ipl-logo

The Screwtape Letters Analysis

1378 Words6 Pages

Real versus Real
C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters tells the story of Screwtape, a devil in Hell, writing letters to his nephew, Wormwood, who is trying to guide a patient towards Hell over God and Heaven. Lewis has in other works described his thoughts on subjectivism and an objective truth as well as how an objective truth is better than subjectivism. Lewis’ ideas about subjectivism are shown in his non-fictional works, such as The Abolition of Man, in which Lewis describes how an objective truth is better than subjectivism. However, in The Screwtape Letters, Lewis is describing the views of the devil, and therefore the descriptions most often become the opposite of Lewis’ beliefs. Yet, in some circumstances an objective truth can apply …show more content…

Bring us back food, or be food yourself” (Lewis 272), Screwtape sees Hell as the only realistic place and his views of realism within Hell is what can convert a patient away from being blinded by the goodness of Heaven. A patient seeing children playing on the streets during wartime is blinded by the fantasy of religion and needs to be clarified by the realism of Hell. According to Screwtape, war and death is the reality, and if Wormwood can make his patient see this worldview, then he can covert him. Another component to the realism of Hell is the fact that Wormwood has to fulfill his job of bringing back the patient towards Hell; otherwise he will become food himself. According to Screwtape, this view shows how realistic Hell is and how an objective truth applies as rules and laws within Hell. Despite the fact that Screwtape argues that Hell is the only real place, Lewis has a counterargument in his The Great Divorce, in which Heaven is described as the realest place of all (Lewis 504). Screwtape only sees the negative side of realism, which is why Lewis does not agree with his arguments of war and death as the only component of

Show More
Related

Summary Of Warriors Don T Cry

1163 Words | 5 Pages

In her memoir, Warriors Don’t Cry Melba Beals discusses her experience with integrating Central High School, where she experiences harsh treatment. The vivid details provided in Warriors Don't Cry make for a good book because it allows readers to experience the mistreatment Little Rock Nine had to face. Initially reading Warriors Don’t Cry, I thought that the book would lack detail to help protect the identities of those who harmed Melba. However, when I continued reading I began to feel as though I were experiencing integration with Melba. My emotions would go from being excited to being angry.

Read More

Symbolism In C. S. Louis 'Screwtape Letters'

971 Words | 4 Pages

In the Screwtape Letters, C.S. Louis created an indirect dialogue between Screwtape; a senior devil, and his protégé nephew; Wormwood. The text is a collection of letters, composed by Screwtape, addressed to Wormwood, which commentate on Wormwood’s efforts to seduce a human. The Screwtape Letters served as the principal inspiration for Concrete Wafers. Louis’ influence is instantly apparent, as the text is narrated by the ‘observer;’ an agent clearly reminiscent of Screwtape, in powers and motive alike.

Read More

Peg Kehret Character Analysis

694 Words | 3 Pages

In order to be a leader there is a few characteristics that stand out. One is hardworking, another is determined, and the third is caring. In the book 5 Pages a Day, Peg Kehret showed leadership especially in those three categories. That person is author and animal lover, Peg Kehret. Peg showed leadership in times of sadness and times of happiness.

Read More

Marble Lup Character Analysis

264 Words | 2 Pages

CRACK that’s the sound of Lupe ficking a marble In the “Marble Champ” by Gary Soto, Lupe shows lots of integrity. She shows her integrity by being determined and never gives up, she is really skillful, she also is respectful to everyone around her. The first way that she shows her integrity is by being determined. like in school Lupe did not get anything but good grades. and has never missed a day of school.

Read More

Overview Of C. S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters

789 Words | 4 Pages

In C.S. Lewis’ acclaimed “masterpiece,” The Screwtape Letters, an uncle and the devil’s worker by the name of Screwtape wrote an abundant amount of letters to his nephew, Wormwood. Both Screwtape and Wormwood are “tempters” who are trying to lead Wormwood’s “patient” into their “father’s home,” also known as hell. The Screwtape Letters, greatly told during a crucial time in Europe, portrays the main characters as imperfect, conflicting uncle and nephew, who’s biggest conflicting issue are themselves. The Screwtape Letters, written in the perspective of Screwtape, helped depict the three main characters’, Screwtape, Wormwood and “The Patient” personalities and actions throughout the story.

Read More

Essay On Screwtape Letter

1186 Words | 5 Pages

While Satan, “Our Father Below,” is a self-loving, deceitful father. When everyone agrees that Lewis’s style of writing is instructive. Some say Lewis wrote the book for people to understand and feel sympathy for Satan and his followers “demons”. Lewis’s style of writing makes one better equip to reorganize Satan’s subtle deceptions in three ways: it helps people recognize distractions in our thoughts, it helps people recognize distractions

Read More

'Gluttony In C. S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters'

700 Words | 3 Pages

Whether in delicacy or excess, gluttony is the most readily accepted of the seven deadly sins. Guinness argues both that, in the modern world, gluttony of delicacy has replaced the gluttony of excess and the proper response to this vice is courage under suffering. When we think of gluttony, we tend to envision endless tables of food sprawled out before a man who could stand to skip a few meals, however, while this is one way in which gluttony presents itself, it is not the form we find often within the modern Christian’s life. Rather, the most common form of gluttony in the Christian’s life is that of delicacy. In his book, The Screwtape Letters C. S. Lewis utters these words through the pen of his character Screwtape, a demon corresponding with a demon-in-training, “Your patient’s mother… would be astonished… to learn that her whole life is enslaved to this kind of sensuality, which is quite concealed from her by the fact that the quantities involved are small” (Guinness, pg. 4-10).

Read More

An Analysis Of Anne Moody's Coming Of Age In Mississippi

699 Words | 3 Pages

Hell, the Devil, and fear of dying because she is black” (pg. 220). Anne Moody’s use of word choice and punctuation show that she is more concerned of some fears than others, however, Moody allows the reader to see that power can not control all

Read More

How Does Screwtape Use Language In Chapter 8

1094 Words | 5 Pages

In chapter 8, Screwtape talks to Wordworm about his knowledge of the Enemies' ways and different attacks. Also throwing some shade towards the training college that Wormwood is a part of. With this Screwtape uses numerous different types of language to be able to get what he wants, and to keep Wormwood on the right path. As we know language/words could entirely break someone down or bring them up. We are also able to use words to persuade and more importantly manipulate beings into doing what we want them to do.

Read More

What Is The Theme Of The Screwtape Letter

1046 Words | 5 Pages

Screwtape is a senior demon that gives advice to wormwood, a junior tempter. Each letter Screwtape writes to wormwood is advice on how to keep his “Patient” from building faith toward God and how to lure the man into committing wicked sins, so he is forever doomed to eternity in hell. Screwtape is a demon of higher ranking than Wormwood and he is quite wise, but also hate-filled and arrogant. The way he

Read More

The Great Divorce: A Literary Analysis

1235 Words | 5 Pages

On the bus, the narrator encounters various people who reveal what the nature of Hell is. First, the narrator meets a youth. After a puzzling comment from the boy, the narrator asks, “Do they like [Grey Town]?” (Lewis 469). The youth is convinced that the damned like Hell “as much as they’d like anything” (Lewis 469).

Read More

A Pair Of Tickets Character Analysis

1186 Words | 5 Pages

Character Analysis When thinking of families most of the time its people you grew up with, and the culture you grew around. The story " A Pair of Tickets" () draws on what family and culture do to family 's and more importantly one person. June grows up in America where the culture to her is more familiar than that of her Chinese parents. While growing up she thought countless of times that the ways of her mother where strange and embarrassing, and at time she didn’t think of herself as truly to her heritage. Throughout the story June goes through different stages of grief, and finding herself when she truly thought she wasn’t a part of a culture.

Read More

The Great Divorce Theme Essay

420 Words | 2 Pages

The biggest theme of The Great Divorce is salvation; more specifically, ensuring one’s immortal soul reaches Heaven and not Hell through the exercising correct moral choices in life and the practice of forgiving others and seeking forgiveness for your own sins. For Lewis, Heaven and Hell are not metaphoric or ideas, they are real places. In the book, Lewis develops this by having other related themes that affect salvation like, vanity vs. pride, love, the value of ideologies, faith vs. skepticism, jealousy, anger, and forgiveness.

Read More

Two Kinds Character Analysis

937 Words | 4 Pages

“Two Kinds,” by Amy Tan, essentially revolves around the struggle of Jing Mei and her constant conflict with her mother. Throughout her life, she is forced into living a life that is not hers, but rather her mom’s vision of a perfect child; because her mother lost everything, which included her parents and kids, so her only hope was through Jing Mei. Jing Mei’s mom watches TV shows such as the Ed Sullivan Show, which gives her inspiration that her daughter should be like the people and actors. First her mom saw how on the television a three-year-old boy can name all the capitals of the states and foreign countries and would even pronounce it correctly. Her mom would quiz Jing Mei on capitals of certain places, only to discover that

Read More

Critical Analysis Of Paradise Lost

1305 Words | 6 Pages

Paradise Lost is the creative epic poem and the passionate expression of Milton’s religious and political vision, the culmination of his young literary ambition as a 17th century English poet. Milton inherited from his English predecessors a sense of moral function of poetry and an obligation to move human beings to virtue and reason. Values expressed by Sir Philip Sidney, Spencer and Jonson. Milton believes that a true poet ought to produce a best and powerful poem in order to convince his readers to adopt a scheme of life and to instruct them in a highly pleasant and delightful style. If Milton embraced the moral function of literature introduced by Sidney, Spencer and Johnson, he gave it a more religious emphasise.

Read More

More about The Screwtape Letters Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document