The Prevalence of Language in Out of the Silent Planet - Kate Bennett

While reading The Space Trilogy, I found myself especially interested in the theme of language in Out of the Silent Planet. As the beginning of this course, we spent an extensive amount of time discussing the importance of language. Namely, the notion that knowledge is power because it is what brings man together. Owen Barfield, in Poetic Diction, teaches us that language is the art that reconciles thought and being - the "storehouse of imagination." This idea couldn't be clearer in Out of the Silent Planet. For one, Ransom studied philology, or the history of language, prior to his journey to Malacandra. As he interacted with the Malacandrian 'people,' he was amazed by the 'people's' language and consistently worked to learn it, so that he could communicate with them. Without Ransom's willingness to learn the language, he would not have been able to form such deep and honorable relationships, like his relationship with Hyoi. This becomes especially apparent at the end of the book, as Weston and Devine struggle to communicate with Oyarsa, and Ransom has to translate. Weston and Devine did not care to bridge the Thulcandrian and Malacandrian language gap, and as a result, they were unable to connect with the wonders of the planet. Moreover, as the three men travel back to Earth in the end, they are unable to communicate with each other for the majority of the 90-day journey. Other than a few shared whispers, the men were forced into a type of solitude amongst themselves. All of this lead to the further disconnect of Ransom from Weston and Devine, and the failure of Weston and Devine to positively connect with Malacandra at all. 

Apart from Ransom's character, C.S. Lewis included several others notions to the importance of language. Towards the beginning of the book, Ransom is observing a being that represented a "man seven feet high, with a snaky body, covered with thick black animal hair and whiskered like a cat," yet, "from the other end you had an animal with everything an animal ought to have - glossy coat, liquid eye, sweet breath and whitest teeth" (59). Lewis notes, "Nothing could be more disgusting than the one impression; nothing more delightful than the other. It all depended on the point of view" (59). In this sense, language is everything. Depending on how the being was described, one would either be provoked to fear or intrigue. This was relevant later in the book as well, when Ransom is translating Weston's big speech to Oyarsa. Considering there was a gap in language, Ransom had a hard time translating exactly what Weston was saying in a way that Oyarsa would understand in Malacandrian language. This made it virtually impossible to convey the same message. Weston and Oyarsa were hearing two completely different things depending on what perspective (or language) one is perceiving was at. Essentially, language plays an incredibly important role in the way that information is interpreted, which ultimately impacts one's ability to have fellowship with others. 

I was also especially intrigued by the hrossa's opinion of written language. At one point, the sorns tell ransom, "The hrossa used to have many books of poetry. Now they have fewer. They say that the writing of books destroys poetry" (101). For the hrossa, it is not only language, but spoken language that enhances one's ability to connect with others and the world. Ransom later learns that while different languages exist, everyone on Malacandra is familiar with the language of the hrossa. When Ransom asks why, the pfifltrigg Kanakaberaka responds, "I do not understand. They are great speakers and singers. They have more words and better" (114). For the 'people' of Malacandra, it is simple, the hrossa have the most accessible form of language, so they conform to it in order to have unity with one another. I found this concept of spoken language to be especially relevant to the discussions we've had about language in our own class; I am particularly reminded of Dr. Redick asking us to think of our very first memory, and considering how language played a part in solidifying that memory for us. 

Overall, I highly enjoyed the prevalence of language in Out of the Silent Planet. I was constantly reminded of connections we made together in class, so this post has been a long time coming. If it wasn't clear to me then, the importance of language in facilitating communion among one another is surely clear to me now.