The Screwtape Letters
Book By C.S. Lewis
Review by
Janelle A. Spiers
August 29, 2014
“It is funny how mortals always picture us putting things
into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” ~ Screwtape,
Letter IV
“Indeed, the safest road
to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden
turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” ~ Screwtape, Letter VII
WARNING: Please be aware that if you continue reading
this Book Review, you may be subject to reading spoilers and or secrets of the
original book. However, all attempts
shall be made to hide the crucial points, in the event that this review
encourages you to read this book. Any
information divulged will be deemed by the author of this review necessary to
the review, or, not capable of ruining any major surprise.
The
Screwtape Letters were written by C.S.
Lewis as a series of epistolary correspondence between two devils. Screwtape writes to his young nephew,
Wormwood, instructing him and condoning him on how to do his work efficiently
and well. As we learn from Screwtape,
the work of a demon is to govern a human patient and protect him from the Enemy
that threatens to destroy their hard work.
The theme of these fiendish missives
covers a huge range of topics and personal themes. Lewis was able to manipulate his plot to follow
along with several key Christian topics, such as temptation, grace, faith,
handling fear, and the difference between good and evil. Although this is written from a demon point
of view, the topics ring true, however twisted they appear.
There is a very simple plot line in The Screwtape Letters, as this was not
intended to be a plot-driven novel.
However, Lewis does follow the life and times of one particular man from
his becoming a Christian, to falling in love with a girl through the eyes of
his demons. Other correspondence between
Screwtape and Wormwood shows us that war rages in Europe, and we also get a
small taste of life as a demon.
Screwtape makes several references to his nephew in regards to his
college education and occupational work.
Screwtape is the writer of the letters, and though
we never see any of Wormwood’s letters, we learn that Screwtape is a very
brusque uncle, but he does care about the well-being and success of his
nephew. Screwtape has a habit of getting
quite angry at Wormwood, to the point that in one letter, he cannot finish
writing, and his secretary must continue because Screwtape changes into a giant
centipede. This is rather startling to
see how much Screwtape can evolve due to his emotions.
We also learn through the messages
Screwtape writes about the Enemy.
Because The Screwtape Letters
is based upon a Christian foundation, the Enemy is actually the Holy Trinity
and His angels. Screwtape goes to great
lengths to warn Wormwood at what the Enemy is capable of, how to avoid
detection when working against the Enemy, and what the Enemy wants for the
humans He created. Screwtape has a
horrible hatred of the Enemy, but he is also forced to confess his fear and the
overwhelming sense of power that the Enemy wields.
Wormwood is a very young,
inexperienced, and as we learn from Screwtape, pitiful excuse of a demon. Wormwood is continually admonished for his
swift actions and his inability to keep his human under their control. Several times he pleads to his Uncle to spare
him punishment for allowing his patient to fall further from the ways of the
world, but he is not given any mercy.
Wormwood is not good at what he does, and in the end he pays dearly for
his poor workmanship.
The writing quality of The Screwtape Letters is excellent. Lewis is a wonderful wordsmith, and crafted
his lexical knowledge with skill and expertise.
Lewis hit a wide variety of emotions through Screwtape’s communication
with his nephew, chief among them, anger, sarcasm, and fear. He allows the reader to feel Screwtape’s
frustration with his nephew, but he can also send chills down your spine as
Screwtape celebrates the successes of his evilness.
For people unaccustomed to reading
classic works, the wordiness of Screwtape’s letters could be overwhelming. It can be hard to comprehend for younger
readers, due to subject matter and older, out-of-date words. Nonetheless, for those who do enjoy older
writings, it is fairly easy to follow.
The
Screwtape Letters were not given any awards or notable recognition. However, The
Guardian, a newspaper in England, did publish the letters, but it was not
widely accepted. Lewis mentions in his
forward that The Guardian lost at
least one reader due to the publication of such wicked and far-out writing.
Clive Staple Lewis was born in
Belfast, Ireland, in 1898. He wrote both
fiction and non-fiction, and is possibly most famous for his Chronicles of
Narnia and Mere Christianity. He became
a Christian in 1931, and the conversion was greatly influenced by the writing
of George MacDonald and G.K. Chesterton, also arguments he had with his close
friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, for whom The
Screwtape Letters is dedicated.
Lewis published The Screwtape Letters in 1941, where they were weekly published in The Guardian newspaper. Later, the letters were published as a book
in 1961 where an additional toast by Screwtape was published. The
Screwtape Letters has been made into film, stage, and comic book
adaptations, in addition to an audio drama produced by Focus on the Family
Radio Theatre.
The worldview of this book is purely
from a Christian standpoint. The book
does delve into the worldly ideas and beliefs of that time, but it is from a
Christian mindset throughout. Lewis does
do an excellent job of torqueing common Christian beliefs and broadcasting them
through the mind of a very crafty demon.
The
Screwtape Letters is very clean when it comes to language or
profanity. Nevertheless, for those who
find the word, hell, offensive, it is
mentioned sundry times, mainly because that is where Screwtape is writing from,
and where he is trying to help Wormwood lure his patient. The word damnation
also appears, in regards to a human soul.
There are a few letters within this
collection of writings discussing the topic of sex and lust. Screwtape encourages his nephew to use the
human desire to their own destruction, and the idea is portrayed that if the
patient loses his virtue, they have achieved a major victory. Nothing descriptive or explicit is ever
mentioned, but the subject does rise in several places.
There is little violence/death
contained in the book. War is alluded
to, and death is also spoken of very briefly, but no one is ever seen dying or
being physically hurt, although it is hinted at, in the last letter, that
Wormwood would pay dearly for a grave mistake.
It is likely that if the story were to continue, Wormwood would be
sorely injured or killed as his punishment.
The ebb and flow of The Screwtape Letters is very
consistent. The plot line moves clearly
in one straight forward direction, although it does leave us wondering what
would have followed, had Lewis continued his letters. The characters are also quite constant in
attitude and posture. Screwtape is
continually peevish with his sniveling nephew and the imminent power of the
Enemy looms over the demons like a cloud.
The quality and depth of the writing continues to be just what we expect
of Lewis, and he does not disappoint.
As a Christian myself, my personal
beliefs were challenged when I realized that the Enemy was in truth, my Savior
and Lord. I quickly came to understand
Lewis’ reason for that reference, as it is from a demonic point of view; the
Enemy is clearly not going to be in league with the devil and his forces. It was hard to switch my mindset, but I do
appreciate the consistency Lewis obtained on his stance on God.
I shared the same common belief with the themes and
topics Lewis brought up, and I was quite pleased with the entirety of the
book. It caused me to stop and to ponder
how often I allow the devil to influence my thinking, or lack of thinking, on
certain matters. I also had a moment of
curiosity at Lewis’ suggesting that each human has a demon constantly at his
heels. I have continued to wonder about
that idea since I finished the book and I look forward to continue my musings
on the matter.
The Screwtape
Letters proves itself as a very unique
book. The demons are fictitious and a
lot of guesswork and imagination went in to the creating of the demon world,
but the Christian truths and beliefs were very thought through and biblically
correct. I would recommend reading this
book and exploring your own personal beliefs and see how they are challenged by
C.S. Lewis’ work of art.
(Based on a rating
system entirely made up of pros and cons, I judge by different categories to
ensure that the reader of this review can aptly choose if this book is an
appropriate for themselves or others.)
Theme ~ Positive! (For excellent topics that are
meaningful and applicable to life.)
Plot Line ~ Undetermined! (This work was not intended
to be plot-driven)
Characters ~ Positive! (Very memorable and extremely
consistent)
Writing Quality ~ Positive! (For thoroughness and well
executed work)
Mature Content ~ Negative! (Some topics may be unsuitable
for a young or sensitive audience.)
Congruency ~ Positive! (For extreme consistency in plot,
characters, and quality)
The total score for The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis is 4.5
out of a possible 6 positive points.
The floor of the forest is covered with a nice quilt of colorful leaves. They keep the tree roots warm and tenderly tuck the vines and plants into their winter nap. The leaves are all sizes, shapes, and hues fluttering down to the ground like snowflakes. Maybe they are trying to be the snowflakes of autumn, knowing that they will never survive to the cold white of winter. The aspen trees observe this happening, shaking their heads in mirth. And as they shake, more leaves fall to the distant ground, floating and dancing on the chill mountain breeze. The leaves are king, there in the woods, and they enjoy themselves, while they last...
