The Chrysalids

David Strorm is the novel’s protagonist and narrator. He is 10 years old when the story begins but speaks from a place of hindsight in his adulthood. This presents internal dramatic irony, where David narrates knowing what will happen next and the flaws in his logic, but the David he speaks of does not. David’s worldview slowly begins to unravel and transform as he meets new people, learns about the world, and witnesses the extent of his father’s violent discrimination. It begins when he meets Sophie and starts to see contradictions between what he was taught growing up about the true image of God and what he knows about Sophie. David is punished by his father for spending time with her and feels immense guilt and responsibility when Sophie is found. He feels this same sense of responsibility for the other telepaths, particularly Rosalind and his younger sister, Petra. David is also a telepath, and as he grows up, his abilities become stronger and more skillful. At first, David seems to be the only person who views deviations as harmless, but it is not long before he changes the minds of the other telepaths, hears of alternative perspectives from Uncle Axel, and eventually meets and speaks with the Fringe people.