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Screwtape Letters Summary

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"One road leads home, and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness" (Lewis). Lewis saw this truism in action during his travels to RAF bases during World War II. He would speak, but more importantly, listen to the young soldiers and their chaplains. It is during these visits that many speculate he developed a clear understanding of the slippery spiritual battles invading the average person. Here, at the end of The Screwtape Letters, Lewis is now flipping the narrative. It is not the Patient who is undulating between spiritual success and failures, but Screwtape who is all too aware of the victory his Enemy has achieved. Wormwood failed to fulfill the plan given to him by Screwtape in the time allotted. In the end, he fails to bring the patient into their grasp because of the Patient’s death during a bombing executed by the Germans. With this loss by Wormwood, Screwtape makes it clear that he will torture Wormwood and ultimately devour him. C.S. Lewis completes his moral and spiritual tale on an enigmatic note as a means to let the reader reflect back on his or her own life in order to: become cognizant of Satan’s tactics, gain knowledge that all humans are “patients” in the Devil’s schemes or “Sons of God” from God’s perspective, should they choose …show more content…

Screwtape holds on to the belief that victory is theirs, not only because he does not understand the gift of true love, but also because of his innate nature- that of a deceiver, even one who deceives

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Lewis states, "The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbours whom he meets every day"(pg. 5. The adage of the adage. This shows that Lewis is connecting to the reader, by paying homage to the "rude neighbour experience". Most of the

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C.S. Lewis claims culture is made up of sub-christian values, which are shown through moral and nonmoral actions, and ultimately this is good so Christians should freely participate in culture. Lewis outlines what he exactly means by “sub-christian” in his work Christian Reflections, in which he also give Christians a charge to engage in these things. In Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce, Lewis presents some practical examples of moral and nonmoral activities and the effects they have on faith. Some Christians shy away from engaging in culture that does not directly link to Christ, but Lewis says all of culture is a reflection of God so Christians should be enjoying the culture around them. First C.S. Lewis explains that the term “sub-christian”

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Kylieann McFadden 11/1/17 Mrs. Kois Character Analysis Screwtape -  A devil and the fictional author of The Screwtape Letters. Screwtape is an experienced tempter. He has been assigned, or perhaps , to give his nephew Wormwood advice about how to win the soul of an unnamed British man the Patient into Hell. Screwtape often refers to Wormwood, his nephew, with terms of endearment. By his own account, Screwtape has won many souls for Hell.

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To begin, similar to how Aquinas asserts that spiritual truths in the Scriptures are related through the use of figurative language, Kesey’s work utilizes figurative language to enrich and more effectively express its thematic content. For instance, consider when McMurphy, who provides much wisdom to both his fellow patients and the reader, dramatically imparts to the men the virtues of selflessness and sacrifice. Late in the novel, McMurphy is provided with a difficult ultimatum—he may apologize to Nurse Ratched, but lose the esteem of the men and, consequently, all of the progress he has made in building up their self-esteem, or he may suffer electroconvulsive therapy until he is willing to come to heel. McMurphy, of course, chooses martyrdom for the sake of the men. The importance of selflessness and sacrifice is effectively communicated to the reader by McMurphy’s decision, but this lesson gains more import as a result of McMurphy being developed as a symbol for Christ.

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The use of the word “screw” also implies a sense of anger or resentment towards her family members, which could reflect the dysfunctional relationship between them. Arnya's actions are shown as chaotic by the imagery employed to represent her magician skills, which also accentuates Lucky's lack of stability. A second quote where diction was used to help create the theme in the text is a broken quote mentioned just after the previous one. "Lucky could feel panic and relief in the same sentence... she was a natural born magician in life, and Lucky understood that magic takes time."

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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.

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C.S. Lewis is probably one of the greatest Christian writers who ever lived. His variety and depth of works is legendary. But, in this particular book, he does what few authors have done well. No other author has better captured the subtle deceptions of the Devil and helped the Christian (or non-Christian) to understand it in such a clear way. The book brings feelings of disturbance, humor, sadness, and elation.

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Authored by C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters is a collection of writings addressed from Screwtape, the high-ranking assistant to Lucifer, to his nephew Wormwood, a junior tempter. The letters contain examples of previous successful cases, and the advice of Screwtape to Wormwood about the soul of the “patient” to whom he was assigned. The patient, whom Wormwood was to corrupt, lived in England during World War II, and was converted to the Church of England as an adult. Consequently, he is constantly tormented by Wormwood through the directives of Screwtape, both of whom try to fill his life with immoralities in the midst of his newfound Christianity. In giving his advice to Wormwood, Screwtape shows clever subtlety in tempting patients to self-centeredness

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“To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense. But the obedience which the enemy demands of men is quite a different thing. One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and his service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth.” (Screwtape letters pg. 37-38)

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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

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If you were to acquire your enemy’s playbook, would you utilize it for your advantage? I am not referring to a sports team or a nation; I am discussing the playbook of Satan. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us to, “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” James exhorts submission to God and resistance to the devil. Christians have a choice either to resist temptation or to succumb to temptation.

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The Fate and Destiny of one’s life is determined by the actions that are taken and the paths which are chosen. John Winslow Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany, examines and deepens the meaning behind the Fate and Destiny of someone to shed light on what life’s true meaning is. In this story, John Wheelwright is a member of the hierarchy and wealthy of Gravesend and he finds true friendship in the most unlikely place; John meets the unsophisticated, yet assertive Owen Meany who comes from an unfortunate family. John’s mother, Tabby, interacts with Owen more so than Owen’s actual mother does and when the Angel of Death finally comes for Tabby, the deed to end her life is bestowed upon Owen because he had interrupted the Angel.

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In the 2006 novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a man and his son struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Told through a lens of constant hardship, the book follows their arduous journey towards a coast in order to survive the winter. Throughout the novel, McCarthy shows that having hope enables people to persevere in dire circumstances because it counteracts the possibility of negative outcomes. First, the woman’s monologue about her death displays the despair necessary to abandon all hope.

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During the preface of the novel, the author discusses with the reader about the aspects of the story ahead. He does this through explaining the theme of good and evil; how both are applied in religious ways. The purpose for this introduction was for the reader to become intrigued and for further understanding of the story. In the first letter, Screwtape writes to his nephew Wormwood about his morals and obligations of being a godly figure. I interpreted the phrases used in the letter through the context the author used.

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Finally, forgiveness is an important theme in the book. At some point in every transition between ghost and angel, forgiveness is offered. The ghosts (in transition) refuse and instead hold the narrow-minded self-identifications, egoistic arrogance and obsessions are Lewis’ accusation of man himself. The ghosts in the book cannot abandon their senses of self, no matter how wrongly constructed. For Lewis, all such refusals, are examples of wrong moral choices, choices with eternal consequences.

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