Out of the Silent Planet

Out of the Silent Planet is the first book of the Space trilogy of British writer CS Lewis . The trilogy also consists of Perelandra and Thulcandra .

Story
The philologist Ransom abducted by a spaceship by dr. Weston and his partner Devine, a former classmate of Ransom. Ransom noticed during the trip to Mars that his kidnappers have already been there before, and take him to hand him over to the living beings there. On the planet arrived, he escaped from his captors soon as he gets there the occasion. During his escape he gets to know the vegetation and he comes into contact with different kinds of creatures. From them he learns slowly know the language and culture of the planet. Mars is called Malacandra and Earth Thulcandra. He learns that there are different kinds of beings live, three species are hnau; beings with a soul and mind. Thus Ransom also called a hnau. The Ransom is soon clear that the beings here have anything bad intentions. On the contrary hnau on Malacandra appear more humane than humans. The beings learn that the Oyarsa is the leader of Malacandra but under God Maleldil.

Ransom is involved in the death of one of the hnau, after which was hit by a bullet; Weston and Devine commits a murder here. Ransom feels guilty and hnau indicate that it was because they had not directly heard a eldil (an angel) that Ransom had given the order to leave the Oyarsa. This Ransom leaves directly. Along the way are put to him a number of questions about Thulcandra. Ransom writes about the war, slavery and prostitution. The creatures can not believe what they hear, but to give to know which it is: the lack of Oyarsa. "They look like someone who tries to lift his own hair."

When Ransom eventually may reach the Oyarsa, he does not seem to see. The Oyarsa starts speaking, telling him among other things that Thulcandra also had a Oyarsa, but even before this life on the planet was poor, making Thulcandra is now called the silent planet; it is the only planet where no contact with it. When it becomes clear Oyarsa which Weston and Devine Ransom kidnapping, he decides to talk with them during a procession. It becomes clear that Devine mainly for their own power and wealth has come, and Weston to search for new living space for humanity. He sees man as the strong race and reasoning (based on ideas from the Darwinism ) that residents of Malacandra for the people must give way.

Backgrounds [ edit ]
In the days prior to the book, there were many speculations and fantasies about alien life, where evil creatures often prevailed. This man was almost always good party right by her side. Lewis took these ideas do not really credible, but he saw them as a danger to the Christian faith. He wanted action against (in his eyes) risk that the survival of the human being as the highest goal of life is seen, allowing the people to be put down as the most important and best creatures of the universe. Against this view fighting he wrote Out of the Silent Planet. [1]

Both Lewis and his friend JRR Tolkien used hierarchy and belief in divine beings in their mythological books. In this way Malacandra became a Christian mythology, in which the order following matches that in Christianity: [2]
 * The Old One - God the Father ;
 * Maleldil (the Young) - Jesus ;
 * Oyarsa - head angel on earth Satan ;
 * Eldila - angels ;
 * Hnau - creatures with reason on earth the human being ;
 * Animals.

Lewis said that the beings of the Trinity only the Father (The Old One) and knew the Son (Maleldil) since the fall had not taken place and therefore the Holy Spirit was poured out. [3]

Malacandra has many similarities with The First Men in the Moon by HG Wells -. So much that Lewis cites him in the introduction and wants to give the honor due Wells [4] Lewis was inspired to Malacandra besides the aforementioned effects through the book A Voyage to Arcturus, the most famous work of David Lindsay . [5] The abduction of Ransom is also similar to that of Flash Gordon comic book, who is kidnapped in his spaceship by dr. Hans Zarkov.

Although Lewis wrote the story with the Christian faith constantly in his mind, few critics seemed to see this. Lewis took this self pity, yet also funny; He saw this as a way for evangelists to indirectly because thegospel to spread. [1]

There is disagreement about the answer to the question of Lewis Malacandra as a perfect world would drop. Although at first sight it seems, finds Corbin Carnell, who wrote a book about Lewis, [6] that the planet is perfected as an upgrade of the earth, then as a perfect planet that would descend from heaven. [ 7]