This forum was closed on October 1st, 2010. However, the archives are open to the public and filled with vast amounts of good reading and information for you to enjoy. If you wish to meet some Wardrobians, please visit the Into the Wardrobe Facebook group.

Chapter 11 Study

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

Chapter 11 Study

Postby Kanakaberaka » April 9th, 2006, 3:25 am

Synopsis: Weeks pass and Ransom finds a place in the village of Hrossa. But more importantly he learns enough of their language to be able to communicate with them. He was mistaken in thinking that the Hrossa were paleolithic in their thinking. Yes, their tools apeared crude. But their knowlege of astronomy and talent for song is better than Ransom's own. There is also the first mention of the pfifltriggi and the nature of the sorns (or seroni) in this chapter. Finaly after many questions the conversation turned to Ransom's encounter with the water monster. When the hrossa figured out that it was a hnakra they dropped everything to organize a hunt for the rare and dangerous beast.
------------------------------------------------------------

Lewis does a little time telescopeing at the begining of this chapter in order to get to the interesting parts. I imagine that as a philologist he may have been tempted to include a lot more information about how Ransom learned the language of the hrossa. Thankfully he limited this to a few select words. So we arrive at the point where Ransom has enough command of the language to carry on simple conversations. And yet the hrossa are not so simple themselves. They have a tradition of songs and story telling. The example that Ransom gives, where one hross narrarates a story while three others break in from time to time to sing reminds me of an American musical or a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta - part spoken word with musical interludes. If only Ransom had a fuller appreciation of the hrossa language at the time!

And speaking of language appreciation, I keep on picking up bits and pieces of foreign phrases from Lewis. In chapter 11 the French phrase is "faute de mieux" which means "for lack of something better". Ransom uses this to discribe eating the pinkish weed on Malacandra when there is nothing else available.

Then the conversation turns to where Ransom came from.
" In answer to their questions he began by saying that he had come out of the sky. Hnohra immediately asked from which planet or earth (handra). Ransom, who had deliberately given a childish version of the truth in order to adapt it to the supposed ignorance of his audience, was a little annoyed to find Hnohra painfully explaining to him that he could not live in the sky because there was no air in it; he might have come through the sky but he must have come from a handra."

The hross named Hnohra goes on to point out the planet Thulcandra from which Ransom came. But none of the hrossa knows why it is called the Silent Planet. Ransom is told to ask the seroni, beings he is reluctant to meet. Astronomy is not the only advanced subject the hrossa are converscent in. Ransom thought that the hrossa might need to be evangelized, but soon discovers that that they have their own advaced beliefs in spirituality. Not superstition and myths, as one might assume from poeticly minded people. Their word for the Creator is "Maleldil" who lives with the "Old One". And neither are physical beings like the Malacandrians or Ransom. And then there's Oyarsa who rules Malacandra. The hrossa are not sure about wheather of not he is hnau (again, go ask the seroni).

This brings up the definition of "hnau" or intellignet physical beings with souls. Ransom is shown a golden bowl illustrating the three races of Malacandra. Needless to say he is surprised to discover a world where three distict races can co-exist without one killing the other two off. This truely is an accomplishment. Although we should keep in mind that the Malacandrians are unfallen. The pictures on the bowl also confirms the fact that the seroni are in fact the sorns, which Ransom was almost handed over to. The golden bowl itself reveals what it is Weston and Devine have traveled here for, material wealth. Lewis uses this one small prop to give us much information about what is going on in his story.

Ransom is reluctant to give away information about the people of his own handra. Understandable so because of what happened to Dr. Cavor in H.G. Wells' "First Men in the Moon". Cavor spoke about the bravery and honor of fighting a war to the Selenites in our Moon. So naturaly they locked him up to prevent the arrival of more Earth men.

Time to change the subject for sure. And the hnakra is just the thing to do it. The hrossa recognise the beast from Ransom's discription and, like devoted anglers, drop everything in order to send out a hunting (or is it a fishing) party. Shades of Captain Ahab and Moby Dick! Ransom follows his friend, Hyoi out to his boat.

Along the way Ransom encounters a hross pup named Hrikki who appears to be talking to an imaginary friend. She tells Ransom that it is an "eldil" she is speaking to. I wonder if Lewis' choice of Hrikki's name may have been inspired by Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki Tikki Tavi" ? The hrossa do have a passing resemblence to a mongoose.

so it goes...
so it goes...
User avatar
Kanakaberaka
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 1030
Joined: Jul 1999
Location: Just outside of Rego Park, NYC

Original Chapter 11 Comments

Postby Kanakaberaka » April 10th, 2006, 12:35 pm

so it goes...
User avatar
Kanakaberaka
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 1030
Joined: Jul 1999
Location: Just outside of Rego Park, NYC


Return to Out of the Silent Planet

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered members and 1 guest

cron