The human race can be very interesting to the extent that even they don't know. There are times when they know what they want and there are times when they follow what they have been told even when their beliefs were intact. Those who choose their own path, however, are what can lead the earth to a far better place and destination. Who teaches what is right? Will it be wrong to follow? If they do choose their own path, will it be for the better? God does not choose the path for them, he is just a guide. It is the human race that can cause mayhem and destruction they cause their own future and how well it is formed. The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham, is a novel about hope and not despair.
First off, David Strorm never follows the beliefs of his family and society. David is a boy that is taught at the young age of 10 the ways of the life in Waknuk. When he met Sophie, a girl with 6 toes, she was considered a mutant. A mutant in their world is an imitation of God, the Devil trying to create was has already been created. They were known as pure evil and banished away to the fringes. When David understood why Sophie's 6 toes was a bad thing and knew he was supposed to report it, he didn't. He chooses not to because Sophie, in his mind, was like anyone else. He found nothing wrong with her at all. David had said, "I tried to explain that a person with a deviation - a small deviation at any rate - wasn't the monstrosity we had been told. It did not really make any difference - not to Sophie, at any rate"(53). By David keeping Sophie's 6 toes a secret, he had saved her life. This shows that David never follows the beliefs of his family and community. Another reason why David doesn't follow the beliefs is because when he eavesdropped on Harriet's and his mom's conversation, he finds out that his newly born baby cousin is a mutant and was more than upset when his mom told her to leave and didn't get her support.