Screwtape Analysis

Jonathan Neumann
Honors British Literature
Mrs. Baniaga
31 August 2010

          The Screwtape Letters shows how human nature is full of lust. Screwtape says, “Do not think lust an exception. When the present pleasure arrives, the sin (which alone interests us) is already over.” (Lewis 76-77) Throughout the book, lust is a major factor in the Patient’s life that Screwtape insist on using to lead the Patient away from God. Lust is defined as the desires of the flesh for self-indulgence. A major temptation of lust is women. The body of the woman throughout the years has been a major distraction to man and clothing and even things like music increase the lust of man. In chapter 20, Screwtape speaks of two different types of women that could tempt, “a terrestrial and an infernal Venus.” (Lewis 108) Basically these two types of women are examples of lust of the body. As mentioned in I Corinthians 6:18, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body,” a person especially Christians should avoid sexual desires except in a godly marriage.
          A major time when lust is used to draw a person away from God is during the Trough periods.  Screwtape clearly states this with this quote, "the Trough periods of the human undulation provide excellent opportunity for all sensual temptations, particularly those of sex." (Lewis 43)  During this time, a human is feeling empty and depression from a lose or anything that has not gone according to plan. To fill this emptiness, many temptations such as drugs, alcohol, and sexual desires are placed before the person. Also when a person has lustful desires in their heart and mind, the meaning of “Love” is changed. Love is an emotion that is express through care for others and willingness to help them. However, with lust, love is just seeing the outside of the person and wanting what is physically seen instead of looking what is also inside the heart. As Christians, we should know that God desires us to not just look at the physical side of a person but also the spiritual side of them. However, there are many temptations out in the world that have been set to distract us from following God. Since our human nature is naturally sinful, we tend to be drawn to these lustful things that are in the form of music, movies, and multiple entertainments. We must turn to God to help guide us through life. Of course it is possible to stumble a little, however, God would always be there to pick us up again.


Works Cited
Lewis, Clive S. The Screwtape Letters. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. Print.

Ch. XXVI: Unselfishness:  According to Screwtape, "A woman means by Unselfishness chiefly taking trouble for others; a man means not giving trouble to others."  Overall, unselfishness can be defined as wanting the best for others. 

Ch. XXVII: "...use the "heads I win, tails you lose" argument. If the thing he prays for doesn't happen, then that is one more proof that petitionary prayers don't work; if it does happen, he will, of course, be able to see some of the physical causes which led up to it, and "therefore it would have happened anyway", and thus a granted prayer becomes just as good a proof as a denied one that prayers are ineffective." (Lewis 148)  In this quote, Screwtape is suggesting that Wormwood to try to confuse and discourage the Patient about prayer.  Screwtape hopes that whatever the outcome is from what the Patient prays for, the Patient would view it as an unneccessary act to do.  With this doubt about prayer, a person would be drawn away from talking to God.  It is a constant struggle for new Christians and even for older Christians. Even I struggle with it, especially in robotics when the robot is failing and my prayers for it to work are not answered.  However, I must work to try to fix it and instead ask God for wisdom and patience.

Ch. XXVIII: "Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is "finding his place in it", while really it is finding its place in him." (Lewis 155)  Prosperity could be defined as success in what a person does that has many gains.  In this quote, the person thinks that since he is succeeding, he is finding his place in the world.  However, in reality, his "success" is clouding his mind and taking him farther from God.  Many people feel this way when they gain money or anything with great value.  However, earthly possessions would decay and is nothing compared to what's in heaven.

Ch. XXIX:  "Hatred we can manage. The tension of human nerves during noise, danger, and fatigue, makes them prone to any violent emotion and it is only a question of guiding this susceptibility into the right channels." (Lewis 159-160)  Hatred is constantly used by the Devil.  When a person is experiencing a tough time, it makes him/her easily aggitated.  Every little thing such as a pen click, foot tapping, and even motion sensing sliding doors could build up hatred.  With hatred, the people around are affected.  Although you might not say anything, a persons thoughts to harm someone is sinful.  As Christians, we should be aware of this and try to pray in place of hatred.

Ch. XXX: "It need not be much shorter; in attacks on patience, chastity, and fortitude, the fun is to make the man yield just when (had he but known it) relief was almost in sight."  This quote speaks of making sure that a person would give up although the end of the road is near yet he does not see it.  This attacks the person's perseverance and patience when they are tired of travelling and just want everything to end already.  I struggle a lot with this, especially with long assignments and even during robotics when we spend hours working.

Ch. XXXI: "But when he saw them he knew that he had always known them and realised what part each one of them had played at many an hour in his life when he had supposed himself alone, so that now he could say to them, one by one, not "Who are you?" but "So it was you all the time". All that they were and said at this meeting woke memories."  This speaks of how when the Patient dies, he sees the devils that had made his life difficult.  There are many mixed feelings including anger. However, since the Patient lived through the trials and continued to follow God, he is allowed into heaven and the Devil has lost.  This is a great lose for the Devil as there is one less soul for him to forever torment.  As Christians, we should know that there are many followers of the Devil that would tempt us, however, God is always there for us.

Screwtape XVIII-XXI

1. Ch. XVIII. "To be" means "to be in competition"(Lewis 94).  This quote is saying that life is a battle of the fittest.  Everything that exists in the world fights for their existance.  It's basically every man for himself.  If a being stops fighting, he would be wiped out by another being. 
2. Ch. XIX. "He must have some real motive for creating them and taking so much trouble about them." (Lewis 100).  In this quote, Screwtape is saying that the "Enemy" (God) created man yet it is a mystery why He created man and still takes care of man although they have fallen.  However, as Christians, the reason why God created man was for His own glory.  Although man has fallen into sin, God still cares and loves us so much that He sent his only son to die for us.  However, the devil and his followers try to cloud the minds of man so that they would not be able to understand God and see how much He loves them. 
3. Ch. XX.  "The aim is to guide each sex away from those members of the other with whom spiritually helpful, happy, and fertile marriages are most likely."  (Lewis 106).  This quote is saying that the goal of the devil is to try to draw humans away from a good Christian relationship.  To do this, the devil uses earthly things such as fashion and art to try distract a person's mind from good.  They would start to focus on their appearance and spend less time focusing on the relationship that God says we should have. 
4. Ch. XXI.  "A period of sexual temptation is an excellent time for working in a subordinate attack on the patient's peevishness." (Lewis 111).   This quote speaks of a time when the devil could attack a person.  During this time, the person has a very low toleration for anything.  When the person is angered, he/she would do anything to relieve their stress and anger.  Therefore, the devil uses sexual temptations during this time to turn man away from God.

Brainstorming for Analysis Ideas

1. Allusion: The "Enemy" is referring to God.
2. Conflict: Patient against his mother.
3. Conflict: Screwtape and Wormwood against the "Enemy" (God).
4. Climax: Patient gets new friends (Ch. 10)
• "I was delighted to hear from Triptweeze that your patient has made some very desirable new acquaintances and that you seem to have used this event in a really promising manner." (Lewis, 49)
5. Theme: Patient starts to pray but is struggling. (Ch. 12) 
•  "He will want his prayers to be unreal, for he will dread nothing so much as effective contact with the Enemy. " (Lewis, 59)
6. Theme: Attending church (Ch. 15)
7. Foreshadowing: Screwtape warning about what might happen in the future with Wormwood's patient. 
• "Sooner or later, however, the real nature of his new friends must become clear to him, and then your tactics must depend on the patient's intelligence." (Lewis, 51)
8. Theme: Relationship with mother. How to keep Patient apart from her. (Ch. 3)
9. Theme: Virtue of Humility (CH 14)
10. Metaphor: Heaven and Hell. (Ch. 15)
• "But we want a man hag-ridden by the Future—haunted by visions of an imminent heaven or hell upon earth—ready to break the Enemy's commands in the present if by so doing we make him think he can attain the one or avert the other—dependent for his faith on the success or failure of schemes whose end he will not live to see. " (Lewis, 77-78)

Chapters IX-XII Questions

1. Why do our “trough periods” make us so vulnerable (Lewis, 43)? Is this applicable to you? Our "trough periods" makes us vulnerable because it is a time when everything is not going according to plan.  During this time, we are feeling pity for ourselves and this provides the perfect opportunity for the devil to try tempt us with earthly desires.  When there is a lot of homework and chores to do, I sometimes feel like there is no time for myself to enjoy.  Usually I feel like just ignoring the task that needs to be done, and would rather just read mangas, watch anime, and talk with friends online. 
2. Chapter IX: What beautiful truth about pleasure does Screwtape share? Make a list of pleasures.  The truth about pleasure that Screwtape shares is that pleasure is created by God.  God is the only true source of pleasure.  However, the devil could manipulate a human's thoughts to use and enjoy the pleasure in ways not intended by God.  List of pleasures: mangas, anime, music, computer, books, being with friends and family, and food.
3. Chapter X: What are your thoughts regarding “parallel lives” (Lewis, 51)? What does this mean to you?  "Parallel lives" is being a person but acting differently around different people to gain favour in their eyes.  To me this is deceiving to the people that are around you and might put their trust in you.  If they continue to live their lives like this, they would grow attached to it without knowing and they would not be true to themselves or others. 
4. Chapter XI: What are your thoughts on music and joy after reading this chapter? After reading this chapter, my thought is that both music and joy can be used to worship God. However, they can still be manipulated by the devil to please ourselves.  We have to have the right mind set on God at all times while dealing with both music and joy.
5. Chapter XII: What is the “safest road to Hell” (Lewis, 61)? Do you agree or disagree?  Screwtape writes that the safest road to Hell is one that is gradual, with a gentle slope, easy to follow, and no sharp turns.  I agree with this statement because since it is a gradual sloping road, a person could easily and quickly travel this road without using too much energy.  This road is all about making a person comfortable and relaxed by making it simple for them to walk on.  Since it is a simple road, there is a higher chance of people choosing this road to follow.

Chapters V-VIII Questions

1.  Chapter V: What is Screwtape’s idea on the best way for humans to die? Why? Screwtape believes that humans should die in a "costly nursing home" with everyone telling the patient that everything would be all right and that he/she would get better.  With this hope of getting better, the person would stay focus on him/herself and ignore any religious teachings.  However, from what Screwtape thinks, this false hope of life would end in the person's death and they would not know God due to their focus on themselves.

2.  Chapter VI: How does “...malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary” (Lewis, 28)? How does this apply to your life?  This happens when an event happens in a person's life.  In the book, there is a war occuring.  The patient feels hatred toward the Germans and he believes that fighting against them is doing good for the country.  However, no good cames from this hatred, his thoughts are clouded and anger and other feelings are preventing him from seeing the truth of his actions and thoughts.  I do the same thing.  If something is not going how I think it should, I feel as I am the one to correct it and that I'm doing a better job.  However, it turns out that I'm sometimes making it worse than it was.  It is best to turn to God for help and guidance instead of rushing in and trying to do things with your own power.

3.  Chapter VII: How do you picture the devil? What does this chapter challenge you about regarding the spiritual warfare over your soul?  I picture the devil to look like an angel with the black wings and white robe.  The devil use to be an angel, however he chose to disobey God and was banished.  We are not given a clear picture from the Bible about how angels look but they are definately beautiful beings.  In this chapter, I see that there is many trials and temptations created by the devil and his followers to turn me away from God.  This chapter challenges me to come closer to God and trust in Him to protect and guide me through these many temptations and trials. 

4.  Chapter VIII: What is the “law of Undulation” (Lewis, 37)? Give an example of this in your life.
The "law of Undulation" is when a person tries to accomplish something that he/she has failed to do so in the past and meets new problems and challenges and continues to fail.  A lot of these problems and challenges are from the devil's temptation and the lack of trust in God.  I always try to have a good attitude with my parents.  I am able to do so for a while, however, something just suddenly happens and I completely fall out of line and disrespect them.  Then I repeat trying to respect them and it keeps happening.  However, I have been working on it and recently I have heard a good sermon and I have been putting more trust in God for His help.

5.  Chapter VIII: “Our cause is never more in danger, than when a human, no longer desiring, but intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys. (Lewis 40). What are your thoughts on this?  My thoughts is that the human follows God but is starting to have doubts in his/her mind.  However, there is a small will to continue following and obeying God even though the person may be lost.  With this small will, it could grow into a stronger relationship with God.  This is what the devil fears and would continue to come on hard and swiftly on the person to try to overtake their will.  However, God is always there for His followers even when it seems that He is not and He would guide them if they trust in Him.

Chapters I-IV Questions.

1. Chapter I: What does Lewis mean by “real life” throughout the chapter? Lewis refers "real life" as the earthly pleasures that man sees and desires.  It is "life" without anything to do with God. It is focus on what the person can see, hear, touch, etc.  The person would be completely distracted by the physical things that he would not think anything about the spiritual things.
2. Chapter II: What are your thoughts on church? Is it something you “do” every week? I think that church is very important.  Like school, church teaches us from Scripture about God and how we should live a godly life.  However, we must be willing to accept what is being taught.  Coming froma Christian family, I attend church every Sunday morning, but am unable to attend on Wednesday nights or Sunday nights due to my father's work.  I admit that sometimes it does get boring, but throughout the sermon, it gets better and I learn and grow more close to God.
3. Chapter III: What are your "daily pinpricks" (Lewis, 11)? I seriously can not stand the beeping of microwaves. Although it's only three beeps that last for about 1-2 seconds, I always try to stop the microwave one second early. Actually any kind of loud and sudden noise bother me.
4. Chapter III: Give an example or two of situations in which you have neglected the obvious (Lewis, 12). One day during summer, I knew that the rice was done cooking but I ignored it to continue playing games and didn't take the time to unplug it. The rice got overcooked, and my mom got mad at me.
5. Chapter IV: What are your thoughts on prayer? Compare your prayer life to this chapter.  Prayer is a conversation with God.  Every Christian should be comfortable with praying.  Prayer can be anytime at any place.  You don't have to close your eyes like some people say that you have to, but it shows more respect to God.  My prayer life could use a lot of work.  I do pray, however, a lot of the time I only pray when i need help.  However, I put my whole faith in God while I pray instead of relying on how I feel and think. 

Copyright

Questions 8/11/10

1. Honestly, I am not the best at writing. I believe that writing is a major skill that everyone has although some are not as good as others. It is a critical skill to use in school, college, and even in work. Writing is a way to express one’s self. Sometimes it’s hard to say something out loud, and writing your thoughts and opinions helps to say what you want to say without actually speaking.

2. I enjoy reading a lot. However, I honesty have not read much biography or historical books. Like writing, reading is an important skill in the lives of everyone. It helps our minds work because we are using our sense of sight and also we should be trying to comprehend what we are reading for better understanding. Today’s generation is all about computers and playing games, I admit that I do spend a lot of time on the computer, however, I still love to read books. A few small examples of what I read are: the Bible, mysteries, and quotes about topics that I learn about or hear about.

3. I like and dislike technology. I like it because it helps getting information easier and faster. As I mentioned in question two, I spend a lot of time on the computer. I haven’t played too much with other game systems for about two years. I am also in the schools robotics team and that uses a lot of technology. However, sometimes I dislike it because there are still many problems with technology and also our world is corrupt. Yet, technology is used every day to assist in schools, work, and everyday entertainment. Through this course, I notice that we would be using a lot of technology such as audio recording and videos. I am not use to these so I would be learning about new technology.

4. Learning is important for everyone. We are all constantly learning new things every day. We learn through all five of our senses. However, the main three that we use are sight, hearing, and touch. I think that I could adjust to any form of teaching, but I do best with audio and visual learning. I honestly don’t really like to learn but if I enjoy the class, I would find it easier to focus and be more open to what is being taught. I do believe that we have to learn in order to succeed in life. One verse that I believe that tells us that we should learn is Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature…” We should be like Christ and increase in wisdom.

5. I want to take this class because I heard that it was a good class. Also, I know it would be a challenge and it would help me learn to be more responsible. As I mention before, I wasn’t very good at writing. I believe that if I take this class, I would be able to learn how to write better since there would be more pressure on me since it would be my responsibility to keep up with this class and accomplish the assigned task. I know that it would be difficult at first but I am sure that it would be an enjoyable class and I would learn a lot throughout the school year.