Eldila as Bacteria
“Like the bacteria on the microscopic level, so these co-inhabiting pests on the macroscopic permeate our whole life invisibly and are the real explanation of that fatal bent which is the main lesson of history.” -Lewis (Ch. 1)
Lewis is being assailed by evil eldila on the way to Ransom's house, who are attempting to make him lose faith in Ransom's story. Lewis subsequently becomes obsessed with the idea of eldila, distorting their significance and making them seem inevitable and omnipresent in the same way as bacteria. This distortion of reality (eldila do not control human life) is an illustration of the doubts implanted by demons in the minds of men.
The Free-Fall Sensation
“And it went through me from chest to groin like the thrill that goes through you when you think you have lost your hold while climbing a cliff.” -Lewis (Ch. 1)
Lewis has just entered into the presence of the Malacandran Oyarsa. The experience has a natural effect on him; realizing viscerally for the first time the presence of superhuman, non-physical, immensely powerful entities, much less sharing a room with one, is enough to make any man feel overwhelmed and terrified. This simile serves to accentuate Lewis's sensation of helpless fear.
A Noise from Another World
“Then, like a noise from a different world, came the opening of the door and the sound of boots on the doormat, and I saw, silhouetted against the greyness of the night in the open doorway, a figure which I recognised as Ransom.” -Lewis (Ch. 1)
The meaning of this simile is twofold. Lewis has just been coming to terms and interacting with the presence of the Malacandran Oyarsa in Ransom's house, and the experience is certainly an otherworldly one. The sudden terrestrial noise of Ransom's entrance comes from a different world, even a different plane of reality, than the one with which Lewis had been occupied. The simile has a second meaning as well; Ransom himself has traveled to and from different worlds, and he himself could be considered as being from a different world, being a Christian, as they are called to be "not of this world" (Philippians 3:20).
A Coarse Weed
“What extraordinary delicacy! It makes an English violet seem like a coarse weed." -Dr. Humphrey (Ch. 2)
When returning in the ice-like casket from Perelandra, Ransom has (perhaps unwittingly) brought along several red flower petals from Perelandran plants. Their beauty is astonishing by Earthly standards; it is incomparably more beautiful than the flowers of England, which seem coarse by comparison. This simile emphasizes the beauty and perfection of life free from sin, which is represented in the paradise of Perelandra.
Meeting Pleasure Itself
“It was hardly at all flavoured with salt; it was drinkable – like fresh water and only, by an infinitesimal degree, less insipid. Though he had not been aware of thirst till now, his drink gave him a quite astonishing pleasure. It was almost like meeting Pleasure itself for the first time.” (Ch. 3)
Even the ocean water on Perelandra is perfect and fit for Paradise; it is not only drinkable, but it is the best water Ransom has ever tasted. Even such a lowly and routine task like drinking water turns into an indescribably pleasurable sensation. This simile of drinking being like "meeting Pleasure itself" emphasizes the inexpressible pleasure of living in harmonious paradise with God, both before the Fall and after the Restoration.
