The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters, first serialized in The Guardian and then published as a single volume in 1942, is an epistolary novel by British author CS Lewis. The epilogue, “Screwtape Proposes a Toast,” was published in 1959. Like much of Lewis’s work—which includes the beloved Chronicles of Narnia children’s series—the novel is a work of Christian apologetics that uses letters penned by a senior devil named Screwtape to expound on different elements of Christian theology and morality. The book explores themes of Human Beings as Both Physical and Spiritual Beings, Love, Self-Love and the Conflict Between Good and Evil, and The Role of Reason and Free Will in Christian Life.

All citations in this guide refer to the 2001 HarperCollins edition.

Plot Summary

Screwtape writes to Wormwood, a novice devil assigned for the first time to tempt a human soul—a young man, referred to as the “patient,” living in World War II-era Britain. His letters cover in great detail how a human may be guided to forsake virtue and genuine spirituality and take up corruption, vice, and the deadly sins.

The narrative follows the patient through a series of events and situations. He becomes a Christian but then briefly joins a popular group of trendy intellectuals. Following a recommitment to his faith, however, he falls in love with a good woman from a true Christian family. Meanwhile, World War II begins, threatening the lives of the young man and all his friends and neighbors in England.

Throughout the storyline, Screwtape spends a great deal of his writing focusing on the nature of human thoughts and feelings and how the devils can manipulate them. God, whom Screwtape calls the “Enemy,” encourages free will, love of neighbors, and genuine faith. The devils, on the other hand, promote malice and hatred toward others, pride in oneself, and distracted, insincere religious observances.

The novel ends when the patient is killed in an air raid. His soul goes to Heaven, leaving Screwtape frustrated and angry that they have lost him. As the devils normally feed on the souls of the damned, Screwtape now vows to devour Wormwood instead.