Who Is The Protagonist In 'The Screwtape Letters'?

The protagonist in 'The Screwtape Letters' is a fascinating figure—not your typical hero, but rather a junior demon named Wormwood. He’s the one receiving letters from his uncle, Screwtape, a senior tempter in Hell’s bureaucracy. The whole story revolves around Wormwood’s attempts to corrupt a human referred to as 'the Patient.' It’s a brilliant inversion where the 'protagonist' is actually the villain, and his failures highlight the resilience of human goodness. The letters dissect human weaknesses with razor-sharp wit, exposing how temptation works in mundane details like pride, laziness, or even petty irritations. Wormwood’s incompetence becomes a darkly comic thread, making his eventual defeat by divine grace all the more satisfying.

What’s striking is how C.S. Lewis uses Wormwood’s perspective to explore morality upside down. Every demonic strategy—distracting the Patient from prayer, exploiting his romantic life, or twisting his wartime fears—backfires due to subtle divine intervention. The real protagonist might arguably be the unseen 'Patient,' but Wormwood’s bungling makes him the centerpiece. His role is less about action and more about revealing the cosmic battle between temptation and redemption. The letters’ genius lies in making us root against the 'hero,' turning traditional storytelling on its head.

In 'The Screwtape Letters,' the protagonist isn’t a human or even likable—it’s Wormwood, a bumbling demon apprentice. The novel’s twist is that we follow the villain’s journey as he tries to damn a human soul. Screwtape’s letters to Wormwood are masterclasses in psychological manipulation, dripping with sarcasm and bureaucratic hellishness. Wormwood’s failures expose how human virtue thwarts demonic plans, often through ordinary acts of love or humility. The protagonist’s incompetence becomes a dark joke, but it also underscores Lewis’s point: evil is ultimately petty and self-defeating. The real tension comes from watching Wormwood misunderstand humanity, like when he misinterprets the Patient’s sincere repentance as a setback. It’s a clever narrative device that makes the reader cheer for the demon’s defeat.

Wormwood, the demonic protagonist of 'The Screwtape Letters,' is a refreshingly unconventional lead. He’s the receiver of Screwtape’s advice on how to corrupt a human, but his struggles highlight the irony of evil’s limitations. The letters reveal how small human choices—like choosing kindness over spite—foil grand demonic schemes. Wormwood’s role is less about winning and more about exposing the fragility of temptation. His arc is a reverse hero’s journey, where every 'victory' crumbles under grace.

The protagonist? A demon. Wormwood in 'The Screwtape Letters' is hilariously inept at his job of securing a human’s damnation. Screwtape’s letters to him dissect human nature with devilish precision, but Wormwood’s blunders—like overplaying his hand during the Patient’s moments of doubt—show how evil overcomplicates itself. The brilliance lies in making a demon the POV character while letting his failures celebrate human resilience. Wormwood’s pathetic ambition makes him oddly compelling, like a villain you love to see lose.

Wormwood, the demon protagonist, is a standout in 'The Screwtape Letters.' His correspondence with Screwtape reveals how evil operates in trivialities—nagging doubts, selfish prayers, wartime anxiety. But Wormwood’s constant missteps prove Lewis’s thesis: goodness is simpler and stronger. The Patient’s quiet virtues, like honesty or courage, outmaneuver Wormwood’s elaborate traps. It’s a clever reversal where the 'hero' is the one you hope will fail spectacularly.