Hello! I am new to this forum and was looking for a place to get some clarification on the Hnakra fight in chapter 13 of "Out of the Silent Planet". I am immensely enjoying this book but I'm stuck on trying to understand the details of the Hnakra fight. First, it says that Ransom was flung (from the boat?) and that he found himself in waist-high water. But then it says that he "flung shaft after shaft" into the brute, where was he getting those shafts, if he has been flung from the boat? So confusing. Second, what created the shock that threw him from the boat? Was it the monster or their boat running aground? If it was the latter, how would that impact fling him forward into the water rather than backwards onto the land? I'm sure there's an explanation for these questions, something I missed perhaps. Thanks for your help!
Topic starter
Posted : May 30, 2021 12:07 pm
It sounds to me like an impact from the monster knocked him out of the boat. But the boat would have still been nearby so he could have reached into it for additional weapons after winding up in the shallow water. For me the most important part about that scene was that the hunt was where Ransom reached the point where he had overcome his own prejudices and felt completely included in the group of intelligent beings that he had been living with.