The Chrysalids

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The group of telepaths discovers that her ability is extraordinarily strong and difficult to resist, placing the group at greater risk of discovery. Later, David confides in Uncle Axel and tells him that he wants to run away because he feels scared about his own deviance from the norm. In describing his grandfather, David alludes to the fact that he would eventually doubt the honor-laden picture of him that the rest of his family espouses.

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - BookQuoters 22+ quotes from The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - BookQuoters

These questions underlie Wyndham's crystalline, evocative writing, as thrilling as John Buchan's as we follow David's final gallop towards what we can only hope is freedom. As David and the other telepaths grow older, they learn each others names and develop relationships with another. He is a trustworthy and understanding person, although at times he can be lazy, as he often avoids work or plans poorly. Her youth and power increase the risk of the rest of the telepaths being discovered because Petra can neither control nor comprehend her abilities.

The Steam Engines represent the power of the Old People, and serve as a way of showing how far the Waknuk people have come; at the same time, the Steam Engines are juxtaposed to the world that David dreams of, with horseless vehicles and flying machines. Further, just as Wyndham’s novel is set on a semi-familiar version of Earth, Bradbury’s vision for society is one that readers would recognize as a logical extension of society today. David, Rosalind, and Petra have been kidnapped by the Fringes people and are being taken to meet the Fringes leaders. There is critical disagreement regarding whether the intervention of the Sealand culture at the end of the novel should be considered a deus ex machina.

The Chrysalids | Book reviews | RGfE - Reading Groups The Chrysalids | Book reviews | RGfE - Reading Groups

Also the ending was considered a bit too 'nice', when the heroes are whisked away to a new and better world.

He is also a law-abiding individual, and is most concerned with enforcing the government's regulations. The word comes from the process of insect metamorphosis, when a caterpillar goes into a cocoon or chrysalis, and then becomes a butterfly.