Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis

I am a fervent admirer of C.S. Lewis, so naturally, when I came upon a sci-fi series of his, I had to read it. The first book is very hauntingly titled Out of the Silent Planet (this will make sense later, I promise). The story is about a man, Dr. Ransom, who ends up being kidnapped and taken on a journey to another planet, Malacandra. During his time on this planet he gets to know the three different sentient species and, more importantly, the spiritual beings which watch over the planet. It is through these encounters that Lewis is able to convey his points by contrasting humanity with the world of the aliens.

I think it's important to realize that C.S. Lewis is quite the moralist, philosopher, and theologian. The Chronicles of Narnia seem to be his crowning achievement, and rightfully so. I've yet to hear a sermon which impresses upon me the wonders of God and important points of theology as those children's stories can do. Well, as expected, in Out of the Silent Planet he artfully teaches about God and Man's place, while raising profound questions in the reader's mind.

On the topic of God, there are three kinds of beings in the novel: the Eldil, Oyarsa, and Maleldil. The Eldil are a spiritual type of being invisible to only the humans which closely resonate with the reader as Angels. Oyarsa is a being which rules over the planet and seems to be an Arch Angel. Maleldil is God. Most interesting is Lewis' explanation of  the spiritual beings. They seem to us to be invisible and not physical - that is, able to pass through solid things - because they move in heaven which exists everywhere. Ransom learns that the locals call Earth the Silent Planet because there is no Oyarsa there. At one time there was, but he became bent - that is, bad. This makes me think of Paradise Lost and the fall of Satan along with the fall of Man. His work is very interesting in its angelology.

He also covers a variety of other topics. The three species on Malacandra live together in harmony and Ransom has a difficult time understanding that no one species dominates the other, rather the Oyarsa rules them. When it comes to reproducing, the species are naturally monogamous and they do not desire to fornicate for pleasure's sake, which makes the notion of overpopulation and lack of food unthinkable to the alien species. They do not fear death, for they all understand that they go on to heaven. In fact, the idea that a species should live forever is completely shot down. Why should they?

This was the hardest part for me to swallow in the novel, since I, myself, am very prone to the idea that mankind can surmount all odds and will one day rule the stars. One of Ransom's kidnappers goes to Malacandra with the intent to have it be the start of colonizing the planets so that mankind will live on in spite of the inevitable end of the Earth. Of course, though this seems a noble cause to me, he is shown to be silly, since why would a species long to live forever, especially at the cost of another species. My humanist views are slowly being eroded by looking at the universe more. I think that's why the setting is on a different planet, and in space. Turning the reader's gaze to the heavens serves to emphasize the insignificance of mere mortal man.

Perhaps the point that weighs heaviest in the novel is that of Natural Hierarchy. I have said earlier that the three species co-exist peacefully. It is because they all serve the Eldil, Oyarsa, and Maleldil. This reminds me of Alexander Pope's An Essay on Man, in which is explained in great detail this very hierarchy and why man ought to take pleasure in knowing his place, not curse it. The hierarchy is not as we would think of it, one of dominance, but one of love rather. Ransom explains a sense of being humbled and shy in the presence of the Eldil and they are described as protecting him.

Overall this book was a great read, it was short, exciting as far as story went, and full of great ideas. The best part was the descriptions of the interplay between the different species and the way that Lewis made the planet come alive. He even ends the novel with an explanation about how it came to be. Ransom had asked him to write it as a fiction because otherwise no one would believe him. This makes me think of The Screwtape Letters also by C.S. Lewis, since he pretends the content of that work to be real as well. I have to say I like his style of immersion. I will move on to the next book in the series, Perelandra.