The Screwtape Letters Session Notes #5 | War, Death, and Insatiable Hunger

Letter #5

Another great discussion on the books! Letter #5 required a full session and I expect future double-headers will be few and far between. Screwtape did not introduce any new demons in this letter, but we do meet other demons later on. When that happens I’ll be sure to include Kristov’s “what’s in a demon’s name” hot takes. Enjoy our session notes.

Key Topics We Explored

Hunger and Thirst

We noticed Screwtape’s emphasis on hunger and thirst in this letter. First, after accusing Wormwood of being drunk and delirious with joy at the outbreak of war, he reminds Wormwood that he has only tasted the “wine” which is the anguish and bewilderment of a human soul once secured in Hell. Screwtape doubles-down on the drinking wine imagery when he references drinking from the “Chalice” of the Patient’s horror and despair. Screwtape later references the demons’ “incessant hunger” that The Enemy mocks by giving the demons only a taste of human misery during war.

Screwtape’s choice of words are strongly connected to Holy Communion in the Mass, the Last Supper, and Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane; however his intent and meaning are diabolically contrary to Christ’s. Christ gives us living water (the episode with the Samaritan woman at the well) and says we will never be thirsty. However, the demons’ thirst, as implied by Screwtape, can never be quenched except by more human despair and suffering. One of the men in the group said “the demons’ hunger cannot be fulfilled because they cannot be in Communion with God.” That’s 100% true.

Screwtape is obsessed with devouring and consuming. This made us think of Till We Have Faces and Orual’s self-focused need to dominate Psyche’s attention and love. Also, when Psyche is offered to the God of the Mountain, everyone expects she will be devoured or eaten alive when instead she experiences devouring love with Cupid.

Back to Screwtape, his use of the word Chalice hearkens of course to the Transubstantiation at Mass and Christ’s request for God to take away his Chalice of suffering in the Garden. As Catholics, we obey Christ’s command to eat (devour) His Flesh and drink His Blood. These Things give us eternal life. Demons can only “devour” human flesh in a sense only through their eternal suffering and death. Much more can be said on these points but I’ll conclude that we see Screwtape’s efforts here as attempts to mock the Body of Christ and the abundant life He promises us.

It’s worth noting that hunger will come up again in The Screwtape Letters; also worth noting how Screwtape signs off in the final letter but we will get there later.

Death and Dying

We spent some time on death especially given the time period when this was written and our culture’s obsession with death. We found it interesting that Screwtape sees death as a risk to losing a human soul; pointing out that people who are expecting to die (such as soldiers in war) may be more prepared to face death than otherwise.

We considered how our culture wants to either ignore death or prolong life for as long as possible. We discussed how some of the great saints kept skulls on their desk to remind them that one day they will die (memento mori). Our culture’s aversion to death may very well be a great fear of death. We noted how Screwtape implores Wormwood to exploit human fear especially in time of war.

Last, we reflected on Screwtape’s preference for people dying in nursing homes among people who lie, who encourage and excuse every possible indulgence, and ensure the dying person does not ask for a priest. This struck a chord having lived through the COVID years where the world saw unimaginable crimes against humanity committed by “experts” and “technocrats” and people in white coats. We noted Screwtape’s advice that sickness excuses all indulgences is deeply dangerous. Suffering does not magically absolve a person from the Moral Law. The devil will most certainly not hesitate even for a moment when our bodies and wills are weak. He will no doubt double his efforts and exploit our weakness to secure our souls.

Letter #5 Summary

Screwtape again expresses discontent with Wormwood’s prior correspondence; calling it vague and disappointing. Wormwood has become excited about the outbreak of World War II but Screwtape warns there is greater danger of losing souls to The Enemy during wars. Screwtape discusses eating and drinking multiple times in this letter. We get the sense that demons sustain themselves on the despair, horror, anguish, and bewilderment of humans in Hell. But it is not clear that the demons’ hunger or thirst is ever truly satiated. Last, we catch Screwtape in a moment of clarity as he tips his hand to the true intent of demons: their real business is to undermine faith and prevent the formation of virtue.

Letter #5 Themes & Advice From Screwtape

• Focusing on the Past & Future: just a quick reference here in letter #5 but a topic that Screwtape’s will address further very soon. Long and short, keeping the Patient focused on the past or future robs him of being wholly attentive to God in the present moment.

• Extreme Patriotism or Extreme Pacifism: another idea that Screwtape will address in detail later; Screwtape wants any extreme as people are likely to hold up their position as the highest and greatest good and therefore set up a classic ends-justify-the-means trap (reference to Out of the Silent Planet with Weston’s elevating his desire to preserve humanity above all else therefore justifying any action in service of that end). Also worth noting Lewis’ take on pacifism and its inconsistency with both logic and Christianity (see Why I Am Not a Pacifist from the Weight of Glory)

“Does anyone suppose that Our Lord’s hearers understood Him to mean that if a homicidal maniac, attempting to murder a third party, tried to knock me out of the way, I must stand aside and let him get his victim?”

• Exploitation: Screwtape sees war as an opportunity to exploit one of the worst human weaknesses: fear. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the Dark Side (says Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back). Screwtape urges Wormwood to ‘use’ the war to the degree that he can claim the Patient’s soul. “Never let a crisis go to waste” said a dirty politician from Chicago some years ago.

• Hunger and Thirst: noted above, it appears the demons have a deep hunger thirst for death and despair. But nothing will truly satisfy it; they must continually bring souls to hell to taste the “fruits” of their labor. They seem to want death in abundance vs Christ who promises that we shall have abundant life (reference also to Weston in Perelandra when he tells the Green Lady that he will teach her about death).

• Mention of ‘Joy’: Screwtape accuses Wormwood of being delirious with joy at the prospect of another World War; curious that Screwtape uses the word joy; something that he cannot experience since he is eternally cut off from God. Perhaps Screwtape is the delirious one here.

• Criticism of Others: Screwtape continues to put down his fellow demons for their previous failures and only talks of his own successes. But as Lewis notes in the Preface, we can’t take everything Screwtape says as true. Almost sounds like Screwtape sees the splinter in everyone else’s eye while ignoring the beam in his own.