Perelandra Chap. 5 - pt. 3
Posted: November 25th, 2004, 6:45 am
This particular chapter study has really gone adrift, like Perelandra's floating islands. So I will now tie it all down.
Up to this point Ransom has been conversing with the Green Lady from across a narrow strait between the island he is on and the one occupied by her. When he asks her permission to cross over to "her island" she asks him "Which do you call my island?". apparently she has no idea of ownership. This is odd because she also knows that she is the Queen of her world. Maybe Lewis is trying to show that there is more to royalty than material possesions. After Ransom swims over he takes a nap and the conversation is continued.
It proves to be a very frustrating conversation for Ransom as he attempts to get a straight answer about who the King is. Apparently the Green Lady and her male companion are the first couple to populate Perelandra. To make matters more confusing, the Green Lady thinks that Ransom is also the King of his own world. When he explains to her that our own "Queen" (Eve) died long ago, the Green Lady suddenly understood Ransom's situation. She also changed her attitude towards him as a mere commoner. I found this rather odd since as a lone Queen she has no experience in talking down to the lower classes. I would have imagined she would have an almost democratic view of her world's future community. Yet Lewis notes that her tone of vioce changes apon hearing this news from Ransom. I realize that she is not simply putting on airs and that there should be no need for false modesty in such an unfallen world. Maybe it's Lewis' British background that made him comfortable with this attitude about class (Yes, I know CSL was from Northern Ireland).
Another awkward passage in this chapter was when it was noted that the Green Lady's prescence elevated the position of the animals around her from pets to slaves. I would have thought that pets were more highly regarded than people held in servitude. But I suppose that Lewis is trying to say that the animals were made almost human by her contact with them.
And yet the most disturbing comment made by the Green Lady has to be when she suggests to Ransom that he may have been sent by Maleldil to teach her about death. Ransom is at a loss for words to explain the gravity of it to her.
Up to this point Ransom has been conversing with the Green Lady from across a narrow strait between the island he is on and the one occupied by her. When he asks her permission to cross over to "her island" she asks him "Which do you call my island?". apparently she has no idea of ownership. This is odd because she also knows that she is the Queen of her world. Maybe Lewis is trying to show that there is more to royalty than material possesions. After Ransom swims over he takes a nap and the conversation is continued.
It proves to be a very frustrating conversation for Ransom as he attempts to get a straight answer about who the King is. Apparently the Green Lady and her male companion are the first couple to populate Perelandra. To make matters more confusing, the Green Lady thinks that Ransom is also the King of his own world. When he explains to her that our own "Queen" (Eve) died long ago, the Green Lady suddenly understood Ransom's situation. She also changed her attitude towards him as a mere commoner. I found this rather odd since as a lone Queen she has no experience in talking down to the lower classes. I would have imagined she would have an almost democratic view of her world's future community. Yet Lewis notes that her tone of vioce changes apon hearing this news from Ransom. I realize that she is not simply putting on airs and that there should be no need for false modesty in such an unfallen world. Maybe it's Lewis' British background that made him comfortable with this attitude about class (Yes, I know CSL was from Northern Ireland).
Another awkward passage in this chapter was when it was noted that the Green Lady's prescence elevated the position of the animals around her from pets to slaves. I would have thought that pets were more highly regarded than people held in servitude. But I suppose that Lewis is trying to say that the animals were made almost human by her contact with them.
And yet the most disturbing comment made by the Green Lady has to be when she suggests to Ransom that he may have been sent by Maleldil to teach her about death. Ransom is at a loss for words to explain the gravity of it to her.