The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
"The Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis is a satirical exploration of temptation and spiritual warfare, framed as a series of letters from Screwtape, a senior devil, to his inexperienced nephew Wormwood. The narrative centers on Wormwood's efforts to corrupt a young Englishman, referred to as the "patient." After the patient becomes a Christian, Screwtape offers various strategies to undermine his faith and virtue, highlighting themes of pride, spiritual complacency, and the subtleties of temptation. The correspondence illustrates how devils can manipulate human experiences, even using events like war or love to distract from genuine faith. As the patient navigates his spiritual journey, Screwtape's advice becomes increasingly desperate, reflecting the ongoing battle between good and evil. Ultimately, the patient’s commitment to his faith leads to his death, where he attains eternal salvation, leaving Screwtape enraged at Wormwood's failure. This work invites readers to reflect on moral choices, the nature of good and evil, and the complexities of the human experience through a unique and thought-provoking lens.
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The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
First published: 1941, serial; 1942, book
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Satire
Time of plot: Before and during World War II
Locale: England
Principal characters
Screwtape , a former tempter promoted to undersecretary in Hell’s civil serviceWormwood , Screwtape’s nephew, a tempter in trainingThe patient , the young Englishman to whom Wormwood is assignedThe Enemy , Hell’s name for GodGlubose , the devil assigned to the patient’s motherSlumtrimpet , the devil assigned to the patient’s fiancéToadpipe , secretary to Screwtape
The Story:
Screwtape, a senior devil in Hell’s hierarchy, writes letters to his nephew Wormwood, who is attempting to corrupt his first mortal soul. The soul is that of a young Englishman whom the devils refer to as the “patient.” Wormwood experiences a setback very early in his assignment, when the patient becomes a Christian. Undaunted, Screwtape advises several strategies to block the patient’s movement forward. If the young man cannot be kept from going to church, he writes, Wormwood should lead him to regard other church members with disdain because of their various shortcomings. If he cannot be kept from praying, Wormwood should have him focus on himself and his feelings during prayer rather than on the “Enemy Above” (God).
Wormwood expresses joy at the outbreak of World War II, but Screwtape quickly corrects that attitude. Despite the wonderful suffering war can bring, he explains, war can also be quite dangerous since it leads people to reflect seriously on life and to prepare for death. Wormwood should keep the patient away from normal pleasures since they often lead back to the Enemy who invented them; pleasures are only allowed when they are distorted or taken in ways, times, or degrees that are forbidden by the Enemy. As the patient is slowly led away from the path of virtue, Screwtape warns Wormwood not to tempt him to any spectacular wickedness because sins that seem insignificant ensure a safer gradual path to eternal separation from the Enemy, whereas larger sins are likely to inspire repentance.
Unfortunately for Wormwood, when the patient is out for a solitary walk one day, he is surrounded by the presence of the Enemy (which Wormwood experiences as an asphyxiating cloud into which he cannot see) and is reconverted. Screwtape, ever adaptive to changing circumstances, advises that since the patient is now firmly resolved to live as a Christian, Wormwood should try to corrupt any of his developing virtues. The patient has now become humble, so Wormwood should corrupt his humility by making him proud of his humility or by making him dishonestly minimize the value of his gifts and talents. Since the patient is committed to attending church, he should be led to a church that waters down biblical teaching and encourages a lack of faith. Wormwood should also keep the patient’s inclinations for doing good and his desire to grow in virtue firmly fixed in the realm of his imagination because these attitudes are quite harmless if they never reach his will and are never concretely put into action. Wormwood should also direct the patient’s goodwill toward an abstract concept of humanity in general but direct the patient’s lack of charity to his mother and the specific people he actually encounters in his life.
Things begin to seem worse for Wormwood because the patient falls in love with a young Christian woman. Screwtape encourages his nephew by reminding him that falling in love, like war and every other human event, is merely raw material that can be used by either side. Because the patient is now in the perilous company of mature Christians, Wormwood must lead him to be proud that he is part of such a fine group of spiritual people. He should also muddle the patient about the distinction between romantic love (which does not last) and fidelity and charity (which do last) in order to lay an unrealistic foundation for the patient’s upcoming marriage and guarantee future marital problems.
While working as an air-raid warden, the patient is killed during a bombing attack; despite Screwtape and Wormwood’s best efforts, he is now eternally beyond their grasp. At his death, his spiritual eyes are opened, and both he and Wormwood are able to see the angels who have assisted him throughout his life, as well as “Him” (Christ). Screwtape, furious with his nephew’s defeat, expresses some pleasure at the thought that he may now devour Wormwood as punishment for his failure.
Bibliography
Baggett, David, et al., eds. C. S. Lewis as Philosopher. Downer’s Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2008. Fifteen essays by philosophy professors on a variety of issues in Lewis’s writings, with three on Hell and evil.
Christopher, Joe R. C. S. Lewis. New York: Twayne, 1987. Good introductory overview of Lewis as critic, philosopher, apologist, essayist, and novelist; discussion of each novel with reference to Lewis’s affinity with other major authors, such as Dante and Edmund Spenser.
Clark, David. C. S. Lewis: A Guide to His Theology. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2007. Succinct, clear description of Lewis’s philosophical and religious thought in his fiction and nonfiction; discusses angels and devils in chapter 4. Good index, but very inadequate bibliography.
Green, Roger Lancelyn, and Walter Hooper. C. S. Lewis: A Biography. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1974. Excellent general introduction to Lewis’s life and major works; discusses TheScrewtape Letters in chapter 8.
Hooper, Walter. C. S. Lewis: A Companion and Guide. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. Indispensable book by Lewis’s personal secretary that catalogs the background and provides a detailed summary for each work of fiction and nonfiction. Five helpful, comprehensive indexes at the end list Lewis’s key ideas, people in the author’s life, places of significance to him, and his publications, as well as providing a very detailed subject index.
Lindskoog, Kathryn. C. S. Lewis: Mere Christian. Rev. 4th ed. Chicago: Cornerstone, 1997. Emphasizes Christian themes in Lewis’s fiction. Chapter 2 includes a section on Hell. Brief appendixes with time lines or the author’s life and publications; good index.
Mills, David, ed. The Pilgrim’s Guide. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1998. Seventeen essays by leading Lewis scholars on a variety of topics. A detailed time line that includes other authors and world events. Excellent annotated bibliography by Diana Pavlac Glyer.