Static Goal But Shifting Form Of Evil
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Once, a British statesman, Edmund Burke, made this statement. Does this quotation sound not so good? Certainly, it is. However, we should acknowledge that human goodness alone cannot triumph over evil, and we should not fear defeat by evil due to our inadequacies. While the human race is doomed to inevitable death, and evil deceives and seems victorious in our pain and suffering, still, he is deprived of autonomy and constantly defeated.
The implacable character of evil can never turn to good; yet, it can be resisted for the time being. CS Lewis also affirms that “Evil can be undone, but it cannot ‘develop’ into good” [1]. He has presented three different human perspectives of evil in his series, respectively: the Screwtape Letters, the Problem of Pain, and the Great Divorce.
Lewis never portrays Evil as a horned, disfigured, and terrific creature, as the folklore and folk tales tell us about it. Nor is the devil a comic figure that has big paws, claws, and horns [2]. In the Screwtape Letters, the author reminds his readers in the preface that the devil is a liar. He is an unseen, mysterious force that acts just opposite to the goodness of God. We do not observe him wandering and scaring people as a dreadful monster. Nevertheless he is real and could be frightened that we have thought of him.
Evil takes advantage of human weakness and maneuvers the victim for the destruction of his soul and causes damage to others to the extent it can. Lewis portrays Evil as the well-organized, smart, and clever guy. He often acts friendly and devises his plan and strategy to mislead people to live two parallel lives and persuades them to buy the lie [3]. He is described as the active enemy who aims to involve and interfere in all aspects of humanity in order to bring disgrace.
On the other hand, Lewis’s view of Evil in the Problem of Pain is subtly explained by hinting that Evil is the one who brings confusion and turmoil in our lives. Again, he emphasizes that Evil is real. Further, he adds that not every individual might experience the common corporate pains and sufferings. But he warns readers that the devil can exploit even truths to deceive us.
In this book, Lewis asks the very practical questions of why humanity should suffer and how his argument stands out against the notion of God being all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful. [4] He does not borrow the simple meaning “good” to attribute to God. When we call God omnipotent, we acknowledge his divine nature, which means he can do everything that is part of his essence. “Pain is unmistakably evil,” writes Lewis [5]. This situation leads to confusion for humanity regarding God’s goodness, allowing evil to take root and enable its foul play. Evil is an opportunist who uses every chance until his desired results come out.
Lewis proposed that there was Evil even before man was created. When free will is abused, evil is its result. Lewis argues that evil existed in animals even before man appeared. [6] God has set the standards whereby evil is justified by retributive punishment. Hence, Evil cannot escape that punishment.
Similarly, Lewis writes in the Great Divorce that he views good and evil as two different subjects; however, they are related to each other. He stresses that good always overcomes evil. In this book, Lewis illustrates “spirit” to represent virtue and “ghost” to represent evil and asserts how good always triumphs over evil. “Without the self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it.” [7] In other words, Evil chose to be evil by himself.
Again, Lewis states that God extends grace to those ghosts, too. They are very proud and arrogant, so they could not make the right choice to be in Heaven. He argues that “Every disease that submits to a cure shall be cured.” [8] As an alternative, they chose to enjoy the burning sulfur in the Hell.
As we wrap up the basic statements that we read, we come to the conclusion that Evil never can do good. “Good,” by definition, refers to actions that are morally excellent, virtuous, pious, or characterized by moral righteousness. Cultivating GOOD within evil violates the very essence of evil itself. Through these three books, Lewis emphatically wants us to understand one truth: Evil can disguise itself as a friend, as seen in the Screwtape Letters, or employ other methods such as pain and suffering in The Problem of Pain, or even manipulate and deceive us into pride; its ultimate goal remains constant: to lead us away from our Creator, God.
Endnotes:
[1] The Great Divorce, viii.
[2] The Screwtape Letters, 32.
[3] The Screwtape Letters, 51.
[4] The Problem of Pain, 16.
[5] Ibid, 90.
[6] Ibid, 138.
[7] Ibid, 75.
[8] Ibid, 137.
