The Queen of Perelandra
Space Trilogy Blog
Elizabeth Roy
4/19
In Perelandra, the second book of the Space Trilogy, Ransom meets the Queen of Perelandra, who is akin to Eve before the Fall. Throughout the book, I was consistently confused by Lewis’ depiction of her. Far from her seeming an image of perfect innocence that must be protected from corruption, I often wished she would drown in the Perelandrian ocean. I found her frustrating, annoying, and terribly slow to catch on. At first I thought that this was simply a result of my personality, because on Perelandra many of the things that I value – intellect, art, discourse, learning – are not really present. However, even Ransom does not really enjoy spending time with the Lady. He genuinely feels the need to keep her from corruption, but it seems he does not personally like her company. Lewis, based on his Christian faith and the purpose of Ransom’s mission in Perelandra, presumably thinks that the Lady’s state of being, before the Fall, is preferable to what we on Thulcandra have now. The Lady is, of course, closer to Maleldil and his will, and is untouched by evil or suffering – making her, possibly, a superior being. Despite this, I am fervently glad I am not like her, and I think Ransom feels the same way. Is this a result of lack of writing skill on Lewis’ part, a misinterpretation on my part, or the way that Lewis intended her to be perceived?
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