By Megan Ray
“We want to know whether
the universe simply
happens to be what it is for
no reason or whether there
is a power behind it that
makes it what it is.”
-C.S. Lewis
Lewis states that the universe is something that
just exists and we humans just play a role in its
existence. He questions whether there truly is a
power or a creator that exists beyond the
universe that created everything as we know it.
Lewis’ works explain this theory, but ultimately
the question lies with the reader and what he or
she believes. How was the Earth created? Were
there Gods that created the world? What defines
good and evil?
Good-adjective
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1.morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious: a
good man.
2.satisfactory in quality, quantity, or degree: a
good teacher; good health.
3.of high quality; excellent.
4.right; proper; fit: It is good that you are here.
His credentials are good.
5.well-behaved: a good child.
6.kind, beneficent, or friendly: to do a good
deed.
7.honorable or worthy; in good standing: a
good name.
Evil-adjective
1.morally wrong or bad; immoral;
wicked: evil deeds; an evil life.
 2.harmful; injurious: evil laws.
 3.characterized or accompanied by
misfortune or suffering; unfortunate;
disastrous: to be fallen on evil days.
 4.due to actual or imputed bad conduct or
character: an evil reputation.
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Determining what good and evil are
essentially the major question to all
humanity, because everyone has his or
her own depiction, of what good and evil
is, just as everyone has their own
depiction of the creation of Earth.
Stating the difference between good
and evil is much more than this
status of who are the heroes and
villains, but instead is an internal and
external conflict between oneself.
In Beowulf, the main character Beowulf represents
the archetype of this hero that embarks on this
adventure to fight evil. Beowulf is this example of
how there are good people and how there are evil
people. Each character portrays this idea of good
and evil based on the task in which they
complete. There is a fine line of what good and
evil exactly are because Beowulf portrays this
good figure and Grendel portrays this evil figure,
but not all ideas of good and evil are obviously
stated as an archetype as they were in the book
Beowulf.
The Screwtape Letters:
In this book, a young newly founded
Christian undergoes temptation by a
young devil called Wormwood. The main
theme of this book was to show that
Christians see through the devils schemes
and ways of manipulation. Christians
know how to cut out the devilish ways of
temptation and instead stay faithful to the
truth (God). In this book good and evil
are distinguished as good resembling
Heaven and evil resembling Hell.
About The Screwtape Letters
Screwtape is a devious demon that sends letters to
his nephew Wormwood to help him towards his
job of manipulating the lives of Christians.
Screwtape is good at what he does and acts as
the mentor in the book, he has a different task
that Wormwood needs to do and tells the young
demon exactly how to change the thoughts of the
patient. The main motives behind the demon’s
acts are to distort the emotions, the imagination,
and the Christian will.
The demons do this in order to make the
patient question things and to alter the way
images are pictured in your mind into dark
and unhappy thoughts. Wormwood becomes
the patient’s conscience. By doing this, the
patient begins to question everything, which
is what the demons want, because temptation
ultimately allows the Christian to stray from
the truth.
Examples of Good and Evil
Adam and Eve
 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
 Beowulf
 The Screwtape Letters
 Dante’s Inferno
 Harry Potter
 The Chronicles of Narnia
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Michelangelo Buonarroti:
The Last Judgement
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This painting is in the
Sistine Chapel
In the painting, Christ
is in the center of the
piece with a radiant
glow of luminescent
sunlight shining
behind him. Just from
these colors, the
viewer can detect that
Christ is this father
figure that is the
ultimate form of good.
Evil is something that can appear when
you least expect it, especially when it is an
internal confrontation when your
conscience is telling you to do something
you shouldn’t. Ultimately evil is
something that cannot have a definition, it
is just something that has to be
recognized based on your feelings towards
the action committed.
Wormwood is just another voice in the patients
head, telling him what to do, if you think about it,
you have a version of Wormwood in your head
telling you what good and evil is. Many works
portray this idea of good and evil, but it is up to
the individual to determine the criteria behind
what good and evil is. Just as Christians follow
the Bible to determine the guidelines of what a
good Christian would consider good and what
they would consider evil (sin).