Summary of a science fiction story "The Chrysalids".Imagine living in a world where an extra toe on a newborn will
automatically result in the death of the baby, a pig with more hair
than normal will be put down, and corn kernels that are not in
perfectly formed rows will necessitate burning an entire field. This
world exists in John Wyndham''s novel, The Chysalids.
This is the world of David Strorm, the main character in the
novel. As a young child, he often dreamed of a city filled with objects
considered fantastical in his world, such as flying machines and carts
that move without horses. However, as David grows older, he realizes
that he has the ability to communicate telepathically with certain
other children. This ability means that David would be considered to be
a Blasphemy in his community. David does not understand the severity of such status until he
meets Sophie, a girl who was born with an extra toe on each foot. David
befriends Sophie and keeps her secret. When her secret is discovered by
another boy in the district, Sophie and her family are forced to flee.
As a result David realizes that, if his secret is discovered, he will
suffer dire consequences. As David gets older, he and the other telepathic children
master the use of their abilities. David''s forward-thinking uncle,
Axel, becomes aware of David''s telepathic power; he makes several
efforts to convince David that the extra ability is something worth
having, but must be concealed. The others agree to keep their secret,
and they are able to live normally for some years. The secret is threatened when one of the others, Anne, chooses
to marry a normal (non-telepath) man; although Anne attempts to
renounce her powers, her husband eventually discovers the truth,
putting the lives and David and his fellows in danger. Another risk
emerges when it becomes evident that David''s little sister, Petra,
possesses far greater powers of telepathy. Petra''s thought projection
is painfully strong and usually involuntary; she is young, and her
powers are tied directly to her emotions. When she gets upset, she
becomes a compulsive beacon, drawing the others to her. This creates a
potentially dangerous situation. Members of the community become aware of David''s powers, and
he must flee with Petra and his girlfriend, Rosalind, who has also been
revealed as telepathic. They must make a dangerous journey in search of
a region where no one knows who they are, or why they left their home. On their journey, Petra begins communicating with a woman in a
faraway land, who promises to send help. She also promises to bring
them to Sealand, a land which is populated by telepathic people. David
and the girls must avoid the posse from their district that continues
to pursue them, and are captured the Fringe people, a group of exiled
Blasphemies who seek revenge. Themes examined in The Chrysalids include the
inevitability of change, man''s inhumanity to his fellow man,
ignorance, and bigotry. Despite being over 50 years old, the ideas
expressed in this science-fiction novel are still timely today. This
novel is an excellent reader for individuals who are avid readers of
classic science-fiction.