The Virtue In Out Of The Silent Planet

One of the most decidedly controversial terms of our time is virtue. Depending on differing religions, statuses, or morals, virtue could have an entirely contrasting definition. However, no matter how a person defines virtue, it must first and foremost be determined how to be virtuous. How is virtue accomplished? Is it by avoiding evil or by choosing goodness over evil? C.S Lewis once stated, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” In his book Out of the Silent Planet, the main character Ransom is faced with abundantly dangerous decisions that cause him to either avoid evil or to have courage and confront evil. Ransom proves that although avoiding evil is not necessarily a wrong decision,

At the beginning of the story, Ransom is walking alone, and he describes it as being “Absolutely detached. You stop when you like and go on when you like. As long as it goes on, you need consider no one and consult no one but yourself” (11). Towards the beginning of the story, Ransom seems to have no genuine interest in the world around him, evil or not, and is further concerned with his well-being. When he chooses to ignore anyone and anything but himself, Ransom avoids evil and any virtue. After arriving at Malacandra, he makes a break from Weston and Divine, and “The moment he was free he had found himself automatically darting behind his captors, and on as fast as his legs could carry him into the utterly unknown behind it” (44). Instead of using the opportunity to stop Winston and Divine before they create havoc, Ransom runs away in

When fighting the hnakra later in the story, Ransom and the hrossa “stood shoulder to shoulder in the face of an enemy, and the shapes of their heads no longer mattered. And even Ransom, had come through it and not been disgraced. He had grown up” (84). Instead of running away and fearing evil, Ransom, albeit with an army of allies, finally takes a stand against it. Exhibiting courage, Ransom learns what it means to be virtuous and to fight what is morally wrong. At the end of his journey, Ransom chooses to either return home with Winston and Divine or stay with Malacandra. When faced with this life-changing decision, Ransom fights the evil that is his species in lieu of the safety and comfort the hrossa offer. “Love of our own kind,” he states as his final goodbye,” is not the greatest of laws, but you, Oyarsa have said it is a law” (153). Admitting that he could not claim to be a part of the Malacandrians if he did not follow their laws, he returns to his home planet and fights against the evil there. As the story comes to a close, we can distinguish the growth of Ransom from frightened and self-centered to courageous and loving. Some arguments may say that Ransom’s fear discredits any virtuous acts he may complete. However, this is entirely false, as fear is only powerful if it completely consumes the judgment of a person, which Ransom grew to overcome. As