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Theme of loneliness in the novel
Literary theories for isolation
Theme of loneliness in the novel
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Out of the silent planet
Out of the silent planet by C.S Lewis is a novel that denotes the difference between the social system on planet earth and the planet Malacandra. In Malacandra, groups live in harmony with one another and complement each other. On earth, the social system is brutal and evil. The novel is a science fiction that covers Dr. Ransoms (major character) adventures and encounters on a planet that is entirely different from earth. Ransoms lands into this planet by accident after being kidnapped by two evil men (Devine and Weston) and transported to the planet Malacandra (Mars) by spacecraft. In Planet Malacandra, Ransoms encounters the three different creatures that inhabit the planet, hrossa, sorns, and pfifltriggi. He learns their common language and understands their relationship. Ransom learns that the social system in planet Malacandra is a stark contrast with the social system on planet earth. In this regard, this paper provides an analysis of the two planets, and it compares and contrasts them by focusing on lifestyle, social grouping, interact ions, as well as survival and life.
Out of the silent planet is an illustration of how human beings on planet Earth are evil (Lowman 15). To show the social contrast, the author creates a utopian planet called Malacandra where inhabitants live together in peace and harmony without the sheer evil and brutalness that characterizes the Planet Earth (Gegenheimer 602). The lifestyle on Earth is characterized by selfishness and insatiable greed. On earth, human beings are out to dominate each other. The novel might have been informed by the action of Nazi Germany and the imperialism in Western Europe. When Ransom lands in Malacandra, he thought that the three groups will ...
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...Fantasist, mythmaker, and poet. New York: Greenwood Publishing Company. 2007. Print.
Gegenheimer, Albert Frank. “Language in Two Recent Imaginary Voyages.” Modern Language Association 61.2 (2009): 601-603. Print.
Gibbons, Stella. "Imaginative Writing." Light on C.S. Lewis. Ed. Jocelyn Gibb. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1965. Print.
Lane, John. “Novels of the Week.” Rev. of Out of the Silent Planet, by C. S. Lewis. New York Times 1 Oct. 1938: 625. Times Literary Supplement. 19 Mar. 2009. Print.
Lewis, Clive. Out of the Silent Planet. New York: the Macmillan Company, 1966. Print.
Lowman, Pete. Chronicles of heaven unshackled. Part 2 C.S Lewis Out of the Silent Planet, 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
Schwartz, Sanford. “Cosmic Anthropology: Race a
Bjerre, Thomas Ærvold. “The Natural World Is The Most Universal Of Languages”: An Interview with Ron Rash.” Appalachian Journal 32.2 (2007): 216-227. Literary Reference Center. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Mather, Cotton. "The Wonders of the Invisible World." The Heath Anthology Of American Literature. Third Edition. Vol I. ed. Paul Lauter. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1997, 421-424.
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.
This extract emphasises the lonely, outworld feeling that would have been felt living in such settings. This puts into perspective the feeling that will be felt during the coarse of the plot development.
...nderson, 107). The novels demonstrate that humans react to alienation by choosing to alienate themselves rather than allow others to alienate them. The protagonists intentionally withdrew themselves from society before society could hurt them by denying them acceptance. They equally fear rejection which is common among human kind.
Meyer, Michael, ed. Thinking and Writing About Literature. Second Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001.
Updike, John. "A&P." Thinking and Writing About Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001. 981-86. Print.
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Literature and the Writing Process. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, and Robert Funk. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 2002.
Ted Chiang’s “Story of Your Life” is a short science fiction story that explores the principals of linguistic relativity through in interesting relationship between aliens and humans that develops when aliens, known as Heptapods, appear on Earth. In the story Dr. Louise Banks, a linguist hired by the government to learn the Heptapods language, tells her unborn daughter what she has learned from the Heptapods as a result of learning their language. M. NourbeSe Philip’s poem “Discourse on the Logic of Language” also explores the topic of language and translations, as she refers to different languages as her “mother tongue” or “father tongue.” Although these two pieces of literature may not seem to have much in common both explore the topics of language and translation and connect those ideas to power and control.
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Literature and the Writing Process. Elizabeth Mahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, 2002. 977-986
Mather, C. (2008). From the Wonders of the Invisible World. In N. Baym (Ed.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature Volume 1 (pp. 147). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
...n American Literature. By Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 387-452. Print.
There is no hiding the provocative use of isolation in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Isolationism can be defined as a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups. Steinbeck uses people of different race, sex, and mental capabilities to uncover the isolation and alienation society throws down upon people who are different. Lennie, a main character in the novel, is mentally handicapped and must obey George in order to make a living. Lenny is a large man and an excellent worker, but due to his mental deficiency, he is isolated from the rest of the workers on the ranch. The incorporation of isolation and alienation in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is brilliantly used to open the eyes of the reader about the apathy shown towards people who are not lucky enough to be considered “normal” by society’s standards.
Wright, Richard. "The Man Who Was Almost a Man." Literature and the Writing Process. Ed.
In Out of the Silent Planet, C. S. Lewis writes a quite straightforward narrative. What gives the book its unusual power is its mythic quality, the Martian cultures, the sensitivity of the description, the themes of courage, and the friendship. These all combine to create a cosmic vision that is touching, epic, and fascinating.