Deborah
ENGL 3850-02N
Sci-Fi Lit
Dr. Coats
Feb. 27, 1997
Out of the Silent Planet
C. S. Lewis wrote Out of the Silent Planet in 1938, before he wrote the Narnian Chronicles. He writes in the confident manner of the English gentleman: assured that his grasp of the language is shared by his reader and telling a fantastic story with a sense of wonder and reverence. This is a refreshing cadence; a change from the methodical story-telling of H.G.Wells and the breakneck speed of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is a walking trip across Mars. One meets the natives, learns to speak their language, sees and appreciates the local flora and fauna, participates in their customs and does not attempt to impose his own Anglo-centric views upon them. When one leaves, one gathers up his picnic rubbish and that of the previous careless picnicker. There is no permanent intrusion upon the landscape by the walker, for that would be the height of rudeness.
I can honestly say that this is my favorite book this semester. I have read all of the books in the Chronicles of Narnia series, and am now looking forward to reading the other books in this series. C. S. Lewis' writing style is very soothing and comforting to me. His cadence reminds me of a waltz compared to the brassy march of Wells' War of the Worlds or ERB's reel-like A Princess of Mars. He has the assured manner of the storyteller who knows the story that he is telling is a very good one. He will not compromise the quality of his story or stoop to cheap parlor tricks to "grab" his audience.
Malacandra- Mars, to Terrans- is shown as an extremely balanced, self-sufficient, peaceful planet. It has beautiful vistas that are very similar to the Lake Counties in England. The inhabitants of Malacandra are diverse in manner, behavior, and philosophy. They realize that a delicate balance exists on their planet in their best interests. Refusal to exist within the
balance would collapse the delicate web. But non-cooperation is not a concept that they do not recognize or tolerate. Humans are dirty, angry invaders who kill and speak down to the Malacandrans. Even though Ransom learns and appreciates their way of life, he is sent back to Earth with Devine and Weston.
One moment in this book that stood out for me was a conversation between a group of young sorn and Dr. Ransom. They were attempting to increase their knowledge of his planet in order to understand the logic of its inhabitants.
They were astonished at what he had to tell them of human history- of war,
slavery and prostitution.
"It is because they have no Oyarsa," said one of the pupils. "It is because every
one of them wants to be a little Oyarsa himself," said Augray (p 102).
This is very indicative of two points: The Malacandrans know and accept their place in the web, while Humans fight for supremacy. They pity us for our sad struggle without direction or order.
Out of the Silent Planet is a nice change of pace for a novel about Mars. Its inhabitants do not want to invade us or be changed by us. They regard us with pity but do not wish to get involved with our problems. The young want to understand us if only to explain our strange behaviors. The Utopian society of Malacandra, with its balanced ecosystem, will not tolerate
intrusion by crude humans of a "bent" god. The narrator tells his story quietly, without shouting from the rooftops or browbeating the message into our heads. All in all, this is, in my opinion, one of the better novels about Mars.