It is often the case that science fiction writers infuse aspects of religion in their works. In the case of the two books Out of the Silent Planet and Bellwether the authors have infused aspects of religion in their works as will be shown in this essay. The presence of science fiction in books makes the genre more interesting to read. In the two novels the two main characters are characterized by their agency and their subjectivity. This means that they exhibit a mythic dimension and an ethical dimension. Characterized by their agency, the main characters in these novels are motivated most strongly by the ethical dimension of the sacred which reveals a human inclination to understand their own identity and establish a relation with others.
In the novel our silent planet by C.S Lewis is a science fiction novel about a scientist called Elwin Ransom who is captured by two individuals, is drugged and taken to a new planet he later comes to know as Mars. In the book, the author addresses several major issues including religion. On the other hand the novel Bellwether by Connie Willis is all about scientific discoveries. The novel is about a scientist called Dr. Sandra Foster who studies fads. Her employer called Hi-Tec commissions her to study fads (which are popular behaviors that occur within a large population) so that he can take advantage of the information that the doctor will discover and possible create a fad for himself. The characters are defined by the dimensions that determine their inclinations. Some of the dimensions that define these two main characters are narrative and ethical dimensions. Dimensions are the groups in which human understandings can be classified into. For the two individuals who are the main characters in the books, the two groups they can be categorized into are subject and agent. The character Sandra Foster is the subject while the character Elwin Ransom is the agent.
When the human is the subject in a book such as in the Bellwether, the notion of the subject is a perspective from the enlightenment period. This perspective emphasizes that the human is his ego. According to this perspective, the concept of I is what is essentially human (Alsford, 32). In this concept we see a link between religion and science fiction. For example, according to Christianity there is the idea of mind/body dualism which science fiction writers try to incorporate (Alsford, 35).
In the science fiction genre when the human is portrayed as the agent, it represents an essentialist view (Alsford, 37). This idea is refutes the one that of humans as the subject in which the human is a fixed entity. This notion supports the idea that the idea of a human is as a result of the choices that the individual makes. As the agent, it is the decisions and the things that the human does that define who he is. This view has a religious perspective in contrast to the divine image that the enlightenment idea supports, the essentialists view the divine image of Christianity as a form of human destiny. More specifically they are of the opinion that what defines a human is not our past but instead it is our destiny and this concept of destiny is the relationship that a human has with God. Some theologians say that human potential is defined by the fact that we are likened to God. The potential of a human is what he is moving towards not what he has done in the past.
Both characters in the books show qualities that exemplify their humanity. On the novel Out of the Silent Planet, the character Dr. Elwin Ransom shows characters of human nature. In the book the dimension that applies is ethical. This dimension is explained by the fact that human nature is defined by the rationality among a number of other aspects. Another aspect that is an innate and definitive part of being human is memory. The doctor remembers his life at home with fondness and longs to go back home (Lewis, 84). Another instance that the doctor uses his memory is when he intends to run away after he is kidnapped. In his panic, he uses his memory to try and remember his path so as to escape; “He remembers distinctly that he had walked from Nadderby in a moonless night” (Lewis, 14). Since the human, that is the main character, is portrayed in the sense of the subject, actions and decisions are what matter more than the past. The destiny of the man is what defines the human and the destiny of the human is his likeness to God, the character portrays his human nature by asking about God when he reaches the new world. According to the essentialist theory of a human nature is that it is defined by the future not the past; the main character shows his humanness by refusing to remain in the planet and opting to go home. All the things that the main character does speak to the inclination of a human being wanting to know his origins or understand himself in a deeper sense.
In the book the Bellwether, the main character belongs to the category of the human as the subject. When the human is the subject, the dimension that applies is narrative. This perspective is of the idea that the choices that a human makes define the person. From the onset of the book the choices the main character makes define her life. The character seems to be aware of this sense of self in that she knows that the choices she makes determine the quality of life she is living. From the very beginning the doctor wonders whether the choice she made to have her first assistant fired was really the best choice. She reasons that “Flip was my punishment for having tried to get her predecessor, Desiderata fired.” (Willis, 3). The other characteristic of the dimension is the belief that the human destiny is likely a utopian like life where technology has reached god like standards. This concept is shown in the book whereby the main character tries to determine what makes up a fad; and later states that what makes up a fad is technology (Willis, 34).
In the novel Bellwether, a scientist’s agency reveals his desire to be human. In the story, Dr. Sandra has been commissioned to make a fad. At the end of the story, she ends up getting married to a person to whom she did not expect since he is her exact opposite. This is portrayed by the surprise she shows when she is proposed to, “he wanted me to marry him” (Willis, 71). Because she is a person, a human, Sandra is excited to get married further portraying the dimension of ethics. She has made this decision knowing the consequences of her refusing to marry him, such as not getting someone else. Her understanding this is particularly important because it shows Sandra understands that authentic humans are social creatures and their relations with each other are important to them.
It is human nature to want to understand himself better. To know where he came from in order to understand what is the purpose of his life. Science fiction is one genre that does a lot to try and define what human nature is. In so doing they bring out the need of man need to understand every aspect about himself. The notions of how human beings understand the concept of identity categorizes them into a variety of groups. As such, the two main characters in the novels belong to the class of human as subject and human as agent. In the novel Bellwether the human is the agent; this is to means that the choices that the human makes define what his or her identity. The character therefore makes choices that define her life either for the better of for the life as she pursues her destiny which according to the essentialists is the very definition of human nature. On the other hand there is the idea of the human as the subject. In this dimension the human identity is defined by rationality and memory. The doctor uses his reasoning to identify where he is and his memory to try and escape his captors. These aspects are some of the most elaborative of human nature. The use of rationality and memory signify the inclination of human to understand his identity better.
Another aspect of humanity that is portrayed in the book is by the character Elwin Ransom in the novel Out Of the Planet when he expresses doubt while in the new world. One of the most basic characteristics of human nature is the fact they “doubt everything that they cannot be absolutely sure of” (Alsford, 33). First he seems to question how the species in the new planet are able to communicate with each other. Another instance is how the character doubts if he has already recovered. He even “doubted his own story” (Lewis, 99). This portrays the human aspect of being a rational being.
Science fiction concerns itself with issues that are directly related to religion including the “identity, origin and destiny of the human species” (Alsford, 47). A clear example of how science fiction and religion relate with each other is portrayed in the two science fiction novels Out of the Silent Planet and bellwether. The characters have portrayed characteristics that are symbolic of human nature. The individuals show signs of doubt and self-awareness that are symbolic of human nature. The basis of science fiction is fantasy and this is similar to religion which “includes imagination” (Alsford, 48).
The main characters are characterized by their agency and motivated by the ethical dimension, they try to grasp the concept of their own identity and understand relationships. The main character in Out of the Silent Planet who is taken to a new planet interacts with the alien life forms he finds there and develops a relationship with them while he is there. In Bellwether, the character ends up getting married to someone who is the exact opposite from her. Development of relations with others in their surroundings shows that they understand I/Thou relationships that characterize human beings.
Works Cited
Alsford, M. What if: Religious themes in science fiction. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2000. Print.
Lewis, C.S.Out of the Silent Planet. London: Pan Books, 1957. Print.
Willis, C.Bellwether. New York: Bantam Books, 1996. Print.
