Welcome back to the OSP podcast! Chapter 14 is very short and could be easily overlooked. Not surprising to anyone who reads Lewis, but there is a lot more here than meets the eye.
Speaking of eyes, Ransom has yet another looking at / looking along experience as he once again looks up into Deep Heaven. He realizes that while the hrossa village where he has spent the last several weeks was his “world”, he now sees that Malacandra is but a world among many in the context of the cosmos. The “bigness” of the Heavens nearly overwhelms him and for a moment he wonders whether the little purple strip of land thousands of feet below him is real.
Another point on seeing, when the freezing and suffocating Ransom reaches the cave, he sees the shadow of a sorn on a rock wall. Readers of Plato will immediately recognize Lewis’ nod to Allegory of the Cave. As I’ve suggested throughout this podcast series, Ransom’s perception of the sorns might not reflect reality: just like the prisoners from the allegory who only see shadows on the wall and believe the shadows are reality. In the next few chapters Ransom experiences sorns a la looking along, and his prior looking at perspective may not be fully validated.
Enjoy the episode! And mark your calendars for C.S. Lewis Reading Day on Friday November 29!
Episode Roadmap
Chapter quote, intro, and overview: 0:00 - 3:00
Discussion of Ransom’s 3 journeys: 3:01 - 7:37
Journey 1: Walking tour in the Midlands of England (no plan or direction, seeking comfort)
Journey 2: Wandering through the forests of Malacandra after escaping from Weston & Devine (driven by fear & paranoia, no sense of direction)
Journey 3: Traveling up the harandra to Meldilorn (acting on obedience to the eldil & summoms of Oyarsa; clear direction and purpose)
150-word chapter summary: 7:38
Chapter 14 Themes Analysis: 8:33- 24:30
Theme 1: Temptation to fear and doubt but this time Ransom battles against it 8:51
Theme 2: Ascending & moving upwards towards the heavens (further up and further in?) 14:36
Theme 3: Seeing and perspective 17:15
Allegory of the Cave discussion 21:40
Wrap up 24:31 - end
Episode music - “Dreams’” by Van Halen
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