The Screwtape Letters

by

C. S. Lewis

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Screwtape Letters makes teaching easy.

The Screwtape Letters Characters

Screwtape

The experienced devil whose letters to his nephew, Wormwood, form the bulk of The Screwtape Letters. Screwtape has successfully corrupted thousands of human beings, convincing them to embrace sin and thereby condemning them… read analysis of Screwtape

Wormwood

The young, inexperienced “junior tempter” whose continued, failed attempts to corrupt the patient are the subject of The Screwtape Letters. Wormwood is never actually heard from in the novel, as we hear about his… read analysis of Wormwood

The patient

The weak, young, and deeply uncertain human being whose moral progress—and lack of progress—defines the plot of the novel. Much like Wormwood, the patient is less of a character with unique thoughts, feelings, and… read analysis of The patient

The patient’s mother

The patient’s mother, much like the patient, has few specific qualities—she’s an embodiment of clichés and stereotypes about middle-class, 20th century English mothers. One exception to this rule is that she is dainty and… read analysis of The patient’s mother

The married couple

The married couple befriends the patient early on in the novel, tempting him away from Christianity with their talk of atheism and their sarcastic attacks on the church. As Screwtape points out, the married couple… read analysis of The married couple
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God

Because The Screwtape Letters is told from the perspective of a devil like Screwtape, God is almost always referred to as The Enemy. In spite of his antagonistic role in the novel, God inspires… read analysis of God

Satan

The leader of the devils, whom they refer to as “Our Father,” Satan is nonetheless rarely mentioned in The Screwtape Letters, and is a far less conspicuous a presence than God. Nevertheless, on… read analysis of Satan

The patient’s lover

A virtuous, beautiful Christian woman, the patient’s lover is instrumental in attracting him toward God and leading him from temptation. Nevertheless, she is capable of some vice: because she has been raised in an educated… read analysis of The patient’s lover
Minor Characters
Glubose
The devil who has been assigned to tempt the patient’s mother.
Scabtree
A devil and acquaintance of Screwtape who sees war as an excellent opportunity for devils to corrupt the human race.
Triptweeze
A fellow devil of Wormwood.
Slubgob
A devil who teaches young devils about sin in college.
Toadpipe
Screwtape’s secretary, who occasionally transcribes Screwtape’s dictations.
Slumtrinket
The devil tasked with corrupting the patient’s lover.
C.S. Lewis
The author of The Screwtape Letters, who briefly appears in his own book on two occasions—once to claim that he has “received” Screwtape’s letters but refuses to explain how, and again to explain a change in Screwtape’s handwriting.