The Screwtape Letter

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Temptations Wouldn’t it be great if there was a source that revealed all the secrets of the devil, to more easily combat his schemes? Well, thanks to Christian literature legend C.S. Lewis, there is. The Screwtape Letters is a story about modern society told from the perspective of the demons. It flows through a series of letters written by Screwtape, a high ranking demonic official, to his nephew, Wormwood, a tempter-in-training. Wormwood is given his first assignment: ensuring the damnation of “the patient,” just an everyday, normal man. C.S. Lewis makes this character extremely relatable to everyone, as the reader sees his life unfold as it is affected by the demons. Because of his relatability, the patient is an “everyman” and makes the story even more engaging. Screwtape gives Wormwood many tactics to bring “the patient” to the devil’s side. The main tactics he uses are making the patient feel judgmental and prideful, exposing him to pleasure, and keeping the patient from thinking too deeply. None of these tactics work in the end.
One of the first things Screwtape warns Wormwood about in the text …show more content…
As the old proverb says, “Pride comes before the fall.” It is critical for Screwtape and Co. to always keep the patient prideful about everything, because this is a surefire way to further him from God. Screwtape explains to Wormwood that if the patient becomes humble, “smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, ‘By jove! I’m being humble,’ and almost immediately pride – pride at his own humility – will appear. If he awakes to the danger and tries to smother this new form of pride, make him proud of his attempt – and so on” (Lewis 40). Screwtape wants the patient to stay ever prideful. He wants it to be at such an extent that even when he is humble, he should feel prideful about how humble he is. Screwtape know that if the patient stays prideful, he and Wormwood

Screwtape Letters Analysis

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis takes place in England during the early 20th century. The letters are advice written by Screwtape, a senior devil in Hell’s Lowerarchy, to Wormwood, his nephew and a new tempter. All of the letters focus mainly on the state of the soul of a young man, known merely as the patient, who in one of the first letters becomes a Christian. As the patient struggles to remain in a state of grace, he is influenced by his relationship with his mother and the young woman with…

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Screwtape Letters Analysis

Firstly, I do not think Screwtape understands love. Many examples of this exist in “the Screwtape letters.” For instance, he claims God cannot truly love humans because no one can truly love one another. He finds it hard to understand why God even created mankind, and why he wants them to be good or desires to reward them in heaven. Because of his misunderstanding of love, Screwtape will never be able to become a Christian. However, I think that by exploring Screwtape’s incomprehension of love, Lewis…

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Screwtape Letter Analysis

mediator between the spiritual and sensual life.” C.S. Lewis, in his epistolary novel, uses negative tone and the condescending language of the demon Screwtape to convey the point of view of the devil. In The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape is writing to his nephew Wormwood about manipulating a patient or human. Wormwood is faced with challenges that Screwtape provides solutions to and the readers must take this information and analyze from the opposite perspective. Lewis uses his own interpretation of a…

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Screwtape Letters Symbolism

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11) Throughout “The Screwtape Letters,” this verse is made apparent through each individual letter. This novel provides a unique perspective on Christianity, a topic not often discussed heavily. It depicts the progressive life of a human through the eyes of a demon trying to destroy him. Though it is narrated through the thoughts of a well experienced demon, the goodness of God is…

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The Screwtape Letter Analysis

In The Screwtape Letters, which C. S. Lewis originally published in 1942, a fictitious demon named Screwtape wrote a series of letters to his “nephew,” Wormwood, as he tried to convince a British man to sin and, ultimately, to disown his faith in God. Although The Screwtape Letters aids readers in recognizing many of the temptations which plagued both British culture and, in differing degrees, all of humanity, Lewis’ writing style also makes readers sympathetic to the plight of Screwtape and Wormwood…

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Screwtape 10th Letter Analysis

In the 10th letter, Screwtape was implying to Wormwood how other individual influences truly impacts ones own thoughts. Screwtape enjoyed the idea of a married couple coming into the Patients life; morally because they are, "brightly skeptical about everything in the world". The author capitalizes the phrase, Choice of Friends to emphasize to the reader and to Wormwood about how this can impact ones mental thoughts. The author states, "All mortals tend to turn into the thing they are pretending to…

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The Screwtape Letter Quote Analysis

self-control in their life. Virtue is a difficult trait to possess because everyone is human and always has their bad days. In the novel “The Screwtape Letters” letters 30 and 31 has insight on understanding our own growth in virtue, how the devil twists the idea of reality, and the idea on death, then heaven. In chapter 30 of “The Screwtape Letters,” Screwtape begins to talk…

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The Screwtape Letters Essay

Name Teacher Class Date My dear Wormwood, I was considering our conversation the other day regarding your patient name. It seems that the most obvious distraction would be entertainment. When he is given a task he procrastinates until the day before or would rather not do it at all. His mentors worn him to focus on what is truly important, but he wants reward without the work. You can relate this attribute to his commitment to God. When he thinks of praying make him think that he…

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The Deception In C. S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letter

looks round upon aa universe in which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”-C.S Lewis, The Screwtape Letters. The Screwtape Letters are about the uncle sending his nephew tips on how to stop a person’s, whom they call patient, faith and divert their attention from God. The Screwtape Letter help readers recognize Satan’s deception for three reasons by showing not thinking of Christian things can help plummet someone’s faith, war has advantages…

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Screwtape Persuasive Speech

or from the Enemy’s. Not for the purpose of insanity, I have decided to equip you from the perspective of the Enemy. I have inspired one of my own, C. S. Lewis, to prepare you and to teach you of your true Enemy’s ways via the instruction form Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood. To avoid utter confusion, replace “enemy” with God and “you” with “the Enemy”. It is commonly said that the greatest lesson is one’s failure, so learn from one of our enemy’s failure.…

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