Suffering and pain also produce hate. However, these components of the triage could potentially be exploited by God’s army. This shows in the message which Wormwood sends Screwtape. Wormwood states he is ‘delirious with joy’ due to the Europeans have started the second world war (21). Screwtape, in turn, criticizes Wormwood. He states that if Wormwood feasts on this suffering at the moment and focuses on pleasure before duty, he would end up eternally thirsting. Prolonged human suffering would eventually lead souls to God. In my opinion, this would undoubtedly happen via a process that God offers humans. This journey through suffering is a Christian idea known as redemption. Therefore, Screwtape naturally warns Wormwood that the war could lead thousands to God. The war could be even worse, with humans going to Heaven. This, of course, would only occur if the victims of war were uncorrupted by evil upon facing death. The only way to prevent loss, according to Screwtape, is to generate an amount of suffering that is not chronic. In his words, the best way to use suffering as a weapon for the devil’s arsenal is to catch a man at the moment of his worst pain: “Of course, at the precise moment of terror, bereavement, or physical pain, you may catch your man when his reason is temporarily suspended” (24).…show more content… Well, this reveals itself in how the effects of suffering can be compounded and made more effective through fear. Screwtape teaches that human resignation to the devil through present and actual suffering can occur even faster. Indeed, the conquest of humans does become easier when suffering consists of fear (26). One can only imagine the power that this deadly triage has when slander is also introduced towards the Church at a time when men are fearful and in pain. It is a recipe for chaos and a powerful strategy in the devil’s
