A Dimension of Reality, Or Imagination?
Uploaded by bigjbird21 on Jan 08, 2007
In response to C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters
Jason Heim
Mr. Kramer
AP English
12 January 2007
A Dimension of Reality, Or Imagination?
All great writers have the ability to take something mysterious and abstract and turn it into something understandable to readers. This ability is not common to all writers and is manifested in distinctive, unique styles of writing. Often, these authors do not write with the intention of bringing readers to some spectacular epiphany, but to get across a point or purpose they feel very strongly about. This is the situation in the case of C.S. Lewis, author of many acclaimed works of Christian literature. In all his works, Lewis writes with distinct purpose and has a message in every one of his books. Lewis does not care about whether people like his works, only that they understand his purpose; he says he did not enjoy writing the Screwtape Letters, and was actually annoyed with the book’s popularity (Walsh 33). Lewis’ purpose in the Screwtape Letters is to help explain what he believes to be the real and practical world of spiritual warfare. Lewis does this from an interesting perspective–that of Hell. Lewis wants readers to awaken to the realization that there is a war going on over their souls by reading the letters of Screwtape, a hellish demon, to his nephew, Wormwood, who is a human tempter.
To understand even the basic premise of The Screwtape Letters, the reader must know exactly what spiritual warfare is. Spiritual warfare is a biblical concept: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” and “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven” (New International Version, Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:7-9). This war is waged on followers of the Christian God and exists not in the material world, but in the spiritual. The major weapon of Satan’s spiritual war is that of temptation. Satan has reason to be encouraged in the battle because the Bible says that no one escapes temptation: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God...