Perelandra: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

Ransom lights a candle, allowing Lewis to recognize the object he’d tripped over as a large, open casket. Ransom apologizes for failing to meet Lewis at the station—he hadn’t meant for Lewis to make that journey alone. He explains that Lewis experienced a “barrage” from Earth’s eldila, who know what’s going on and didn’t want Lewis to get through. He tells Lewis it’s best to ignore the things they try to put into one’s head.

As they get supper, Ransom explains that the coffin is his vehicle for the journey into space. He’s not returning to Malacandra, though he’d give anything  to see it again. Instead he’s being sent to Perelandra, or the planet Venus. He reminds Lewis that the Oyarsa of Malacandra had hinted that Earth’s isolation from other planets might be ending. This is because the “two sides”—the bad eldils occupying earth and the good eldils of Deep Heaven—are beginning to reveal themselves more clearly through their influences on Earth’s affairs. In addition, Earth’s Oyarsa is considering some sort of attack on Perelandra. That’s why Ransom has been ordered to go there by someone “higher up.” He doesn’t know what he’ll do when he arrives.

Ransom points out that the Bible refers to people having to fight “principalities and powers.” Lewis argues that this refers simply to moral conflict, prompting Ransom to burst out laughing. Ransom replies that, while it’s true that people have usually encountered the Dark eldila in psychological or moral forms, that doesn’t mean the same will hold true throughout every phase of the “war.” If indeed Earth is entering a new phase of the conflict, then perhaps the enemy will have to be fought in a different mode.

Ransom’s selection for this task, he says, is not for any special reason. It’s probably because, when he was previously kidnapped and sent to Malacandra, it gave him the chance to master the Old Solar language, the old common speech of the solar system. Otherwise, he knows very little about Perelandra—just that it’s hot (he’ll be naked for the duration of his trip), and that details of the planet’s movements, like the length of its days, remain a mystery. He’s excited to find out more.

Now Ransom explains that it’s Lewis’s job to pack Ransom into the coffin and then stand by to await his return and unpack him. The Oyarsa of Malacandra will propel the coffin to Perelandra—Ransom doesn’t know how exactly. Lewis feels frightened again, and Ransom agrees that although he believes, objectively, that the Oyarsa will do as he’s promised, Ransom still feels afraid. Ransom doesn’t know how long he’ll be gone—it could be as little as a few months, or it could be decades. Part of Lewis’s burden, then, will be to choose a trustworthy successor in case he should die before Ransom’s return.

The two men spend the rest of the night going over practical details to be taken care of in Ransom’s absence. Lewis is presented to the Oyarsa and “sworn in.” Then they lug the big casket into the chilly dawn. Lewis ties a black bandage around Ransom’s head to protect his eyes from the sun and then fastens the lid onto the casket. The next thing Lewis knows, he’s alone—the casket has vanished. He goes back inside and vomits.

A little more than a year later—a year filled with war and cruelties—Oyarsa comes to Lewis. Then he and Humphrey, Ransom’s trusted doctor, find themselves once again in Ransom’s garden. The casket descends from the sky and quietly lands between them. They hastily pry the lid off. After a moment, Ransom, covered with red flowers, sits up and greets them. He looks 10 years younger. He’s also bleeding from one of his heels. After Ransom washes up and dresses, Lewis pours tea, and Ransom begins his story.