C.S Lewis The Screwtape Letters - Research Paper Example

The character of Screwtape in the book is one from the lower rungs of the bureaucracy of Hell, as he acts as a sort of mentor and tries to guide Wormwood towards adopting the path of temptation and sin which would eventually lead him to Hell. The book is made up of thrity one letters in which Screwtape delivers his expert advice to Wormwood, on how to engage in the most sinful of conducts, while trampling on his personal Christian faith and beliefs about humanity. (Green, Jordan) The book also takes place within the confines of a parallel universe in which both Wormwood and Screwtape survive because of the devil’s existence; in their world, doing wrong is seen is doing right – emotions like jealousy and greed are given importance over any kind of good anyone would do, and both the inner demons of Wormwood and Screwtapes’ minds do not conform to any kind of good done for the benefit of humanity.

They are not even able to comprehend what doing such good pertains or consists of. According to C S Lewis, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” (Lewis, C.S) Thus with the help of the Screwtape Letters, he is able to grasp the attention and minds of almost all kinds of believers of human faith and religion out there. With the help of this quote, Lewis tries to explain how man should not shut his mind to the kind of wrong that is being done in the world, or the kind of devils that exist in the form of sin, that eventually puts a person into trouble.

However, at the same time, a man should also not believe in the existence of these devils to the extent of formulating a lifelong bond or relationship with them, in a manner that would eventually lead to the degradation of the person. This powerful satire written by the author is a take on the devils that persist in society, and how