Environment in Out of the Silent Planet- Heidi Naylor

While reading C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet I was reminded of the words Lewis said regarding what makes myths so powerful: the belief that it has happened/ could happen. This is exactly what I felt about Ransom experiences on Malacandra with the Hrossa, Sorns, Pfifltriggs and with the land itself. For a time I could imagine that these “impossible” experiences were real. Malacandra was a completely different atmosphere than I was accustomed to and this different planet governed by different rules intrigued me.

In Lewis’ essay “On Stories”, he makes the argument that in order for a story to be successful, it has to have an environment in which it is set. Many people believe that excitement is the only pleasure stories ever give or are intended to give. Yet, Lewis counters this belief by claming that The Three Musketeers (what is considered to be one of the most exciting novels in the world) was not appealing to him. The novel lacked an atmosphere and the adventures do not cease for a moment. He argues that since he loves stories and excitement, and did not enjoy The Three Musketeers, then there has to be something more gleaned from a story besides excitement.

In Out of the Silent Planet, Ransom, after being forced onto the space ship by Weston and Devine, wakes up to find himself headed towards another planet: Malacandra. Once reaching Malacandra, he escapes from Weston and Devine, and is left to explore this unknown planet alone. He finds that there is less gravity, the mountains were whitish-green and too thin and too steep, the trees are soft and chewable, the waters are warm and “really” blue”, the waves are too high for their length, and the vegetation is pink and purple. These details from this atmosphere were taken one step further in experience: Ransom doesn’t know how to swim on this light planet, the Hrossa can move fast down the sides of the mountains without toppling over, and the trees become a sort of gum for Ransom. Overall, Lewis’s portrayal of this world helped me get lost within. In my opinion he succeeded in creating the atmosphere he believed The Three Musketeers failed to make.