The idea of the unknown takes one out of reality and into a state of terror! This novel Out of The Silent Planet by C.S Lewis was a novel not just about going to mars and out in space but C.S Lewis brings the readers in by his amazing known connection to religion. The novel is based on a man that has a job in which he was trying to find somewhere to sleep but runs into a very big problem. The novel has action filled imagery along with C.S Lewis integrating religion. Through Out of The Silent Planet C.S Lewis uses faith, imagery, and christian beliefs in order to show religion.
The first theme that really strikes in the book is imagery. What is imagery? It is the use of very visually descriptive writing that can be seen, which C.S Lewis uses many times through the novel. An example of a visually descriptive image is “He had read of space at the back of his thinking linked the dismantle fante of the black, cold vanculy the outer declines who was supposed to separate the worlds” (Lewis 38). In the novel Lewis’s imagery explains in detail which he describes the scenes very well.
On how he says it is fante of the black, it is cold and unsettling. Making all his words count in such a way every reader can see what he is writing. In Out of The Silent Planet it seems like he is not in a good state of life and is feeling nervous of being taken to unknown planet in which it is dark, cold and unsettling. Another piece of evidence in imagery and relate also in religion in which is seen. On how it is an evil dark place which Ransom struggles for his fate. ““Eventually, Weston arrives in a new spaceship, and he unwittingly brings with him and evil temper, soon Ransom struggles for the ate in the new world” (Downing 1). Lewis describes vividly on how Random is struggling to survive and Weston brings his evil temper because he wants to save humans.
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As it portrays in the novel Weston is selfish in which he would not sacrifice himself but he would sacrifice Ransom if aliens of mars wanted to conversate in which as another imagery scene he use on how that meant if the aliens would start killing he would sacrifice Ransom even though he said he was “Loyal”. There is also a portray in the novel of what he believe in Christianity which he believes in God, so when Lewis says “He felt a lift and lightning” (Lewis 29). He really means it and believes that God is helping him get through the ups and downs of his circumstance, to survive the unknown. Ransom really struggles after leaving the humans, becomes “lost” and hears many strange noises that results in fear for his life.
Lewis wants to put the reader in an imaginational setting with religion to help realize how bad the fear of unknown is until you can talk to God and for him to help you with challenges that you can overcome. “But he really hopes to “baptize the imagination” of his readers, to make them wonder if there are not indeed unseen realities not accounted for by the modern, materialistic worldview” (Downing 8). In the novel Lewis made great examples of connection between religion for us in Christianity just as in the novel on mars had Malacandra which is like God for Catholics.
On Mars there was now God and just other “Spiritual Images” like Malacandra, “There was no sound of pursuit, rare belief in God” (Lewis 57). “However C,S Lewis is primarily interested in developing a religious allegory that stitches christian ideology to the value of religious faith to his readers” (Downing 2). Altogether Lewis is known for his imagery on how detailed he is in all of his novels especially Out of The Silent Planet where the reader can see everything they read. By both the previous quotes are example that Lewis wants the readers to understand christianity. Lewis is a faithful christian that gives the reader a way to be interacting and thinking in a different way than just reading a uneventful novel. Lewis wants to have his novels to have readers accept, have an open mind about christian ways and different views for religion that can help people.
The next major theme in the novel is christian beliefs. Lewis gives the readers a way to be more into the novel by the journey of Ransom of the fear of the unknown and how the belief in God, religion can help you in a challenging and or fearful situation. “They were falling out of the heavens into a world” (Lewis 29). They landed on Mars which does not look like heaven. But for a while C.S Lewis portrayed they might be going to heaven. Lewis had a view on how God was taking him into heaven. Many people just started to learn more indeep christianity and religion at the time of he wrote it many people were learning it and people could not reject it. Lewis just wanted to give another viewpoint. “Apparent in Lewis’s earliest work of fiction Out of the Silent Planet hiding the christian images references was easier than it was later in his career. He is well known as a defender of the christian faith” (Schakel 4). This explains how he really used christian beliefs many times throughout his books and had many pieces of hidden christian beliefs shown through his books.
Christian belief is shown in the novel by believing in faith and how Lewis was younger he loved faith and planets. Placing many themes and events that the reader can think and view from what they believe. Also that Malacandra which is mars has the same God as Earth. Lewis race against time from oyarsa saying “Space ship will destroy in 90 days” (Lewis 49). Lewis also portrays Ransom as his character in which he believes in God which he puts in as mars and leaving earth as going to heaven. God will guide him to safety as God and Jesus in a unrealistic world just as in mars and Oyarsa. Overall it is how Ransom thinks of heaven and mars is a Kingdom. “Lewis again underscores the difference between the ancient pictures of the heavens and our perception of outer space” (Gaydosik 6). To Illustrate what it is all about perception and how you want to have your view in this novel, but to him he wants us to portray as a christian. Going into heaven, but to any other person it could just be as simple as going to outer space.
This however gives the reader suspense on the race against time before it is destroyed by the Oyarsa, but also the faith that Ransom believes they will safely make it back. “When he saw space the thought it was heaven and declared it glory”(Lewis 40). As talked about in the novel Ransom feels better when in space “Heaven” even better than Earth . Overall “Lewis revels a dry, donnish wit, enjoyable even to readers who don’t share his religious beliefs” (McLemme 2). This shows how Lewis is really into his religious writing and many other enjoy the different views in the novel. Altogether, christian belief was used to open the reader’s mind to give different views on how different planets were used as dark and bad places but then it turned out that Ransom liked outer space and believe in more than just earth and see other planets believe in christianity.
Through every challenging situation and daily life on mars Lewis was the character Ransom in the novel who provided outlooks of faith. This was a prime theme through the novel. A example that Lewis portrayed was that it shows faith because of how Mel means evil which is faith based. Evil and God are different, they are trying to run away from evil and stay with God. “There is Melidil coming to us over the water” (Lewis 44). In the novel eldil is a non visible character that is like a spirit. He says that Ransom has to go talk to Oyarsa and he has to beauce the eldil is like the president or leader of the planet. a messenger and is going after “Walking across the water to Ransom during Hunt the eldil functions as the devil” (Christopher 1). Eldil is an evil character because of how he has taken Ransom and forcing him to never have a way back to Earth.
Through the novel Lewis gives the readers through Ransom a way that is an expression of worriedness that he is trying to get the lords attention to help him through the challenge of trying to get back to Earth. “Thus saith the lord” (Lewis 122). Lewis targets on how we as good catholics we need to be a positive impact in the world and give off what we can to improve the world. But when we do something that is bad and is a sin it is considered a fall of man. “In short, Lewis emphasizes on the fallen nature of mankind in this book”(Gaydoski 5). There are not all good people in the world and some people influence others into sin. Lewis has many characters that influence other and is not human.
Faith was a way that influence the reader. Lewis was always trying to have the readers think and view ideas in new ways. “If we could even effect in one percent of our readers a change over from conception of space into conception of heaven, we should have made a beginning” (Downing 1). Lewis wanted to have the reader at the end believe that space was really conception of heaven. In the novel it ended in a dull way on how Lewis came into the novel to say it was over. Ransom did not want to tell anyone because he thought he was just dreaming, but Lewis still came out with the novel to see through the eyes of ransom and what faith helped him “return”
Through Out of the Silent Planet C.S Lewis places faith, Images, and christian beliefs in the book to religion. Lewis through the novel gives great examples of what the three major themes were. Lewis also showed how if you have an open mind that it is a great novel on a journey with great details of imagery and christian beliefs. He wanted to convert all his reader to christianity. Overall Lewis through Ransom is faced with the fear of the unknown but resulted in a good journey and safe returned or was it a dream?. After all Ransom likes space and when he dies he wants to become part of space and not just on Earth doing nothing, he now was open minded to religion and different beliefs that changed his view to love space.
Works Cited
Christopher, Joe R. “C. S. Lewis (Excerpt).” Classic Science Fiction Writers, Chelsea House, 2018.
Downing, David C. “The Recovered Image: Elements of Classicism and Medievalism.” C.S. Lewis, Chelsea House, 2006.
Gaydosik, Victoria. “Space Trilogy.” Encyclopedia of the British Novel, 2-Volume Set, Second Edition, Facts On File, 2013.Gaydosik, Victoria.
McLEMEE, Scott “The 3 Sides Of C.S. Lewis” The Chronicle of Higher Education; Washington Vol 47 Iss 45, 2001
Schakel, Peter J. “Hidden Images of Christ in the Fiction of C. S. Lewis.” Studies in the Literary Imagination, vol. 46, no. 2, 2013, pp. 1–18., doi:10.1353/sli.2013.0010.
