The Screwtape letters: sophistication and self-absorption.

• Author: Puterbaugh, Dolores T.
• Position: Literary Scene - Book review

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THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, C.S. Lewis' 1942 classic, is (bad pun warning) hot again. From off-Broadway to frequent references in radio, television news shows, and Catholic prayer guides, the past year has been rich with references to this insightful examination of temptation and human weaknesses. Bookstores are promoting it for book discussion groups, a sure sign that it soon will have fallen back into undeserved oblivion. For non-Lewis readers, in Letters, Screwtape, a senior demon, advises his nephew, Wormwood, throughout the nephew's ultimately failed attempt to destroy the soul of a young Englishman during World War II. The book comprises those letters.

Lewis' training was not in psychology, but it may as well have been, as his insights into the nature of human weakness illustrate an incredibly wise merger of the emotional, theological, and philosophical aspects of being human. A gentle--but mercilessly honest--observer of his own time and place, Lewis turned his vision to the dangers among us in a way more palatable, perhaps, than a direct assault on the trendy educational and social habits of his day. As can be seen, the concerns of war-tom London are not so different from the conflicts of mainstream culture and our higher selves today.

Essayist William Hazlitt famously remarked, "Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought," and this assertion is well-illustrated within the dramatic battle for eternity in Letters. In a world in which simple has become synonymous with either asceticism or stupidity, is it preferable to be sophisticated or simple? Centuries of philosophy, including the scholastic philosophers of the medieval Church, assert that, ultimately, simplicity is preferred. Using simple, linear reason to discern good and evil does not mesh well with more sophisticated, modern thought. The latter may not be to our benefit.

From the beginning, Screwtape, the advisor, identifies one advantage the demons have over the Enemy (their term for Christ): the modern human's placid acceptance of multiple incompatible philosophies. Accustomed to things not making sense, and to deciding (or accepting) that a notion is to be preferred because of its newness, or shocking nature, or its appeal to a particular emotional state, modern man is led astray easily. Clear thinking is incompatible with a head full of mismatched software; chronic static interference from the outside world disrupts quiet, deep reflective thought. Noise--constant, grinding, relentless noise--is cited as a particular mark of the domain of evil. Consider that next time you find yourself surrounded by blaring televisions that no one is watching and music to which no one listens. Those vain and empty works effectively prevent reflective thought, unless your capacity for contemplation surpasses that of a Cistercian monk.

What is simplicity? It can be, and often is, sneered at as some sort of shallow, naive, childish view of life. Simplicity may be as much a mailer of purity--and paucity--of ingredients. A well-prepared dish with ingredients that are able to be counted on one hand, can be infinitely superior to a melange of sophisticated and troublesome ingredients. Consider a chocolate mousse versus a fruitcake. The quest for simplicity, rather than sophistication, is incredibly challenging.

The pro-life stance of the Catholic Church serves as an efficient example of the difficulty in achieving simplicity of thought The pro-life position includes a reasoned stance against capital punishment, yet acknowledges that there can be situations in which the safety of the populace would be at risk were capital punishment not an option. However, where the guilty party effectively may be locked up, that is the preferred strategy. The position proceeds from a respect for all life as provided by the Creator, and therefore to be valued despite the seeming worthlessness of the particular sample---and the desire not to interfere with the possible conversion from evil to good on the part of the guilty. In short, Catholics are supposed to support life imprisonment over capital punishment because the former respects life and provides the opportunity for individual conversion and salvation.

The challenge inherent to this position is obvious: heinous crimes amuse our deepest passions. If one embraces raw emotion as an appropriate guide for thinking, and even a plausible substitute, then respecting the dignity and sanctity of life in...