Demonically Obsessive Passion: Looking Into The Screwtape Letters

Demonically Obsessive Passion: Looking Into The Screwtape Letters
Society often views passion as the key to success, but is this always true? Robert J. Vallerand defines passion as “a strong inclination toward a self-defining activity that one likes (or even loves)”, and strongly believes not all passions are equal (Vallerand 1). He explains this using his Dualistic Model of Passion, consisting of two types of passions; harmonious passions, which are voluntarily engaged, and obsessive passions, which are uncontrollable. Using this model we can look at a character—Wormwood—from C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape and observe the consequences of an obsessive passion. Wormwood is a demon from hell tasked with collecting the soul of a man, simply named the Patient, by distracting him from devoting his life to God. Each chapter is actually a letter sent to Wormwood, written by his uncle Screwtape, trying to teach him how to succeed in this task. During this time, World War II takes place, putting the Patient in danger. This has a strange and unusual effect on Wormwood; he demonstrates an excitement for the war and its perceived widespread

In fact, we can all be obsessively passionate about anything. Vallerand’s Dualistic Model of Passion is a two-sided coin. On one side, we have an obsessive passion, and on the other we have harmonious passion. We must look beyond The Screwtape Letters—even beyond any work of literature—and examine at our own lives using this coin. On one hand, our obsessive passions can be our downfall, leading us towards defeat and misery. On the other hand, our harmonious passions can raise us higher, creating extraordinary success. One is failure, the other is genius. Instead of allowing ourselves to be controlled by our passions, we must take reign and control them, lest we desire to look in the mirror every morning and notice Wormwood staring back at