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Significant literary elements in C.S. Lewis 'The Screwtape Letters
C.S. Lewis' 'The Screwtape Letters' significance
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PreAP Reader’s Journal Title: Journal entry for C.S.Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters” 1. Significance of the title: The title tells the reader that the book is a collection of letters from Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood. 2. Genre: Historical Fiction 3. Date of original publication: 1942 4. Author: C. S. Lewis 5. Setting The story develops through a collection of letters from an uncle to his nephew during the Second World War. The letters are set in England. 6. Importance of this setting: The importance of England lies in the historical event of the Battle of Britain, in which the Germans conducted air raids over England. The war provides a way for the story to change, giving Wormwood many opportunities for pursuing different …show more content…
ideas and challenges. 7. Plot The story is written through letters, always addressed to the same person, Wormwood, and sent from his Uncle Screwtape. The returned letters from Wormwood back to Screwtape are assumed, but not available to read. Through the letters the story of “the Patient” is told, a young man living in England during the Second World War. The story begins with the spiritual struggle of the Patient as he battles faith and doubt. Wormwood is the demon assigned to the Patient, and his job is to ensure the Patient does not embrace faith and Christianity. The Patient is aimless and looking for meaning in his life. He is also alone and does not have any strong relationships. Screwtape is the wise old uncle who will mentor and help Wormwood in leading the Patient astray. The demons’ shared goal is for the Patient to remain alone and an atheist, not tied to any community or support system. Wormwood tries to manipulate the Patient through different situations, by triggering his human emotions and reactions. While Wormwood has no power to control the outcome or happenings of the world, he does have the power to persuade the Patient. The Patient’s breakthrough comes when he meets a young woman who he begins a relationship with, and thus ties himself into a system of people. The demons’ efforts are thwarted as the Patient fully accepts and embraces Christianity and begins a new hopeful life. Unfortunately the Patient is killed in the Battle of Britain which ends the book abruptly. 8. Point of view The story is told from the point of view of Screwtape as the writer of the collection of letters. He is writing first person narrative in letter format. 9. Style (a) Characterize the author’s diction C. S. Lewis writes with a formal voice, he is well-educated and the book is written for educated people using higher level vocabulary. (b) The book was challenging to read, and often the tangents by the author seemed to go on forever.
10. Characters The book has very few characters, simply Uncle Screwtape who mentors his nephew Wormwood. Wormwood is much younger and in need of direction and guidance. The third character is “the Patient” a young man, mid-20’s, who is struggling with his own religious belief. The Patient lives in England, and is in a relationship with his …show more content…
girlfriend. 11.
Three symbols or allusions 1. The Patient is both a character and a symbol. He represents all of humanity and though he is not physically ill, the demons treat him as a subject to work on. Thus the word “patient” is a symbol for the sickness of all humanity, mainly the spiritual sickness of despair. 2. The girlfriend is a symbol for the church, which is known as the Bride of Christ. The girlfriend connects the Patient to a group of people who will love and care for him. The girlfriend brings the Patient into a fuller understanding of his role in life and society. 3. The Enemy is another symbol in the book and represents God, or the Holy Trinity. It is a twist on our current vocabulary to name God “the Enemy” because usually the demonic forces are represented by “the Enemy”, so it is one more way to understand the battle between good and
evil. 12. Theme(s) and justification of theme(s): The meaning of this book is to provide a theological understanding through a narrative lens. The book magnifies the struggle of good vs. evil, which is a universal quest for meaning and purpose. 13. Did you like the book? I did not like the book, and I felt the ending was too abrupt. I will remember how the demons viewed atheism as the most helpful human theological understanding.
One symbol appears throughout chapter three, the turtle. It is a symbol for the migrants and how some people will go out of their way to knock them down, “the driver saw the turtle and swerved to hit it” simply because they want to, they want to feel like they are powerful (Steinbeck 22). However, some of the people go out of their way to avoid hurting the migrants, “she saw the turtle and swung to the right, off the highway, the wheels screamed and a cloud of dust boiled up” because they know that it would be immoral to hurt something, although they have more power (Steinbeck 22). Another example of a symbol is Rose of Sharon’s pregnancy, it holds new life for the family, except when the baby is born it is “a blue shriveled little mummy” that “‘Never breathed’ said Mrs. Wainwright softly. ‘Never was alive.’” symbolizing how the Joads never really had a chance (Steinbeck 603). They believe in their hearts that they persevere throughout their trials, but in the end they realized their certain doom as soon as they left for California, maybe even
One example of symbolism is the main antagonist Kaine. Kaine possibly could symbolize suffering, sacrifices, loss, and most important, determination. While trying to find Kaine, Michael suffers along the way while overcoming the obstacles set in his path. In the end of the book, Michael actually is left on his own after both of his companions die. He then uses determination and drive to find Kaine and fight him. This proves that Kaine could symbolize sacrifice, suffering, loss, and determination because of the loss of Michael’s friends, the suffering at the hands of Kaine, and the determination Michael uses to find him. Another way James Dashner uses Kaine as a symbol is by his name. In fact, Kaine actually means ‘Tribute’. James Dashner could have taken advantage of this name to hint at the sacrifices the main character Michael would have to make and the determination he would have to show in order to defeat Kaine. To elaborate on the idea of symbolism, another symbol could be the Path. The Path is what Michael, Bryson, and Sarah were told to find to help them find Kaine. Michael and his friends faced a series of many arduous obstacles and challenges they had to pass in order to get through the Path. Even when Michael looses his two loyal best friends, he kept on going in order to reach Kaine. This means that the Path could symbolize assiduousness and
The Screwtape letters is from the perspective of demons. The screwtape letters is put together by 31 letters from a devil named Scretape. In the letters, Screwtape gives his nephew advice as he tries to get the soul of a human being, which they call the patient. In the beginning of the book, the patient has just be converted to Christianity. All through the book,Screwtape is trying to help Wormwood lead the patient away from God.
Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich contains many symbols and motifs; one that is most apparent throughout the book is the symbol of Christ. We first see this symbol through the death of June Morrissey in the beginning of the novel. Most readers would venture to say that June best exemplifies the character of a Christ-like symbol, but I disagree. In the novel, particularly the chapters entitled “Crown of Thorns” and “Resurrection,” Gordie Kashpaw best exemplifies this Christ-like figure by becoming not only a symbol of pain and agony, but also a symbol of recovery and resurrection.
Throughout the novel, the reader is presented with many different symbols. The symbols are clearly seen by Holden's constant repetition of their importance. The symbols are so important and their symbolism is directly related to the major themes of the novel.
Another prevalent symbol to me is the idea of sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper just suddenly one day shows up to church wearing a veil. At first the people are sort of angered by it. People soon start to flock to his congregation to view the spectacle, and go so far as to test their '"'courage'"' by seeing who will go and talk to him. I think that the veil could represent sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper was either trying to hide his sin from the people so that they could not judge him, which is god"'"s job, or maybe he was trying to protecting his self from the sins of the people. In the end of The Ministers Black Veil Hooper dies, and sees his congregation all wearing black veils, which would probably hint that maybe it represented the sin in all of us. In The Birthmark Georgiana"'"s birthmark could represent, as some religions believe, the original sin which is bestowed on all by the '"'hand'"' of god. But, unlike Hooper, Georgiana could not help her markings.
The symbols and images reinforce each other because they create a dark image of the future in the minds of the audience, and also present familiar religious signs like fire in Hell. What makes the imagery so effective in the essay is that it resonates with the audience because of the religious connections that Edwards
Morals are what people use to evaluate the difference between right and wrong. The patient was used to show how easily a person’s morals could be changed especially when being tempted. Screwtape instructs Wormwood to give many illusions to the patient. One illusion was that “the belief that the personal faith has no social implications” (Sherry). Wormwood coaxed the patient into a social group that did not believe in the implications taught by the patient’s religion. The patient, like many people, began to act the way the people was with were acting. Thus, the patient’s morals were shaped by his social class and his faith. His social class shaped him by teaching him what was acceptable behavior and what was not in the world. Screwtape was certain that the battle of temptation had been won since the patient was proud of his new friends and that the patient’s soul was going to Hell (Reisman). It has been said that “if a given culture is corrupt, it will be easier to tempt into evil those who are a part of that culture” (Schultz 368). The patient’s faith shaped his morals and his view of the world. The patient ultimately rejected sin and turned to God when being tempted by Wormwood. Sin does not have to be a thing but can be, in the case of the novel, the people the human was associating with. Instead of following a person’s morals, a person may choose to sin and will go to
For my Lenten spiritual reading, I chose to read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. This book is about a junior demon, named Wormwood, who is learning how to tempt his “patient” and capture his soul, and is mentored by his uncle, a senior demon named Screwtape. Throughout the novel, Screwtape instructs his nephew how to exploit vices and how to how to twist his values so he will stray from god and into damnation. I initially chose this book because I liked the author, and because I’ve been told the book was a good read.
In “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter,” symbols are used to fulfill the quest of happiness and love. This love story has many symbols, which show hidden meaning. One can fully understand a story, if one can point out certain symbols. Symbols create ideas and images for the reader to better understand the story. (Symbol)Mabel, one of the two main characters in this story, is depressed and suicidal. After her mother died, she feels like there is nothing to live for. Her mother was the love and joy in her life; without her, she is lost. All she has left is her house, which she is extremely proud of, and her brother, which she seems not to care for. She decides to release herself from her troubles by drowning herself in a pond. The other main character, Dr. Fergusson, sees her and tries to save her life. This pond is a strong symbol with many meanings. It is a start of a new experience, and a change of two people’s lives.
Throughout The turn of the Screw by Henry James, the theme of ambiguous issues is constantly leaving the reader on their own. The ambiguity and uncertainty within this text causes the readers to come up with their own theories as to what the text really means. The ghost story perspective only adds to the infuriating vagueness. The title itself is about all of the twists within this story and basically foreshadows the confusion that the text will cause.
The topic that will be discussed in this essay is a difficult one to think through. The book, Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, is an epistolary novel that focuses on a series of letters that a demon sent to his nephew. His nephew was a young demon who had a “patient.” In this fictional world, a patient is a human that a demon is assigned to, in order to keep the human from learning the ways of Christ. The nephew, Wormwood, had a little dilemma. His patient became a Christian. Screwtape, the author of the letters, was trying to help get the patient away from God by sending advice in his letters. This book is very helpful in seeing how Satan pulls us away from our faith. The book shows the manipulation that Satan uses, the character flaws that Satan exploits, and the overall hatred that fills Satan and all of his followers.
Some examples of symbolism are Pearl and how she was of great price to Hester yet she is also an example of sin, the scarlet letter that Hester had to wear. The letter could mean able, it stood for the grace that Hester had while wearing it and the main meaning behind it was adultery, the sin that Hester committed. The rosebush is a symbol of defiance and the moral blossoms in one’s heart. They give those who have no hope, hope and the realization that not everything in the world is terrible. The last item that was explained was the meteor that was shaped like a large red “A”. The townspeople believed that the meteor was a sign of the governor that they had just lost becoming an angel. Dimmesdale thought that the “A” stood for his unnamed sin. The book stated no specific meaning of the elusive letter and it was left up to the reader to interpretation. The meaning behind anything symbolic is different to everyone because people have different opinions. Using the definition of symbolism and having examples in a literary work helps the reader better comprehend what they read and give the topic a deeper meaning. The comprehension process and makes it easier to
The analysis argues the use of symbolism as it applies to the aspects of the characters and their relationships. Henrik Ibsen’s extensive use of symbols is applied to capture the reader’s attention. Symbols like the Christmas tree, the locked mailbox, the Tarantella, Dr. Rank’s calling cards, and the letters add a delicate meaning to the characters and help convey ideas and themes throughout the play.
The third symbol is the most important symbol of all and that is the ugly yellow wallpaper the narrator has to spend her time staring at and in the end g...