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Perelandra Chap. 8

An archived study of the second book of Lewis' theological science fiction Space Trilogy.

Perelandra Chap. 8

Postby Kanakaberaka » January 6th, 2005, 12:15 am

Synopsis - Ransom awakes to find Weston has left the fixed island, something he can not belive possible considering Weston's condition. Ransom eventualy leaves the island for an orange floating island with the help of one of those huge silver fishes. On the way over Ransom observes humanlike aquantic beings and speculates on the origin of the King and Queen of Perelandra. Finally the fish brings Ransom to a floating island and Ransom is exhausted. He awakes in the dark to eavesdrop on a conversation between the Greeen Lady and someone he thinks might be Weston. The posessed Weston attempts to convince the Green Lady that life on the fixed land would be in her interest as well as the King's. He fails to do so, and Ransom goes back to sleep relived that disaster has been avoided.
This chapter appears to be Genesis revisited. I know, all of Perelandra seems to be a retelling of the opening chapters of Genesis. But chapter 8 focuses on two critical details. The first is the subject of evolution/creation, or more specificly the origin of the Adam and Eve of Perelandra. It's just a casual observaion from the back of helpfull fish, but it gives depth to the story. (Hmmm... Depth from the depths of the Perelandran ocean, but I digress) Ransom notes that the expressions on the faces of these mermen and mermaids are not idiotic but asleep. He speculates that the Green Lady and her King my have come from these sea-folk even though they are in fact the first conscious persons from the planet. Ransom compares the merpeople to our own pre-human ancestors. Lewis has managed to combine scientific theory with Christian revelation here.
Next, and more importantly there is the tempting of the Green Lady. In our world Satan used a serpent to get his message to Eve. On Perelandra Dr. Weston is the vehicle for the Dark One's doings. What I found interesting was the mild manner which the tempter used. The demon who possesed Weston spoke in a manner totaly unlike the bossy, demonstrative way of Weston. No wonder Ransom could not belive it was Weston speaking at first. It was only after the tempter had given up that the real Weston was allowed to give his opinion about calling it quits. The tempter is very carefull about how he tempts the Lady. He gives no hint about pride or rebellion against Maleldil. The wonderous part is that unlike Eve, the Green Lady did not give in to the suggestions of the tempter. Ransom was relived that his role, at least in this case, was that of a witness not a partisipant. It was totaly up to the Green Lady to accept or reject the temptation. More importantly, Ransom acts as our ears into this pivotal conversation.
so it goes...
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The Doctor formerly known as Weston

Postby Kanakaberaka » January 12th, 2005, 6:50 am

I must comment on the details of the tempting of the Green Lady by the possesed Weston
I found the way in which the Green Lady was tempted to be quite interesting. In our world, Eve was tempted by the serpent's claim that by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil her eye's would be opened and she would become like God. Weston's voice tries a different tact. His goal is to convince the Green Lady that it is Maleldil's will that she break His command against living on the fixed land. To accomplish this Weston encourages her to use her imagination. This is different from our Garden of Eden scenario where Eve is encouraged to expand her intellect. I wonder if this has something to do with Lewis' own mindset as a fantastic writer? could he be hinting that the thought and desire must precede the sin? Or could he be saying that when we use our imaginations to think things out we can avoid sin by considering the consequences of our actions?
Weston's demon goes on to praise the women of our world by saying that "They always reach out their hands for the new and unexpected good...". An obvious reference to Eve's picking the forbidden fruit. He praises women of Thulcandra for being "little Maleldils", that is thinking of themselves as God. This tactic fails when the Green Lady praises Maleldil for his wisdom and expresses gratitude that He will bring daughters out of her who will be greater than her. The demon no doubt wanted her to focus on becoming a god herself rather than thinking about others. It's no wonder that the real Weston is able to disengage the conversation at this point and go to sleep. His "familiar" must have been exasperated at the Green Lady's unselfishness.
so it goes...
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Victory over temptation

Postby Steve » January 12th, 2005, 11:57 am

What impressed me in the chapter is how Ransom sensed all of Perelandra rejoicing in the Lady's refusal to be tempted.

Also the elements of the tempters argument that seem to be heading towards "disobey, and you shall be like Maleldil", just like Eve was tempted to eat and be like God.
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Perelandra Chap. 8 -- Stanley's comments

Postby Stanley Anderson » January 12th, 2005, 5:36 pm

…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.
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Re: Perelandra Chap. 8 -- Stanley's comments

Postby Guest » January 12th, 2005, 5:40 pm

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Row, row, row your boat...

Postby Kanakaberaka » January 13th, 2005, 6:02 am

so it goes...
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tempted by real estate

Postby Kanakaberaka » January 13th, 2005, 6:15 am

so it goes...
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Of Mice and Men

Postby Kanakaberaka » January 13th, 2005, 6:27 am

so it goes...
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Re: tempted by real estate

Postby Stanley Anderson » January 13th, 2005, 3:14 pm

…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.
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Re: tempted by real estate

Postby Guest » January 13th, 2005, 4:00 pm

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struggling to catch up

Postby Guest » January 13th, 2005, 4:51 pm

[quote="Stanley Anderson"]I couldn’t resist a smile at the following passage: “As far as food was concerned, he was rewarded. Some fruit like bilberries could be gathered in handfuls on the upper slopes, and the wooded valley abounded in a kind of oval nut.

{MONICA}
I think it rather odd that Lewis gives so much page to fruit and the enjoyment of it when, according to Paxton, he, himself didn't much like either fruit or vegetables. (Lewis would have perhaps been a healthier and longer-lived specimen if he had actually consumed them. :-) Who knows? Conjecture. But this is very like speculative discussions about heaven that suggest the 'fruit of the tree of life with a new crop every month' might taste like our earthly appetites for cheese, or toast or a bit of bacon.

[STANLEY]
Old-timers here may recall my admittedly theologically uncertain, but intellectually held idea about humor and the Fall. The following passage makes me wonder about a further extension of that idea (Ransom has just eaten another fruit of the floating islands): [i]“It was none of the fruits he had tasted before. It was better than any of them. Well might the Lady say of her world that the fruit you ate at any moment was, at that moment, the best.”
I suddenly wonder if even the “ability” or sense that one thing is “better” than another – ie the concept of quantitative comparison (strange, this idea coming from a mathematics major, eh:-), might not be another of the results of the fall. And I even have vague intimations of this concept being somehow connected with the idea of humour. But that involves a long discussion better as a separate thread perhaps.

The faculty of rating and ranking and comparison as a result of the fall? Very interesting. I wonder how the idea of the 'elders' in heaven, or the idea of 'the greatest in the kingdom of heaven' , sort of a ranking system falls in line there....

Monica
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Re: Row, row, row your boat...

Postby Guest » January 13th, 2005, 4:53 pm

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Re: struggling to catch up

Postby Stanley Anderson » January 13th, 2005, 6:13 pm

…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.
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Re: Row, row, row your boat...

Postby Guest » January 14th, 2005, 3:48 am

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Jumping ahead

Postby Steve » January 15th, 2005, 1:20 pm

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