Chapters 3 & 4

The novel has now shown us more about David's relationship with Sophie. It tells us that he has been  relaying to her what he learns in school, as she can't go to school for fear of being found out as a mutant. It particularly details that in Ethics class they are taught that everything different from how the Old people did or had things is sin and that the goal of humanity is to reach where the Old people were in order to create a perfect society. I think that this shows a kind of laziness in the current society. They do not want to make their own way but instead just want to see what the Old people have done and follow it. It could also show a fear of doing something wrong or missing out. They see everything "new", not what the Old people had, as very incorrect, even unholy.

Joseph's, David's father's, outrage at David's mere comment that he would have been able to bandage himself up if he had another arm shows how deeply religious Joseph is. It was immediately apparent to everyone who was present that his father would react this way, showing that he is known for this kind of belief and behaviour. Of particular note is the part of the novel where David discusses the incident between his father and his half-uncle, Angus. This particular incident involved Angus' acquisition of two giant horses. These horses, standing "twenty-six hands at the shoulder", were clear deviations from Joseph's point of view but not by Angus' or the inspector's. After Joseph gets heated up, the inspector brings up an old incident involving the killing of the Daker's cat which was eventually proved not to be a deviation. There are many other examples that prove Joseph to be a zealot, with no respect for any view that deviates from is own.

I positively adore the giant horses. I think that, firstly, the are freaking sick and, secondly, a perfect example of deviation that cannot be seen from the exterior of a creature. I have thought about the fact that they kill any creature that shows signs of deviation, but that they could not know whether something had six pancreases or three hearts. Furthermore, a creature could contain the genes for a mutation without developing the mutation itself, such as a size increase in the case of the giant horses. This would lead to it being declared as a non-deviation when, in fact, it was a mutation caused by radiation or adaptation to the new world environment.