Analysis Of The Screwtape Letter By C. S. Lewis

Independent Reading Paper Often when discussing children’s stories the word “villain” is used to describe what is known as the bad guy. According to the dictionary definition villain is described as “a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot” (Dictonary.com). In literary terms the villain can be described as the antagonist, “the adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary work” (Dictonary.com). In C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letter, Lewis describes the villain of the novel as the Enemy. The Screwtape Letters is written in a series of letters from senior demon Screwtape to his inexperienced junior tempter nephew, Wormwood. The series of letters deal with many Christian Doctrines and human nature. The reversal of the role of good and evil in C. S. Lewis’ novel presents God or the Enemy as the villain or antagonist of the novel. This is done by presenting Screwtape as morally right, posing God as the main adversary to both Screwtape and Wormwood, and the portrayal of God as an evil agency.

In various parts throughout the novel, Lewis’ Screwtape refers to things such as prayer as a “painful subject” (Lewis 15) and the church as “Half-finished, sham Gothic erection on the new building estate” (Lewis 5). These descriptions of church related activities are hard to grasp for a reader, considering that most people are often taught that these are good thing. However, Lewis chose to write his book from a demons point of view the reader is then obligated to see Screwtape’s point of view. In doing this Screwtape is present as the protagonist or the “good guy”. While the Enemy or God along with all Christian related topics are seen as the “bad”, although people identify them as good or