Out of the Silent Planet

Hyoi is a hross and the first friend that Ransom makes on Malacandra. Ransom, an enthusiastic linguist, initially begins to trust Hyoi because of the hross’ ability to speak a somewhat recognizable language. Hyoi serves as an ambassador of Malacandrian society, opening Ransom’s eyes to the many virtues of the hnau.

Hyoi is an empathetic, generous, and forgiving character. He and his fellow hrossa showcase virtues for which humans strive but rarely attain, such as a natural instinct for peacefulness and monogamy. Learning about the lives of the hrossa shakes Ransom’s assumption that humans are the supreme species in the solar system.

Hyoi also introduces the key theme of the acceptance of death, exemplifying the hrossa’s extreme acceptance of their own demises. He declares to Ransom that death will be “the best of drinks” (76), foreshadowing his shooting soon after at the hands of Weston and Devine. As he dies, Hyoi ostensibly experiences the “full-grown” pleasure of a life lived in peace, and he communicates his forgiveness to Ransom with his final breaths.

Hyoi’s death continues to affect Ransom throughout the novel, evincing that the two formed a deep friendship despite their different species. Ransom’s love for Hyoi teaches him a greater respect for Malacandra’s hnau and helps him move past the idea that any one species is superior.

Dr. Weston is an accomplished physicist and scientist and one of Ransom’s abductors. Weston’s ultimate goal is to colonize Malacandra, wresting control of the planet from its native inhabitants so that humanity has a back-up home if Earth ever becomes uninhabitable. Weston believes that humans are superior to the Malacandrian hnau because of humanity’s scientific and medical advancements. Unlike Ransom, Weston remains staunch in this perception despite the abundant evidence to the contrary and refuses to accept Malacandra for the utopia that it is. His brand of scientific thinking contrasts Ransom’s genuine and constructive curiosity. Weston is doggedly progress-driven and believes that progress justifies any number of bent actions, including killing off other hnau.

Unlike his companion Devine, Weston obeys at least one of the universal laws of the hnau (love of one’s own), which is why Oyarsa refers to him as bent and not broken. However, Weston’s willingness to sacrifice Ransom to the séroni demonstrates a corrupted and overly enthusiastic application of this law. He does not love his fellow humans as much as he loves the idea of humanity surviving forever. His attitude toward death and the extinction of his species directly contrasts with the Malacandrian acceptance that all things are transient. Weston’s character showcases the folly of believing that humans are the center of the universe and the futility of trying to preserve life forever. At the end of Out of the Silent Planet, it’s hinted that Weston will commit further bent actions in the coming novels, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength.

Devine is an old Cambridge schoolmate of Ransom’s and one of his abductors. At the beginning of the novel, Ransom references Devine’s mysteriously-sourced wealth; by the end, it is clear that Devine has been stealing gold from Malacandra. Devine’s motives for returning to Malacandra are purely material. He only cares about mining the planet’s abundant stores of gold to continue funding a lavish lifestyle upon returning to Earth. He is willing sacrifice Ransom and let Weston kill off the Malacandrian hnau as long as he can keep increasing his wealth.

Due to his corruption by the Bent One, Devine believes in nothing but monetary gain and hedonistic pleasures like drinking and smoking. Devine represents the shallow greed and self-interest that can numb a person to morality. This is why Oyarsa says that he is more than simply bent; he is broken and unsalvageable, with no hnau left in him at all. 

Oyarsa is the greatest of the eldila, a being who resides at Meldilorn and watches over Malacandra. Oyarsa serves as the line of communication between the Malacandrian hnau and the great spiritual powers of Maleldil and The Old One. Oyarsa summons Ransom to Meldilorn and explains the history of Earth’s isolation after its corruption by the Bent One.

Oyarsa evaluates the character of each of the humans, finding Devine broken, Weston unsalvageably bent, and Ransom innocent and worthy of living on Malacandra if he so chooses. Oyarsa’s role in the narrative is that of a benevolent ruler who protects and guides the hnau, as well as a spiritual judge who validates Ransom’s salvation. The scene of judgment is yet another allusion to Christian eschatology, symbolizing the Last Judgment—the final, eternal judgment by God whereby an individual’s every thought and action are known and judged, and that individual is either damned or—in the Anglican tradition of which Lewis was part—justified on the basis of their faith in Christ. The Last Judgment is the everlasting separation of the righteous from the wicked. Oyarsa, then, is as much a divine figure as Maleldil the Young and the Old One.