The Chrysalids

The Chrysalids (U.S. title: Re-Birth) is a science-fiction novel (ISBN 0748742867) by John Wyndham, first published in 1955. It is the least typical of Wyndham's major novels, but is often, along with The Day of the Triffids, cited as his best.

Overview

The story takes place in post-apocalypse rural Labrador, Canada, at an unspecified point in the far future, and evidently a warmer place than it is at present. The inhabitants of Labrador have vague memories of "The Old People", a more advanced civilization which existed long before them (seemingly 20th century society) who they believe were destroyed when God sent "Tribulation" to the world. This Tribulation took the form of some kind of unspecified nuclear fallout, which destroyed large portions of the world and contaminated the remainder with devastating radiation which causes widespread mutation. The society that has survived in the town of Waknuk, loosely reminiscent of the American frontier of about the 18th century, believes that in order to follow God's word and prevent another Tribulation, they need to preserve purity among the humans, plants and animals that have survived.

The story is narrated by a boy, David Strorm, who goes through some very disturbing experiences when he meets Sophie, a girl who is concealing the fact that she has 12 toes. Later, along with certain other children his age, he discovers he has telepathic abilities. Growing up in the Labrador society, David and his fellow telepaths gradually realize that their abilities technically make them mutants. The fact that their mutation cannot be directly detected allows them to live within the society for a time, but not indefinitely, which becomes more apparent as they age, and one of them attempts to adopt a normal life.

Context within Wyndham's work

While Wyndham tells this story with his characteristic dry humour, The Chrysalids has some major differences from the rest of Wyndham's major novels. While the rest are set in a contemporary English middle-class background, this is set in a future society, described in some detail. Also, although most of his novels have a first person narrator, usually that of an observer, The Chrysalids is more of a bildungsroman, tracing the development of the central character from childhood.

Themes

The nature of the future

A major theme of the narrative is the unravelling of the setting of the book, namely where and when the action takes place, and what has happened between our age and the age described to bring this society about. These details are revealed gradually throughout the book, rather than right away, developing concurrently with the plot. Their town of Waknuk is first revealed to be part of a region called Labrador, near the island of Newf.

Through the stories of Uncle Axel, a former sailor, Wyndham's comment on a possible course of the future is revealed. Some kind of nuclear fallout has taken place, presumably centred around the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. The fallout (presumably far back in time) is still devastating the world, via contamination which leads to the widespread mutations felt in Labrador, although Uncle Axel tells David at one point that, contradicting what the church claims, the areas of high-rate mutation are giving way to areas of low-rate mutation.

Later on, the existence of areas not particularly affected is established, namely New Zealand ("Zealand" in the book, which the Newfoundlanders insist must be "Sealand" due to a lack of the letter "z" in the Waknuk alphabet). This area, apparently far removed from where all the main nuclear fallout occurred, has become a sort of natural refuge for those such as David and his friends who have managed to develop useful mutations. In particular, Zealand is home to a society where telepathy is the norm, and encouraged and developed as a survival advantage.

Political commentary

Though the nature of "Tribulation" is not explicitly stated, it is implied that it was actually a nuclear holocaust, both by the mutations, and by the stories of sailors who report blackened, glassy wastes to the south (presumably present-day USA) where the remains of cities can be seen and which glow faintly in the night. Sailors passing too close to these lands experience symptoms similar to radiation sickness. A woman from New Zealand, a character with some knowledge of the past, mentions "the power of gods in the hands of children", corroborated by Wyndham's statements in interviews that the setting of the novel was a world devastated by "atomic bombs." In this way The Chrysalids can be interpreted as an anti-nuclear novel.

Change

Towards the end of the novel, when the characters' discussion becomes more philosophical, it becomes clear that the main difference between the opposing cultures depicted throughout the book is their view on change, though this is also sometimes interpreted as a representation of David maturing.

Criticisms of the book

Although it is widely regarded as a science fiction classic, some criticisms of the book have been made (see the reviews below). Structurally, it is to some extent two stories linked together, the Sophie episode, which demonstrates the very disturbing nature of Labrador society, and the emergence of the community of telepaths. The intervention of the Sealand people at the end could also be considered a deus ex machina. Critics have disagreed with Wyndham's claims that two intelligences must necessarily fight each other to the death, a claim which he also makes in The Kraken Wakes and The Midwich Cuckoos, but which is rather at odds with the implicit plea for tolerance of difference in the earlier part of the novel.

Trivia

The novel has been adapted for radio by the BBC.
The song Crown of Creation by Jefferson Airplane is a concept album inspired by the novel. Many of its lyrics come from the book.

External links

1955 novels | Science fiction novels | Post-apocalyptic fiction

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