Truth

For my blog, I’m going to steal an idea that Cody had in class actually. Cody elaborated on that section in The Screwtape Letters where Screwtape explains that nothing is inherently good or evil in itself. He verbalized his idea that maybe the difference lies in how true the issue is. Love isn’t good or bad, but rather can only become good or bad. If it’s true love, it will be good. The more I thought about it, the more I agree. Especially when compared to stories from The Great Divorce. Taking just a few examples, the Big Ghost who met an old acquaintance who had murdered someone, the mother who lost her son, and the philosophical Ghost who met his old discussion buddy can all use that explanation. All of them had qualities that most people would say are good, but because they’re twisted, they’re bad.

The Big Ghost had a sense of right and wrong, but he let his own moral compass be the guide. He overlooked all his own sins and only focused on the other’s murder. He let a set of values get in the way of seeing the truth.

The mother had a maternal love for her son, but she became obsessed. Her love wasn’t true love and caring for her son but rather a selfish, need love. She twisted it until it wasn’t even about her son, just about her own past.

The philosophical Ghost fell in love with reason and searching for answers, but that turned into just a love of the search and the questions while he refused to accept any of the answers. He twisted a quest for truth into a never-ending journey of proposing thoughts and ideas that would bring applause.