Out of the Silent Planet was written before the first manned space flight. How does C. S. Lewis' imagination of what space travel is like compare with what we know about space travel today? How does his description compare with earlier fictional imaginings of space travel, such as those by H.G. Wells?

At one point in the novel, the author indicates the names the creatures have on Malacandra are descriptive—the giant sorns have grand sounding names, for instance. What do the names of the human characters in the novel, Ransom, Weston and Devine, suggest about these characters and their roles in the story?

Discuss the importance of the language of Malacandra in the events of the story.

Malacandrian society is made up of three distinctly different but equal kinds of creatures, each with different roles to play in the overall society...