Status Updates From Отвъд безмълвната планета (...

Harry is less than in their chain of being. When Ransom says his name, Devine says, “By Jove!” Invoking God at the name of Ransom. Weston is the epitomy of progressive thinking. A man steeped in materialism. BLOOD. I think this chapter has the influence of Mars! Elwin means friend of the elves. Weston thinks money should go to science, not the liberal arts.

THREE men scuffle inside the house (opposite of tranquility). He runs through the muddy path to the back door. His first mini-quest is to save Everyman from harm. Red firelight and a black shape against the stars. Alchemy. He breaks up the quarrel and is asked who the devil he is and the damn Harry’s mom (ironic in light of Perelandra). I see the progressivism mentioned in Ch. 1 of the Leconte book here.

Ransom got down on his hands and knees to worm his way into the hedge. Is that foeshadowing? The house looks lifeless and inhospitable. I believe the house represents a face and, if so, it says that Devine and Weston are dead and hostile on the inside. The large amount of smoke implies what they care most about: industry. He mounted THREE steps! Sitting in nature is calming (summer eky, still garden, hooting owl).

Due to his rash vow to the woman, he keeps his promise to find Harry (a simpleton, or sheep). The gate is locked (another warning) so he tosses the pack over the fence (his burden and a rash action) and breaks through the hedge (thorns and nettles like the Prince rescuing Sleeping Beauty). The yard is untidy and neglected. One path (mud and puddles: trucks going batck and forth) and another path (overgrownwith moss).

Devine is an interesting name which hints at divinity or heaven and yet “dev” is the first three letters of devil. He assumes a brotherhood because of their calling and hospitality (a key feature of medieval romances). There is a feeling that this is all “determined upon”--without knowing it, he is being led into a quest. He sees boundaries (hedge, trees, garden) and he should know not to trespass!

The landscape is rural (turnip and cabbage fields) and desolate. There are no friendly homes. He walks in rolling hills and nearly dark. Dark deeds are for night time. He learns of The Rise, and that name sounds like a false paradise. He is told that nobody lives there except for professor and gentleman from London (no servants(. “Miss Alice died” which may be an image of the death of wonder and imagination.

Ch. 1 I see an identity quest. A man in the middle of his life is walking on a journey. Capitalizing Pedestrian makes me think of a morality play. Ransom is perfect for a kidnapping victim who takes the place of Harry (Everyman). He is in an isolated, inhospitable land. He is dressed in shabby clothes, a change of identity from his work as an Oxford don. A philologist is a lover of words.

Philosophically stirring and very imaginative so far