Temptations Revealed The Screwtape Letters is a book by C.S. Lewis that was first published in 1942. It is a christian novel that deals with the issue of temptation and how to resist it. It is in the perspective of a demon and how to keep humans into converting into christianity. The two main characters are Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood. Screwtape is a senior demon that gives advice to wormwood, a junior tempter. Each letter Screwtape writes to wormwood is advice on how to keep his “Patient” from building faith toward God and how to lure the man into committing wicked sins, so he is forever doomed to eternity in hell. Screwtape is a demon of higher ranking than Wormwood and he is quite wise, but also hate-filled and arrogant. The way he …show more content…
Lewis points out is how small sins can be just as diabolical as big ones. C.S. Lewis proceeds to explain that by committing small sins in life is the most gradual way to descend into hell. Although he does explain that the road to heaven or hell does not depend on the number of sins a person commits, but by the faith behind those sins. Screwtape tells how every time a person sins, their faith gradually becomes less toward God. A great example that Screwtape gives to Wormwood about advising this into his work is this, “It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if the cards do the trick (Lewis 99).” In this allegory Screwtape is explaining that if trying to get Wormwood's patient to commit a big sin is too hard, tempt him into only committing small sins so that he gradually divides his relationship with God. As christians a good way to remind ourselves of this strategy is keep the bible verse Matthew 6:13 with us and in our minds at all times. Matthew 6:13 says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” This is a constant reminder of how to resist the temptation of sin and overcome the thought of