The Chrysalids is a post-nuclear apocalypse story of genetic mutation in a devastated world and explores the lengths the intolerant will go to keep themselves pure. In describing his grandfather, David states that Elias came from the East. His grandfather may have left his homeland because of their “ungodly ways”, but David suggests Elias may have been forced out. Elias, at age 45, arrived in the area that is now Waknuk before it was developed. He found a young lovely wife, who died soon after their second son was born. Elias raised his son, Joseph Strorm, with a strong faith, both from the Bible and from Nicholson’s Repentances. David describes his father as a man of "local consequence” who preaches in the local church. He married David’s mother because their views were in harmony with one another.

There are a few weaknesses to the book - the "wise uncle" character is a bit too good and knowledgeable to be true, and once our characters are on the run, the plot feels a bit rushed... but... John Wyndham’s novel The Chrysalids is a famous example of 1950s Cold War science fiction, but its portrait of a community driven to authoritarian madness by its overwhelming fear of difference – in this case, of genetic mutations in the aftermath of nuclear war – finds its echoes in every society.”– The Scotsman On the way home, David suddenly realizes that in his religion’s texts, it states that any person who falls outside of the guidelines of the correct number of body parts, etc., is not considered human and is considered a “Blasphemy against God.” David is puzzled and perturbed: he does not understand how it would be possible that Sophie is not an ordinary little girl.When I recall that day, I can certainly think of many similar situations. Some that occurred more in my head than in the three-dimensional world, but some were unmistakably pronounced enough to be etched in my mind forever. What is it, I ask myself, that makes me different? Is it my height, my unplaceable accent or my beard that made me stand out? Perhaps it is the colour of my skin. Or maybe it is the fact that I speak other languages that remain as cryptic to those pub-goers as their silent inquisitiveness was to me.

If you've yet to savour THE CHRYSALIDS, a perennial front runner in the field of soft science fiction, I can't think of a better time than right now. Highly recommended indeed. Walton, Jo (27 October 2008). "Telepathy and Tribulation: John Wyndham's The Chrysalids". Tor.com . Retrieved 11 March 2017. David has internalized his own abnormality, which no one else can see, and already feels he is an outsider even though people in his family do not know about his special ability. David feels at-risk for doing something wrong, such as revealing something about himself that is abnormal, like the dreams he has. In Chapter 3, David dresses a wound on his hand and exclaims he wishes he had a third hand so he could do it himself; as a result, his father punishes him. Thus David lives in a world in which even small steps outside of the accepted boundaries of normality–such as a dream or a wish–can make one subject to punishment.Petra Strorm is the youngest of the Strorm children. The group of telepaths discovers that her ability is extraordinarily strong and difficult to resist, placing the group at greater risk of discovery. However, despite this rigid upbringing, David doesn't fully cooperate, and sometimes when he meets others who have a deviation he ends up helping them rather than turning them in. This may be due to the fact that David has his own sort of Deviation, something the adults of his community can't see, and it's something he has to keep hidden. His friends and sister, Rosalind, Petra, Rachel, Michael etc. are also going to be in trouble if he can't keep his secrets hidden... Perfect timing, astringent humour. . . one of the few authors whose compulsive readability is a compliment to the intelligence' Spectator

If you enjoyed The Chrysalids, you might like Arthur Miller's The Crucible, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. The book does a superlative job of exploring the psychology of hatred, including the motivations behind it, while making a cogent, compelling argument for diversity in all its forms: what makes us human is not the physical form of our bodies, our gender, or even how we think, but something deeper than that. However, any 'message' is delicately understated, and the ending brings a beautifully structured ambiguity to it: MAJOR SPOILER David's father, and the village, regard mutants as less-than-human, to be destroyed. But when the psychic mutants from across the radioactive wastes sweep in, deus-ex-machina-like, to rescue Petra, the children may be delighted - but the reader can see that these more-advanced people, in turn, regard Humanity 1.0 as mere animals. David and Petra are disturbingly ready to accept their justifications for actions that may seem to us completely ethically unjustifiable. We are left wondering what David's - and even Petra's - place in this promised brave new world will really be. There are no answers - it's left up to the reader to decide.Michael is the most objective, perceptive and decisive of the telepaths, the best educated, and in many ways plays a leading role in the group despite his physical absence from events in the story. His telepathic abilities remain secret, and during the pursuit into the Fringes he joins the leading posse to give updates and warnings to David, Rosalind and Petra as they flee. Rachel is the last remaining telepath in Waknuk after David, Rosalind and Petra depart to Zealand. As her own elder sister who was also a telepath had committed suicide earlier in the book, her possible fate of being left alone whilst the others depart carries even greater pathos. As an act of heroism, commitment and love, Michael remains behind with Rachel when they find out that the aircraft bringing the four of the telepaths to Zealand does not have enough fuel to also collect Rachel from Waknuk and get home again. He declares his intention to find some other way to come to Zealand with Rachel at some future time.

A powerful post-apocalyptic allegory of persecution and intolerance, the Penguin Modern Classics edition of John Wyndham's science fiction masterpiece The Day of the Triffids contains an introduction by M. John Harrison. But David comes to realize talking of dreams might have dire consequences since his village of Waknuk judges any eccentricity, any departure from the one, true proscribed way to be and act in this world as a defiance to God demanding the harshest punishment: banishment to the deadly wild fringes outside the village or being put to death, usually a protracted, agonizing death in public to serve as a warning for all to maintain the norm.Chapter 15 begins by David waking up to see Sophie, who saved him and now brings him to her cave/home. Sophie is Gordon Strorm’s romantic partner, and she is jealous that Gordon wants Rosalind over her, because Sophie was sterilized and cannot have children. Sophie rescues Rosalind and Petra from Gordon’s tent by killing the guard watching them.