Elwin Ransom, the courageous and open-minded philology professor at the University of Cambridge, is the central figure in the story. Despite being held captive by Weston and Devin, he maintains his composure and displays a genuine interest. In fact, he initially seems to be a voluntary prisoner. Unlike his captors, Ransom has the bravery to locate Oryarsa and unselfishly offer himself as a sacrifice in order to safeguard Malacandra’s well-being.
He possesses an open mind as he demonstrated his willingness to master the language of Malacandra. He displayed a willingness to engage with the people of Malacandra and gain insight into their way of life and thought processes. Moreover, he exhibited a willingness to remain flexible. Additionally, curiosity drives him, which led him to find himself in Malacandra after hearing a child crying behind a house and exploring further, resulting in his abduction. His inquisitiveness extended to the novel environment he found himself in, as well as the unfamiliar creatures he encountered, along with his desire to uncover the identity and nature of Oryarsa.
Devin, on the contrary, displayed a twisted character exemplified by his greed, selfishness, and ignorance. Singularly driven by accumulating wealth, he partnered with Weston during their initial visit to Malacandra, stealing a significant amount of gold from the Malacandrians before abruptly fleeing upon being summoned to meet Oryarsa. Devin’s self-centeredness materialized through his willingness to sacrifice Ransom, a member of his own species, in order to facilitate his grand plan of seizing control over Malacandra. It is evident that Devin’s arrogance led him to naively believe that humans could effortlessly conquer Malacandra and live there indefinitely, a notion ultimately born out of his profound ignorance.
Augrey, the sorn who Ransom initially feared, proved to be a wise, helpful, and loyal creature. Augrey’s keen observation led him to deduce that Ransom hailed from Earth, specifically Thulcandra. Recognizing Ransom’s inability to complete the journey alone, Augrey graciously carried him the rest of the way to Oryarsa. He demonstrated his loyalty by fulfilling Oryarsa’s demand to bring Ransom before him. The narrative commences with Ransom embarking on a hiking expedition in the English Midland during modern times on Earth, while the latter part of the tale primarily unfolds on Mars, known as Malacandra.
At the end of the story, Ransom, Devin, and Weston all returned to Earth after a journey of about 90 days. One of the most significant moments in the novel is when Ransom is kidnapped by Devin and Weston and taken to Malacandra. Prior to his abduction, Ransom was a slightly twisted individual, believing in the dominance of those with higher power over the weaker ones due to greed. The kidnapping of Ransom marks the start of the entire adventure on Malacandra.
In this novel, a significant moment occurs when Ransom finally has the opportunity to meet Oryarsa and they are able to exchange questions. This encounter reveals that the Earth Oryarsa has become corrupted and twisted, causing him to be trapped on Earth and banished from heaven. Consequently, he is unable to communicate with other Oryarsas or travel to other planets. Later on, Devin and Weston are also brought before Oryarsa, and both of them embarrass themselves. Oryarsa realizes that they are too morally corrupt to be allowed to remain on Malacandra, so he sends them back to Earth and renders it impossible for them to return.
By that time, Ransom, Devin, and Weston had all become less bent than they were before. Ransom, in particular, was even allowed by Devin to have some control over the space ship. Consequently, I consider this a significant event in the novel. I observed that there are two themes in this novel that can be applicable to our own lives. The first theme is the destructive nature of sin. All three humans, including Ransom, Devin, and Weston, were morally flawed and damaged. The Malacondrians, on the other hand, could not comprehend concepts like lust, greed, fear, or the desire for dominance. By the end of the story, all three humans were healed, transformed, and straightened.
The novel explores the theme of submission, where the Malacandrians naturally submit to various entities such as each other, nature, the Eldils, Oryarsa, and Maledil. However, this mindset is unnatural for corrupt humans who desire to be like Oryarsas. Both Devin and Weston have individual goals and are willing to do anything to achieve them. Ultimately, Ransom realizes the importance of submission and is even willing to sacrifice his life to save Malacandra. As a science fiction fan personally, I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Out of the Silent Planet”.
The story’s overall setting, which occurs on a new planet with Earth-like characteristics, was enjoyable. What captured my interest the most were the differing perspectives of the creatures inhabiting this planet compared to humans. The concept of Eldils, akin to angels, Oryarsa as an archangel, and Maledil being perceived as God and creator of all planets fascinated me. It was intriguing witnessing how all beings on Malacandra adhered to and revered them. This novel imparted upon me the significance of surrendering to God while striving to eliminate greed, lust, and perpetual fear from our lives.
