham expresses many themes throughout his novel, which are highlighted at the conclusion. He shows these themes through the actions of the characters. For example, Joseph Storm was a cruel man who beat the truth out of his own son and was all for killing animals and burning crops that had mutations. He completely disliked his own brother, who was outcast to the Fringes, simply because he had longer arms and legs than normal. The theme portrayed here is that people who are different should not be judged by a set of genetically normal peoples expectations alone. This is emphasized when Wyndham incorporates Joseph’s death at his brother’s hand (Cht 16, Pg 187) into the conclusion. This technique of emphasizing themes through a character in the conclusion is an ideal way of getting themes across to the audience. In the case of Joseph it would make people think twice about teasing other people who are different as it makes them think they will end up dying like Joseph if they follow his actions.