The Chrysalids Essay (How Characters React in Desperate Moments)

Characters Reactions in Moments of Desperation in The Chrysalids People react differently in moments of desperation. There are generally many different kinds of reactions towards moments of desperation in the world. Joseph Strorm and David Strorm (his son) had different reactions in moments of desperation. Joseph and his son had opposite reactions in the novel. Joseph Strorm and his son had opposite reactions in the book.

Joseph Strorm reacts to deviants very seriously and without sympathy. He is also portrayed to be very religious. David Strorm on the other hand, is the only son of Joseph Strorm. He possesses a telepathic ability which is unacceptable in his community, Waknuk. David’s reactions towards deviations are quite different from his father. He makes certain decisions wisely. He is very considerate unlike his father. Joseph Storm shows no sympathy towards mutants because he believes that they are sent from the devil. In the Chrysalids, how characters react in moments of desperation reveals insights into their true nature.

Joseph Strorm’s reactions in moments of desperation show his true nature in The Chrysalids. Joseph Strorm’s reaction towards David was very extreme because he was associating with a deviation. David befriends Sophie and discovered that she had six toes on each foot. David promised to keep her secret. However, when Sophie and David were fishing, another boy in the district discovered Sophie’s footprint on a rock and reveals it to everyone. Joseph Strorm becomes very angry with David and he interrogates him. “Who was this child-this blasphemy-you were with yesterday?”

Joseph Strorm also beat David because he despises mutants and he believes that a mutant comes from the devil. Joseph Strorm’s reaction towards David, who wished for a third hand, shows the religious views of Joseph. Joseph was mad at his son because David made a sinful statement. “You –my own son- were calling upon the Devil to give you another hand!” Joseph Strorm took this statement very seriously which shows how serious deviants are taken. He is a very strict person and uncompassionate to his son. Joseph Strorm was so distraught with his son because of his despitefulness towards mutants. Joseph Strorm’s reaction towards Aunt Harriet was embarrassing.

Aunt Harriet was Joseph’s sister-in-law who bore a blasphemed child. She wanted to switch babies with her sister (Mrs. Strorm) to get a certificate for her baby. Although she didn’t feel the same way whatsoever about her child as Joseph does. “She is not ashamed.” He uttered a lot of negative and bitter words to her. “I don’t understand how you dared to come here, to God-fearing house, with such a suggestion. Worse still, you don’t show an atom of shame or remorse.” In conclusion, Joseph Strorm is very religious and he is the only character in the novel that has the greatest disliking towards mutants, deviations and blasphemies.

David Strorm also had some reactions in moments of desperation in The Chrysalids. David Strorm’s reaction towards Aunt Harriet’s death was very frightening. David is very scared because his aunt died as a result of hiding a deviant baby. He is frightened that he might get killed if he is discovered. Therefore, he prays to God to take away his telepathic gift so he could be like every normal person. “Oh God…please, please let me be like the other people, on’t you make it so that I wake up in the morning, I’ll be just like everyone else, please, God please!”

David Strorm’s reaction towards Anne’s marriage was shocking. Anne was part of the telepathic group who decided to get married. David was very shocked that Anne was going to marry a norm. “For one thing, the man was Alan Ervin…” He is also very frightened because she would reveal to her husband, her secret and the group’s secret. Therefore, David meets his uncle and decides to take a grave decision. He decides to kill Anne but his uncle decides to kill Alan so the group might be free.

David Strorm’s reaction towards his father and the Inspector interrogating him about Sophie showed David’s loyalty for Sophie. He promised to keep her secret no matter the circumstances. Joseph Strorm shouted at his son because he knows his son was lying. David knows that his father was going to beat him. “…I knew too that with my father’s present mood, it would happen whether I told or not. David was beaten for hiding Sophie. In conclusion, David is a very considerate boy. He had desperate reactions in The Chrysalids, which he had to take certain decisions wisely.

Conclusion

In the Chrysalids by John Wyndham, how characters react in moments of desperation reveals insights into their true nature. John Wyndham stated a
lot of characters with their reactions in moments of desperation. Joseph Strorm and David Storm are part of the examples of characters in The Chrysalids that had reactions in moments of desperation. These are the two major characters in the book that had many reactions in desperate moments. Generally, everyone in the world have different reactions either good or bad towards moments of desperation. This occurs in John Wyndham’s novel, The Chrysalids.