I am not sure for what reason, but I still typically cannot understand what point Screwtape is trying to get across. It seems like he uses a lot of words to get across what are actually much more simple ideas. He uses a lot of examples which are usually too complex for me. I like things to be spelled out more plainly for me.
In this letter to Wormwood, Screwtape tells him about how people use love to put aside problems which will come back to get them later. His main point is that of unselfishness and how male and female see the issue differently. This is where he loses me. I don’t really see his differences as being relevant. He also talks about the couple doing charity for each other and self sacrifice. He says that it comes easy at first, before the love wears off. With him talking like this it makes it sound like marriages can never work. I understand he is coming from the side of the devil, but to even believe that is irrational. If there were no marriages how could we pro-create. With no family structure it would lead to a disorderly world. It already happens enough and if everyone was off making babies with whoever they pleased we would not have a good society to live in. I know this may be pretty far off topic from where Screwtape was going with it, but that is the beauty of a book. You can let it take you where ever you want. Especially when there is no one to tell you exactly what you are supposed to think about it.
2 comments:
I agree with you that Screwtape is still very confusing, and you kind of have to search for the real meaning. However, I saw the chapter a little differently than you. I do not think that Screwtape believes marriage will never work, but he does realize that if the devil gets involved and the couple is not ready to combat him there could be big problems. With unselfishness and charity for the other marriages can work.
In some ways the confusing nature of Screwtape's comments could be representative of the difference in power he wishes to have an really has. First, he isn't even the top demon. More importantly, he has no power if "the enemy" wishes to do anything drastic. Sometimes it seems like he's selling his power instead of selling his ideas, which as crazy as it sounds in once sense seems to work quite well.
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