C.S. Lewis Literary Techniques

            In The Screwtape Letters, a novel by noted religion and theology author C. Lewis, one observes the letters written from a demon named Screwtape to his young, inexperienced nephew named Wormwood. These letters contain Screwtape's advice and criticism on how to be a better "tempter,"" as they are referred to in the novel (Lewis 160). The idea behind Lewis' unique setting for the work is to illustrate his belief in the eventual demise of Satan and his followers, and that God will be victorious in the end. He creates a simple, yet striking, setting for his story through the use of his own special writing format and language techniques throughout the novel.
             Throughout the novel, C.S. Lewis depicts the Heaven vs. Hell battle over a man by allowing the reader to see letters written from a demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, that relate to the reader the events that are taking place in this struggle. The author creates a format for his writing that emphasizes his beliefs and ideas concerning the situation. One method that Lewis uses to make the setting for this battle so striking is that, since the novel is written from the point of view of a demon, Satan is referred to as "Our Father Below- and God is affectionately referred to as "the Enemy- (12). This comparison is one that contradicts the view of the society that we live in today, in which (in most cases) God is viewed as the "good guy,"" and the Devil is referred to as the "bad guy-. Lewis intentionally based the novel on this idea so that every time one reads a passage in which one of these phrases are used, it provokes thought amongst the reader and continues to make the reader ponder upon the irony of the situation. He also refers to the leading demons in Hell as the "High Command,"" which re-illustrates the idea of such a battle that is going on between Heaven and Hell, and reiterates what side Screwtape is obviously on (39).