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What is the law of undulation in The Screwtape Letters quizlet?

Author

John Thompson

Published May 09, 2026

What does Screwtape cite as the law of Undulation? the repeated return to a level from which they repeatedly fall back, a series of troughs & peaks. Screwtape tells Wormwood humans' spirit can be directed to an eternal object, but " ". their bodies, passions & imaginations are in continual change.

Just so, what does Screwtape say barricades the human mind against the Enemy?

Suspence and anxiety. To whom does Screwtape advise turning the patient's malice (even in war time)? They can confuse the patients.

Subsequently, question is, what is wormwood in The Screwtape Letters? Wormwood is a recent graduate of the devil's training college and the Patient is the first human he has been assigned to tempt into Hell. Screwtape claims that devils are eternal beings, but, at the same time, Wormwood seems to be a younger, less-experienced devil.

Similarly one may ask, why does the Enemy rely more on the troughs than on the peaks?

The Enemy also makes use of these undulations. The trick for the devil is to determine how the Enemy will use them and then to do the opposite. Screwtape explains that the Enemy relies on the troughs more than the peaks. This is because his purpose and that of Our Father Below is quite different.

Why would Screwtape call God a hedonist?

According to Screwtape, God is a hedonist at heart. A hedonist is a person whose life is devoted to seeking pleasure.

Related Question Answers

What is Wormwood's best ally in keeping man from the church?

1. Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church. Screwtape explains that in a human the very act of arguing can awaken reason. Therefore, it is best for Wormwood to encourage his patient's use of lofty-sounding, but in fact meaningless, terms to describe what he believes.

What advice does Screwtape give to Wormwood?

Summary: Letter 6

Because of his age, the Patient is uncertain whether he will be drafted Screwtape counsels Wormwood to keep the Patient in a state of maximum uncertainty. He should keep the Patient from thinking of his fear as a test from the Enemy and make him think only of the things he fears.

What is nakedness in prayer in The Screwtape Letters?

The last line of Screwtape's letter suggests that "real nakedness of the soul in prayer" may not be what humans want anyway. He warns Wormwood that it can bring humans closer to the Enemy rather than drive them away.

What is the law of undulation?

Their nearest approach to constancy, therefore, is undulation—the repeated return to a level from which they repeatedly fall back, a series of troughs and peaks.

What according to Screwtape does God regard as the most important thing about birth?

If the patient dies, he will lose him forever. According it Screwtape, what does God regard as the most important thing about birth? To watch the patient yield and give in JUST when relief was almost in sight. In Letter 30, we learn what the patient did during the first air raid.

Why does Screwtape turn into a centipede?

The Giant Centipede

Screwtape explains becoming a centipede as an external sign of his inner “Life Force,†a positive sign. This, says Screwtape, is how the poet John Milton described such occurrences in Hell. It can be seen as an irresistible change caused by his growing anger at Wormwood.

What Is The Screwtape Letters summary?

Plot overview

The Screwtape Letters comprises 31 letters written by a senior demon named Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood (named after a star in Revelation), a younger and less experienced demon, charged with guiding a man called "the Patient" toward "Our Father Below" (Devil / Satan) from "the Enemy" (God).

What does Screwtape say about free will?

While humans' free will makes them weak and prone to temptation, Screwtape grudgingly admits that free will is also a major problem for devils. Because humans face constant temptation, God respects and rewards them for resisting it throughout their lives.

How does Screwtape view humanity?

Screwtape generally characterizes humanity as being dimwitted. “He wants them to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them.†(Letter 6) Keeping humans on the edge of their seats, anxious about what is going to happen to them, is one way to control them.

Why would Screwtape want to make Christianity a means and the world a goal?

Why would Screwtape want to make Christianity a "means" and the world a "goal," ¶ 4? Screwtape wants to make patients believe that their cause in the war is closely related to Christianity.

Where is Wormwood in The Screwtape Letters?

The Lowerarchy of Hell

Even in Hell, there is a hierarchy (or Lowerarchy as it is called in the Underworld), and Wormwood is at the bottom of it. The Screwtape Letters by C.S.

What is the relationship between Screwtape and Wormwood?

The relationship between Screwtape and Wormwood is primarily that of a teacher and a pupil. Screwtape is the knowledgable superior to whom Wormwood must listen as the older demon instructs him in the devilish art of leading men from the path of righteousness.

What is the meaning of Screwtape?

Filters. To mess things up, to corrupt, to be devilish. verb.

Where did wormwood come from?

Common wormwood is native to Europe but has become naturalized in Canada and the United States. The leaves of the tarragon (A. dracunculus), another well-known species, are employed as a seasoning, and those of the mugwort (A. vulgaris) are often used to flavour beverages.

Who is Toadpipe?

Toadpipe is Screwtape's secretary. When Screwtape becomes angry with Wormwood and turns himself into a centipede, Toadpipe transcribes the remainder of the letter for him. Slumtrimpet is the patient's girlfriend's tempter.

What is Screwtape's position?

Unlike Wormwood, Screwtape is an experienced tempter. He has already won souls for Hell. This has earned him, it seems, a mid-management position in Hell's vast “Lowerarchyâ€â€”a devilish corporation that determines how best to organize Hell's temptation strategies on Earth.

What was the main theme of The Screwtape Letters?

The main themes in The Screwtape Letters include the struggle between good and evil and the role of reason in the Christian life. The struggle between good and evil: Every person on earth is a soul for which Heaven and Hell are constantly struggling.

Where did the Screwtape Letters come from?

The Screwtape Letters, epistolary novel by C.S. Lewis, published serially in 1941 in the Guardian, a weekly religious newspaper. The chapters were published as a book in 1942 and extended in The Screwtape Letters and Screwtape Proposes a Toast in 1961.

Is Screwtape a demon?

Screwtape appears as a fictional demon in the book The Screwtape Letters (1942) and in its sequel short story Screwtape Proposes a Toast (1959), both written by the Christian author C. S. Lewis. Screwtape is also the title of the stage adaptation of the Letters by James Forsyth (originally Dear Wormwood, 1961).

What is Screwtape angry about in letter 22?

Screwtape hates the Woman even more than the Patient. Perhaps this is because the Woman is Screwtape's opposite, a force of pure good in the Patient's life undoes Screwtape's Hellish advice. The Woman's one flaw, Screwtape learns, is that her life has been too good.

What is the horror of the same old thing?

In the particular letter referenced above, Screwtape explains how the Enemy (God) counters the horror of the Same Old Thing: “The humans live in time, and experience reality successively. To experience much of it, therefore, they must experience many different things; in other words, they must experience change.

What fresh insight does Screwtape provide into the way that God works?

In Letter 13, What fresh insight does Screwtape provide into the way that God works? He wants you to be yourself and not care what others think.

What is the double standard Screwtape encourages between the patient and his mother?

What is the "double standard" Screwtape encourages between the patient and his mother? That both the patient and the mother should be able to express their minds based on their actual words without taking into account the tone and context of the suspected intentions.