THE CHRYSALIDS The chrysalids teach the reader a very good moral in each chapter. The morals are lessons that tells the reader good and bad behavior. Good behavior isn't always good, and bad behavior isn't always bad. It always depends on the situation of the moral.
Chapter five was a situation with David, Sophie and Alan. David and Sophie were together until Alan arrived. Alan glanced at the sandy ground while looking at Sophie's footprints that included an extra toe on each foot (p.44). David flung himself on Alan angrily from asking all the stupid questions about Sophie's foot. To the naked eye this exemplifies bad behavior towards David for fighting with Alan. However, David obviously could not bear to see Sophie treated and humiliated like a deviant because of her feet. David surprisingly did a good deep for Sophie because David distracted Alan while Sophie could get away unknown from Alan.
Harriet Jacobs Marker
David Bowie & Band @ Area2 Festival
English: David and Isaac love Sophie the Giraffe! ...However before Sophie left she hit Alan with a stone. "I hit him"(Sophie 45). Therefore, again the situation turns into a bad one, but maybe Sophie was trying to save David from getting beat up. This particular situation tells the reader that to the naked eye its bad behavior going towards David and Sophie, but what it really tells us is that it's a good one because of the good deeds towards helping each other.
Chapter seven was a situation with Harriet needing a certificate of normalcy (p.73) because her child was a deviant. "Harriet! Are you going to tell me that you have not a certificate?"(David's mother 70). The only way that she could obtain that certificate was if she switched her baby with a non-devant, like her sister Emily. "It would only be for a day or two, just while I could get a certificate"(Aunt Harriet 71). Aunt Harriet's proposal was denied. Nobody in the house would support Harriet. They all said that they were ashamed of her. "You have the effrontery to bring your monster into my house?"(70). Even though Harriet's plan was not considered appropriate, the thought of her just trying to save her baby is considered good behavior. Harriet obviously cared a lot about her baby to go through all the trouble to get the certificate. Harriet committed good deeds just so she can keep her baby, even if it took her evil plan to action.
The next mourning, Harriet was found dead next to a river with her baby. Nobody knows how she died but maybe she killed herself. "When I saw her, I wanted to kill myself"(70). Also, Harriet had good reason to kill herself because her whole family turned against her. Nobody was supporting her, so Harriet left crying and the thought of killing herself was obviously a thought roaming in her mind. When she wanted to borrow the baby and fraudulently obtain a certificate, it was not a very honest way to do so. When reading about Harriet's proposal to borrow the baby, you immediately think that she isn't a very honest person. However thinking about the reasons for her evil plan was considered good because all she wanted was to keep her baby knowing she had a normal non-deviant one. David's mother had good reasons for yelling and denying Harriet's evil plan. "I would like to know why you have come here, why did you bring it here"(70). Nevertheless she wasn't being far. She was a part of family and didn't help or support her one bit during the discussion the family had. She could have at least helped her by thinking of another solution, or actually supporting her to her original plan, which might have not been elegant considering it was against the law.
English: Baby playing with Sophie the Giraffe.
English: Harriet Lane Johnston.