The Screwtape Letters Essay, Research Paper
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis is classic work of Christian literature of the modern era. Not only does this book communicate many important lessons, it does it in a way that is entertaining and rich in symbology. This symbology, more specifically the symbology of the two devils, Screwtape and Wormwood, will be the main topic of this paper. These two demon spirits are believed to symbolize numerous things. The interpretation will explore their representation of different aspects of the human mind. Wormwood represents the id aspect of the mind and Screwtape is symbolic of the ego and controlling.
The meaning of the terms ‘id’ and ‘ego’ must be clarified to make the comparison. Famous and revolutionary psychologist Sigmund Freud hypothesized about these two devices. Freud believes that the ‘id’ is the part of the consciousness that represents all of the mind’s basic drives and wants such as gluttony and sex (Meilaender 140). These thoughts were often balanced out by the ego. The ego is a mechanism that transforms socially unacceptable thoughts into other, symbolic forms. The ego often must force the id’s thoughts into the unconscious and only admit the “sanitized” ideas through by putting them into the forms of dreams(Meilaender 141).
It is easy to fit Wormwood into the id’s place. Throughout the book it is Wormwood’s job to put unclean thoughts into the head of “the patient”(Noorata 68). Wormwood is also constantly regulated by Screwtape, both throughout the course of the book and in the very end when Wormwood must be eaten by his fellow devils. This action could clearly be interpreted as metaphorical to the suppression of the id fantasies by the ego. “Wormwood shamelessly feeds on any pain in the world of humans like when he states that he is ?delirious with joy? upon the beginning of World War Two” (Staples 69).
Fitting Screwtape into the place of the ego is slightly less clear, but it is still completely probable. Screwtape has control and manipulative power over the entire situation. It is in the beginning of chapter three that Screwtape demonstrates how to manipulate the prayers of a human against their soul. Screwtape too enjoys the suffering of humans, but he does it with a temperance that always keeps the goal ahead.
To analyze fully the significance of Screwtape and Wormwood, one must first fully understand who and what they are. Foremost they are devils, the typical biblical representation of devils with certain added traits. These characters display demonic powers such as shape-shifting which are not often under their control. All of their actions and language are completely opposite of that of heaven and the Christian church. Screwtape and Wormwood refer to Satan, their chief deity and head of their diabolical bureaucracy, as “Our Father Below.” God, the Christian god, is most often refer to as to as “The Enemy.”
Beyond these traits the two main demons each have distinct personalities of their own. Wormwood, the younger of the two is the newer and less experienced of the pair. He still makes relatively simple mistakes as compared to the more experienced Screwtape. At the other end of the spectrum, Screwtape is the older devil and is Wormwood’s uncle. Screwtape is higher up in the chain of command, being undersecretary to a department, and thus can, and often does, give advice or orders to Wormwood. Screwtape serves as a counseling and controlling voice for the young Wormwood.
The end effect of this moral torture is unquestionably turbulent throughout the curse of the book. The life of the “patient” can be tracked over the course of the book. It is known that he lived in England somewhere around the beginning of World War Two. This man is probably around middle age or a little younger. He lives in the same house as his mother, with whom he is having constant disagreements. Early in the story he is converted to Christianity, much to the dismay of Wormwood and is rapidly averted from salvation by the actions of Wormwood under Screwtape?s guidance. This new faith is also used by Screwtape and Wormwood to contort his notions of morality. Still, the man resists and the demons resort to using lust as a deterrent from salvation, this too, fails. Somewhere towards the middle of the story, the human falls in love and marries what Screwtape describes as “a vile simpering, mouselike bread and butter” Christian. Through this girl and her family, he meets even more Christians in all walks of life. By his discussions and time with them he starts to grows in faith and in God. It is during this later time that Screwtape and Wormwood begin to really force into his mind questions about religion, government and basic morality. Still the human, with the aid of his wife and friends, holds steadfast to his Christian beliefs, even believing when, in a bomb shelter he is killed. This belief is what saves his soul. At the last instant he is taken to heaven and allowed to see the suffering face of his demonic tormentor, Wormwood.
Whether or not C.S. Lewis intended for this book to be understood in this way is debatable. He usually strove for a simpler meaning in his literary works using clear metaphors for aspects of everyone?s lives. It is also not known weather Lewis studied the field of psychology. If the idea of archetypes holds true then these aspects of the mind are essentially known to everyone, especially to C.S. Lewis. By the theory of archetypes, these ideas may have shown up in religion and morality. One might argue that they already have, in many religions, even Christianity. “The ego and id aspects of the mind may be what the Bible was referring to when it had stories of the very devils and possessing demons” (Roby 47).
One aspect of the book that is perhaps the most obvious is the way it uses reverse psychology to guide the Christian conscience. One such case is the letter on how to ?save? the patient from church, things like focusing their mind on other, trivial things, such as the appearance of other churchgoers or important events after the mass. Another such occurrence is in the chapter on gluttony, this section toys not with gluttony of volume, but more with unnecessary fastidiousness in habit (Staples 56). “For example, it prods at the people who must have their eggs ?just-so? or only ?really like? a certain type of toast. But, where these passages warn one of certain pitfalls, others chastise for habits that everyone has. Among these are using unnecessary tones of voice, reading too far into statements and picking at the habits of others”(Noorata 91).
In summary, many facets of The Screwtape Letters has been explored. Among these aspects are: interpretation of the book, psychological theory dealing with the book and entertaining aspects of the book. As for interpretation, this paper argued the idea of the two main devils being symbolic of different functions of the mind, specifically the id and ego aspects in Freudian theory.
Другие работы по теме:
Pictograph Essay Research Paper In the ancient
Pictograph Essay, Research Paper In the ancient times (4000-30B.C.) the Egyptian Pharaohs were the most powerful people on the planet. They had sophisticated methods for building and irrigation. In one area that they lagged in sophistication was the basic form they used for writing their language. The ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics that was often expressed through pictographs that are stylized pictures used to express words and subjects.
Caesar Essay Research Paper Julius Caesar was
Caesar Essay, Research Paper Julius Caesar was one of the most famous men of antiquity, who was dictator of Rome and “a man of letters”. Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 12, 100 B.C. His family, the gens Julia was ancient and patrician, but at the time it was only beginning to reemerge. Caesar could not feel safe in Rome while Sulla was still alive.
The Bird Who Lives In My Ear
Essay, Research Paper Hey Tom, How are you? I?m extremely bored, so I decided to type you and several other people letters! So, how is life treating you? I?m pretty good (I know you didn?t ask me, but I?m just making conversation with myself!) I hope you can read this font. It?s kind-of different! I closed my eyes to pick it! So, did you have a lot of homework yesterday? I don?t have any.
Computers 2 Essay Research Paper People use
Computers 2 Essay, Research Paper People use computers everyday. Some people know how to use one some people don’t. But not too many people can understand how the computer works and its processing. I have been taught how it works and I understand it very well. The best way to explain it would be to compare it to the United States Postal Service and how it works.
Not Hearing Socrates Essay Research Paper Writing
Not Hearing Socrates Essay, Research Paper Writing and speaking are two very different, yet extremely important activities to any educated person. Socrates, from Phaedrus and Letters VII and VIII, seems to think that spoken word holds great precedence over writing. His explanation of choosing speech over text is two fold.
Harry Potter And The Sorceror
’s Stone Essay, Research Paper 1. Harry Potter?s parents are killed, but the person who killed his parents doesn?t kill him. 2. He is sent to live with his aunt uncle, and cousin, Dudley, who make him sleep in a cupboard underneath the basement stairs.
Galaxies Physical Properties Essay Research Paper SummaryWe
Galaxies: Physical Properties Essay, Research Paper Summary We were given a photograph of a number of galaxies. In order to locate a particular galaxy a series of numbers were laid out vertically and a series of letters were laid out horizontally. We were also given a magnifying glass with a built in scale to measure the length of the galaxy in millimeters.
Manganese Essay Research Paper Hi I am
Manganese Essay, Research Paper Hi, I am Manganese. I am an element discovered in 1774 by the Swedish chemist Johan Gottlieb Gahn. My symbol was devised, coincidentally, by taking the first and third letters in the word manganese. My atomic number is 25, my atomic mass is 54.938, and my density is 7.2. I melt at 1245? C and then in turn I boil at 1962? C.
Oh Really Essay Research Paper Oh Reallyyou
Oh Really? Essay, Research Paper Oh Really, you think i am a lark, the dogs they run and bark, but when i say to them, shut up shut up shut up, you say to be nice to them,
Color Purple Essay Research Paper The book
Color Purple Essay, Research Paper The book The Color Purple was written by Alice Walker. The book was not written in a conventional manner. It was a series of letters spanning the life of Celie, the main character. Most of the letters were written by Celie and some by her sister Nettie. The theme of the book is to be true to yourself in spite of difficulties and never let go of what you believe in.
Hawthorne Essay Research Paper There never surely
Hawthorne Essay, Research Paper There never surely was a powerful, active, continually effective mind less round, more lop-sided, than that of NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE. If there were aught of dispraise in this, it would not be said by me,–by an Englishman of an American whom I knew, by an Englishman of letters of a brother on the other side of the water, much less by me, an English novelist, of an American novelist.
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer
’s Stone Essay, Research Paper Harry Potter starts off slow, but gets very interesting near the end. In the beginning, you meet the Dursleys, Harry’s aunt, uncle, and their son Dudley. Then you learn that Harry’s
Susan Faludi Essay Research Paper Susan Faludi
Susan Faludi Essay, Research Paper Susan Faludi and Backlash I AM NOT A BARBIE DOLL. Before you even start reading, these capital letters catch your eye. To add more, she tells us it was held up by a little girl, which plays with our emotions.
Emmas Dilemma Essay Research Paper EmmasDilemma In
Emma?s Dilemma Essay, Research Paper Emma?s Dilemma In my investigation I am going to investigate the number of different arrangements of letters in a word. e.g. Tim Is one arrangementMit Is another First I am going to investigate how many different
A Tear Essay Research Paper One day
A Tear Essay, Research Paper One day about five years ago when I was helping my mom to clean up the attic, I found a shoebox full of love-letters. They were love-letters my dad once sent to my mom. I was lucky because my mom had just left the attic to pick up the phone. So I had time to read one of them. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but as a sixteen year old girl, a dreamer as I was back then and as I actually still am, I didn’t care.
Letters Of War Essay Research Paper Letters
Letters Of War Essay, Research Paper Letters of War ?Spartan mothers of old, who, when their sons went forth to battle for freedom and their native land, said to their sons:
Cultures Celebrating Our Differences Essay Research Paper
Celebrating Our Differences Around the World Overview Students will learn about similarities and differences between their own culture and the culture of other countries. Students will “celebrate our difference around the world” by participating in a vicarious voyage program with Semester at Sea. Students will write letters to their pen-pals and learn about different countries from the letters they receive and through various activities.
Printer Technology Essay Research Paper Since the
Printer Technology Essay, Research Paper Since the introduction of computers into our society, there have been countless advancements in this technology. One of the most frequently used output devices in the computer system is the printer. Like all other components of the computer, this piece of equipment has been developed and improved over time.
Catch 22 Essay Research Paper The novel
Catch 22 Essay, Research Paper The novel, Catch-22, is a comedy about soldiers during World War II. However, this comic scenes and phrases are quite tragic when they are thought about, as
Douglas Essay Research Paper Frederick Douglas Frederick
Douglas Essay, Research Paper Frederick Douglas Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, near Hillsborough. He doesn?t know for sure of his age, he has seen no proof and his master will not inform him. Most masters prefer for their slaves to stay ignorant. He believes that he was around twenty-seven and twenty-eight when he began writing his narrative – he overheard his master say he was about seventeen years of age during 1835.
Abelard And Heloise Essay Research Paper Physical
Abelard And Heloise Essay, Research Paper Physical tragedy turns to sp Abelard and Heloise – Essay on any aspect of Abelard and Heloise, by Chaucer – Abelard Heloise Chaucer Literature English Canterburry Tales Anthology Letters Lover
The Color Essay Research Paper The Color
The Color Essay, Research Paper The Color Purple by Alice Walker The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, is a very intense book to read. By intense, I mean it is a book touching very difficult and hard aspects of life of
Letters Of Transit Essay Research Paper Letters
Letters Of Transit Essay, Research Paper Letters of transit Address Unknownby Kressmann Taylor 54pp, Souvenir Press If I were to tell you that a novel made up entirely of letters, just 54 pages long (eight of them blank), came with a New York Times Book Review plaudit on its cover judging it “the most effective indictment of Nazism to appear in fiction”, you might think it the mother of all hype.
Life Altering Essay Research Paper He was
Life Altering Essay, Research Paper He was on the basketball team and I was the statistician. We were two high school students doing our job for the team. He didn?t know me, and I didn?t know him. Then one day he walked into my Spanish class. I was frightened to death to talk to him, so I wrote him letters and started giving them to him during the passing period.
Letter As A Dramatic Device In King
Lear Essay, Research Paper William Shakespeare used letters as a dramatic device to reveal the characters? loyalty and betrayal in his play King Lear. The purpose of the letter is to develop the plot and reveal the characters? attributes. Three letters help to develop the plot and reveal the characters of Edmund, Gloucester, Goneril and Albany.
Human Comedy Essay Research Paper One Day
Human Comedy Essay, Research Paper One Day Homer Macauley signs up for a telegram delivery job and gets it. While he delivers these letters he discovers the truth about love, hope, and pain
The Color Purple Essay Research Paper Byron
The Color Purple Essay, Research Paper Byron Hooper 11/18/96 The Color Purple film review The Color Purple The movie “The Color Purple,” directed by Steven Speilberg, was, in general, a
Dna Four Bases Essay Research Paper In
Dna Four Bases Essay, Research Paper In the early 1950’s, the structure of DNA had become a crucial puzzle, following the discovery that DNA and not protein was the “transforming” principle. The puzzle was more intriguing because of the challenge of figuring out how a polymer composed of only 4 different “letters” could encode for a polymer such as proteins that are composed of 20 different letters.
Blah Essay Research Paper HJKLDfliahHJALHFFFFFFFFALIEWHIHCJHXZJFDHoueaAfter finding her
Blah Essay, Research Paper HJKLDfliahHJALHFFFFFFFFA:LIEWHIHCJHXZJFDHoueaAfter finding her sister’s letters, Celie decides to leave home with Shug. She tells Mr. ______ she is leaving and jams his hand with a fork when he tries to hit her. Before she leaves, she curses him for the way he has treated her and tells him he is cursedAfter finding her sister’s letters, Celie decides to leave home with Shug.
The Things They Carried Possessions Of Character
Essay, Research Paper The Things They Carried: Possessions of Character “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, contains many references to “possessions of character.” Many things Lt. Cross carries were carried by all,
Market Research Essay Research Paper Before I
Market Research Essay, Research Paper Before I started to manufacture my products I had to find out if there was a market for it. This is called market research. Like any other business I had to decide what market research methods are most likely to give me the information I need.
My Name michelle Essay Research Paper Once
My Name (michelle) Essay, Research Paper Once I looked up the definition of my name. It said ?Who is like god?, and it is also the fem. version of Michael. When I was born my name wasn?t as simple as Michelle, it was Michelle-Leann, and later