The Screwtape Letters- Review

Intro

The devil has had many depictions in media throughout the years, but few are from the perspective of Satan himself. The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis is a satirical exploration of faith and the ways one can stay away from good into becoming evil. Honestly, I was shocked at how relevant the story has been since its inception in 1942. Also, upon reading, I had to go back to the drawing board for at least one of my stories due to the similarities; I can’t believe C.S Lewis did this to me.

Writing

The Screwtape Letters comprises a series of letters, making up a correspondence between two demons. Screwtape is in a mentor/teacher relationship with Wormwood, who is trying to lure a man into sinning, euphemistically referred to as patents. Hell is set up less like an orgy of depravity and suffering but rather as a business, an office job in which demons are trained to draw people towards sin and misery. The tone is filled with quiet sarcasm, aimed obviously at Christians who would find the matter-of-fact, business-like manner Screwtape speaks in as an amusing contrast to the torment and suffering assonated with hell.

However, the satire also offers extremely blunt and unsettlingly astute observations on how real people act sinful despite claiming to be Christian. You will recognize behavior patterns in yourself and those around you and feels terrible when you realize what Screwtape is praising. I think that is the genius of C.S Lewis; he makes you cringe yourself into self-improvement to feel clean again. Screwtape is a character you love to hate; you respect his intelligent and punctual attitude but also want to stop with your bad habits to spite him.

The historical backdrop of WW2 is also a fascinating inclusion into the story’s themes of sin vs. virtue. Screwtape and Wormwood try to capitalize on the suffering caused by the London blitz, for example, to drive one of their male parents away from god into self-destructive tendencies. However, the suffering that occurs results in a growth of virtue as the man helps his fellow citizens during the blitz. Sin and self-destruction, according to C.S Lewis, is a wilful choice, one that any of us can make if we are willing to step away from god. I am not religious, but I can understand the importance of the message behind the story.

Conclusion

C.S. Lewis is often (and rightfully so) remembered as the creator of the Narnia series. But unfortunately, his other works are often forgotten, like The Problem of Pain or The Screwtape Letters. It is a shame that this is the case as there is a deep intelligence within Lewis’s stories-like The Screwtape Letters, which should be read at least once by those interested in religion or the nature of evil. Also, I will not forgive him for stealing my idea before I was even born, that bastard.

Acknowledgments

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