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Chapter 5 Study

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

Chapter 5 Study

Postby Kanakaberaka » March 20th, 2006, 11:50 pm

Synopsis: Now it's Devine's turn to talk with Ransom. Although he's more talkative than Weston he shares even less real information. Devine makes cynical comments about "The white man's burden", rather than explain anything about the natives of Malacandra. And then he states that the real reason for his traveling there is all the wealth he intends to take back to Earth with him. Then Weston bangs on the wall, reminding them to shut up to "conserve oxygen" and no doubt to conceal their true motives. Yet Ramsom's attitude brightens up as he falls into a regular routine aboard the spaceship. He volunteers to do kitchen duty before Weston forces him to do so. And he spends his free time exploring the vessel when he's not busy. One of the things Ransom does is star gaze out the skylights. But then one "night" he overhears Devine's part of a conversation with Weston. And what he hears brings terror back into Ransoms mind. Devine mentions something about human sacrifice. And some odd creatures called "sorns". Ransom falls into a dreamless sleep after sneaking back to his bunk.
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It's no surprise that Devine should be evasive about his true purpose. It is interesting that he sarcasticly makes reference to "the white man's burden", which is the title of a poem written by Rudyard Kipling. In it Kipling makes the cause of 19th Century imperialism sound noble. I have posted the poem below. While Kipling was truthful about his view of foreign intervention, Devine is obviously not.

For a while it looks as if Ransom can relax and enjoy the journey. He falls into a routine where he is a usefull crew member rather than a prisoner. In his spare time he goes star gazing out the Skylights. And this leaves a big impression on him. He almost agrees with Weston about being small minded about his reluctance to be on such a quest. Ransom discovers that outer space is not empty but in fact full of glorious light and radiation. Of course Weston has a material explanation for this feeling that Ransom has.
"Weston, in one of his brief, reluctant answers, admitted a scientific basis for these sensations: they were receiving, he said, many rays that never penetrated the terrestrial atmosphere."

So much for Ransom's classical vision inspired by astrology. There is one classical reference I looked into. Ransom discribes himself as "a second Danae". Danae was the mother of Perseus. Her father jailed her in an underground cave with brass walls. That's surely a reference to the feel of Ransom's room. But I doubt the Zeus will drop in on the philologist in the form of a rain of gold coins.

But about halfway to Malacandra, Ransom accidentaly eavesdrops a conversation between Devine and Weston while preparing for the next days KP duties. It is interesting that Ransom can only make out Devine's half of the conversation. This gives the whole scene a more realistic feel as well as leaving the complete truth in the dark. The reader must use his imagination to figure out what is going on. One thing that is apparent is that Devine's sarcasm extends even to Weston's opinions. Devine suggests that Weston mate with the Malacandran natives if he's so interested in them. Ransom is unable to decipher Weston's gruff reply. The most shocking revelation is the suggestion that what the Malacandran's want is an Earthling to sacrifice! This of course slaps Ransom back to reality. Why did these two want a simpleton on their journey at first before kidnaping him? The answer is now painfully obvious. He is to be a sacrificial lamb for some horrible bug eyed monsters from another world. All the old visions of science fiction fill Ransom's mind as he falls asleep.

so it goes...
Last edited by Kanakaberaka on March 26th, 2006, 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
so it goes...
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Kanakaberaka
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"The White Man's Burden"

Postby Kanakaberaka » March 20th, 2006, 11:57 pm

Rudyard Kipling, The White Man's Burden, 1899

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Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.

Take up the White Man's burden--
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.

Take up the White Man's burden--
The savage wars of peace--
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to nought.

Take up the White Man's burden--
No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper--
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go mark them with your living,
And mark them with your dead.

Take up the White Man's burden--
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard--
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:--
"Why brought he us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"

Take up the White Man's burden--
Ye dare not stoop to less--
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloke your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your gods and you.

Take up the White Man's burden--
Have done with childish days--
The lightly proferred laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers!
so it goes...
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Kanakaberaka
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Posts: 1030
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Location: Just outside of Rego Park, NYC

Original Chapter 5 Comments

Postby Kanakaberaka » March 26th, 2006, 3:08 am

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


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