Danyelle Catoe- Ransom’s ability to adapt to other cultures

Through out the space trilogy, we were able to see that Ransom was easily able to keep an open mind and adapted pretty quickly to the new cultures that he was confronted with on the various planets. In Perelandra, Ransom is able to appreciate the newness of life found on the planet. However, Weston is not quite as open minded. Even his first impression of the new planet is flawed. As his space ship is landing, Weston thinks that he interrupts an intimate moment between Ransom and the woman. Ransom is appalled at this thought; he has simply come to appreciate the culture. It takes him a few moments to realize what Weston must have seen: He walked in on Ransom and the woman in close proximity to each other, and they were both naked. Weston’s mind immediately went to a sexual situation, where as Ransom’s immediate understanding was that the planet was simply too hot to wear clothing. He had already adapted the paradigm of the planet, as well as a bit of the woman’s innocence.
In the first book of the series, Ransom also adopts the outlook of the creatures that inhabit the planet rather quickly. After living on the planet for a few weeks, he finally catches a glimpse of other humans. His first impression of these “new creatures” was almost comical; however, it also provided a great deal of insight in to how humans may have been initially perceived by the natives of the planet. Ransom’s ability to quickly adapt to his new surroundings often provides the reader with both perspectives as they are reading; they get to see Ransom’s initial impression of the planet, as a human. But once he has lived on the planet for a period of time, the reader then gets to experience how humans are perceived by the natives. It is an interesting way to establish this, but it proves to be very beneficial to the reader. It allows us to easily relate to the creatures on the planet, as well as really take a look at how humans are portrayed.
By seeing how humans are perceived by the creatures in this trilogy reveals a great deal about mankind’s nature, especially as it is perceived by Lewis. The flaws he outlines in the novels are accurate for some. However, it also forces one to ask the question: how might I be perceived on a new planet? Would I adapt as easily to a new culture, or would I try to subdue and conquer?