Out of the Silent Planet
Out of the Silent Planet is the first novel of a science fiction trilogy written by C. S. Lewis, sometimes referred to as the Space Trilogy or Ransom Trilogy. The other volumes are Perelandra and That Hideous Strength. A fragment of a sequel was published posthumously as The Dark Tower.
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2 Themes 3 Hrossa, Séroni, Pfifltriggi |
Warning: Plot details follow.
The protagonist, British university professor Elwin Ransom, is kidnapped by the novel's two villains, Weston and Devine, and taken to the planet Malacandra. According to a conversation he overhears on their spaceship, they plan to turn him over to some kind of hostile alien for some nameless purpose. Once on Malacandra, he escapes from his captors and briefly wanders alone before encountering the natives. He eventually finds that the planet is home to three intelligent races (the Hrossa, Séroni, and Pfifltriggi;) along with a mysterious class of nearly-invisible beings that do not seem to be restricted to any one planet (the Eldila). Ransom, a philologist, is able to learn the language of his hosts, the Hrossa. Ultimately he learns that the planet is in fact Mars, and that its civilization is far older than that of the Earth, the name of which in the Hross language translates as "silent planet".
After delaying too long because of fear, Ransom realizes he has to visit the planet's ruler. Instead of being a god who wants a sacrifice, the ruler or Oyarsa is a superior eldil who converses with Ransom. The Oyarsa humiliates Devine and especially Weston before permitting the three to return to Earth (if their supplies will hold out).
Lewis, an adult convert from atheism to Christianity, uses Out of the Silent Planet (along with the two succeeding novels in the trilogy) to convey philosophical ideas with Biblical foundations: in this novel, the idea of an ancient world that never experienced a fall from grace, in contrast to the history of our own world. The races of Malacandra have lived in complete peace for millions of years in a kind of Garden of Eden and find Ransom's descriptions of life on Earth difficult to comprehend. Lewis's description of the planet Mars is not particularly accurate from a purely factual standpoint (Lewis himself said as much in his essay "On Science Fiction") but is a poetic vision of what an innocent, unspoiled world might be like.
The hrossa (singular hross) resemble otters except that they are somewhat taller and thinner than humans. They specialize in arts such as dancing and poetry. Their technical level is very low, simply because they are not interested in raising it.
The séroni (singular sorn; the plural is sometimes given as sorns) are thin, fifteen-foot-high humanoids with coats of pale feathers and seven-fingered hands. They specialize in science and abstract learning. Their technical level is futuristically high, though they usually just design the machinery, which is then built by the pfifltriggi.
The Pfifltriggi (singular pfifltrig) have tapir-like heads (with a bulge at the back containing the brain) and frog-like bodies; they rest their arms on their elbows when at rest and sometimes when working with their hands. Their movements are quick and insectlike. They specialize in technology and plastic arts; they have futuristically high technical levels.
All three of these races are "unfallen": free of the tendency to evil and sin that plagues humans.Synopsis
Themes
Hrossa, Séroni, Pfifltriggi