Essay Edit

Hi everyone,
I was hoping someone could edit my essay. It's about the novel "The Chrysalids." It discusses how change is one of the most important themes of the novel and how it revolves are metamorphosis.

On the surface, the title choice of “The Chrysalids” seems very strange. Nothing to do with caterpillars, butterflies or chrysalids are mentioned at any time in the novel. Despite this, one of the most important elements in the story is change, and it revolves around metamorphosis.
First, examine the society of Waknuk by looking at the people who live there. The citizens are very isolated from the rest of the world. They have little knowledge of the outside world, and they have no desire to find out more about it. They don’t let things evolve naturally when they kill anything that is in the least bit different. This is because they are afraid of change. They like having things stay the same, and they don’t recognize that change is often a good thing that should be accepted. The people of Waknuk are in chrysalids in the way that they are in their own little enclosed world, just like a caterpillar during metamorphosis. Because the people find the absence of change comforting, they are trying to stay wrapped in their chrysalids forever. In other words, they want to stop the natural changes from happening. This lack of change in Waknuk makes it a very dystopian world.
Now, compare the societies of Waknuk and Sealand. In Waknuk change is feared and avoided, but in Sealand it’s clearly embraced. People who are different like David and his “think-picture” group are accepted as something normal people should strive to be like. “Not in Sealand. Petra shook her head. She [Sealand Woman] says that everybody there wants to make them, [think-pictures] and people who can’t do it much work hard to get better at it.” (pg. 145) In Waknuk, David and the people in his group are considered mutations that ought to be killed. The citizens of Sealand understand that the so called “differences” are often good things. Because of this, Sealand is a wonderful place. “A brighter sun than Waknuk ever knew poured down upon the wide blue sky where the lines of white-topped breakers crawled slowly to the beach.” (pg. 199)

The Sealand people are like majestic butterflies that have gone through the entire process of metamorphosis. At one point they were at the same stage as Waknuk, an isolated chrysalis. The difference was they didn’t purposefully try to stay in that one stage forever. They allowed the natural changes and progressions to happen, and as a result they became something much more beautiful. The Sealand woman said ‘‘The essential quality of life is living; the essential quality of living is change; change is evolution; and we are a part of it.” (pg. 196)
David and Rosalind are people who have a desire to leave the enclosed world of Waknuk. This is evident throughout the novel. They are both trapped inside chrysalids like everyone else in Waknuk because of traditional people like Joseph Strorm. Once both of them are rescued by the Sealand woman in the last chapter they are able to escape from their chrysalids that were imposed on them by the Waknuk society. They are able to become free and beautiful butterflies.
In conclusion, I think the author is saying that change can often lead to something good and it should be accepted more eagerly in our society today. Metamorphosis is very significant in relation to the novel even though it isn’t mentioned. In the book there is an example of a society where change is rejected, and than another society where it’s accepted. It’s not hard to tell which one is the better place. Waknuk is like a caterpillar stuck in a chrysalid, but Sealand is a magnificent butterfly, that was once a caterpillar but it chose to accept change. Which one do you think is better?