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About This Passage
Screwtape admits something he would rather hide: tiredness, left alone, tends toward 'extreme gentleness' and even 'vision,' not anger. The bad temper we associate with exhaustion is the work of 'efficient tempters,' not of fatigue itself. Copying these sentences helps a reader see that crossness when tired is something we can resist, not a fate we cannot help.
Fatigue can produce extreme gentleness, and quiet of mind, and even something like vision. If you have often seen men led by it into anger, malice and impatience, that is because those men have had ef...
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Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell Screwtape's thirtieth letter to Wormwood in order: his fury that the patient came through the raid bravely; the meager 'credit side' Wormwood offers; the plan to exploit fatigue with 'false hopes'; the rule to avoid 'total commitment'; and the trick of making only ugly things seem 'real.' Then name the single idea you think holds the letter together.
Discussion Questions
- Screwtape is furious that the patient, though 'very frightened' and convinced he is 'a great coward,' 'has done everything his duty demanded and perhaps a bit more.' Why might a person who feels like a coward and takes no pride in what he did be braver than someone who feels fearless? Which detail in the letter to Wormwood helps you decide?
- Screwtape's tactic is to make the man resolve to endure only 'for a reasonable period' shorter than the trial will last, so 'the fun is to make the man yield just when... relief was almost in sight.' Why might setting a private time limit on how long you will endure be more dangerous than setting no limit at all? Name the detail in the letter to Wormwood that helps you decide.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
The desire to harm others out of ill will.
Item 2
Bitter anger at being treated unfairly.
Item 3
Steady courage to endure pain or hardship.
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Critical Thinking
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