An important note for readers of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters is that it is a story, and although it contains so much theological truth, certain elements about it must be taken with a grain of salt. This is not to say that Lewis’ theology was wrong, or that it is any less powerful. It merely means that C.S. Lewis sought to create an engaging story from a unique perspective, and there is not much reliable material to go on regarding demons and particularly how they live.
Lewis sets up a demonic “lowerarchy” in his story, where elder tempters boss around inexperienced ones with full authority. Lewis even sets up a Secret Police and a University for young devils. Obviously, all these things are not necessarily real, but their presence helps create the story in its final form.
Particularly intriguing aspects of Lewis’ demonic literary creations are their one-to-one tempting ratio for humans and their appetite for souls. These two characteristics of these fictional demons affect the story more than most, because they give the demons an air of desperation for their own souls. If a tempter loses a single human to Heaven, his own soul is consumed by his ravenous fellow demons. (This is the eventual fate of Wormwood, as Screwtape’s last letter to him is signed, “Your increasingly and ravenously affectionate uncle,” which is a stellar piece of irony on Lewis’ part.) Thus, I contend that Lewis did not necessarily accurately portray how demons affect the lives of humans specifically, although it is hard to know anything about demons outside of their portrayal in the Bible.
However, I also contend that The Screwtape Letters is not a book meant to accurately portray demons. Instead, Lewis crafted this book as a book of advice and theology to Christians. To many readers, theological books can be tedious and boring, particularly as they are often written with academic language that is difficult to understand. Lewis realized this and set out to write a more interesting book, where Christians could gain wisdom about their faith in the midst of a good and cleverly-told story. At times, Lewis’ depth of wisdom slid by me until I thought about what I had just read, because it fits so well with the story. But this story is truly saturated with wisdom and guidance on how to live life as a follower of Christ.
As I shared in an earlier post, I was originally afraid of reading The Screwtape Letters. I was struggling at that time with doubts and spiritual despair, and the perspectives of the demons in the story frightened me and made me doubt more. However, now that I have matured in my faith, this book helped me become more at peace with God and enabled me to worry less. One day, when I was feeling down spiritually, I read several chapters of this story, and God used C.S. Lewis’s wise words to strengthen me and help me. Earlier when I tried to read it, I took the demons’ perspectives as true because of my fear. Now, I realize the satire involved in the story and am able to see how God works in the book even when it is written from the perspective of hell.
C.S. Lewis writes a captivating and encouraging story in The Screwtape Letters. By writing from an unconventional perspective, he finds a way to teach biblical truths in an engaging and unique way. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I was strengthened in my faith by reading it. I would recommend it to any Christians looking for spiritual wisdom and a good story.
