Page 39 - Success Plus English Language and Literature Class 10

Success Plus English Language and Literature

Themes

Faith Hope
This is the strongest theme in the story. Lencho and Strongly tied to the theme of faith is hope. Without
his family are god-fearing people who refuse to lose the former the latter is usually absent. There is hope
hope when their crop is destroyed and seek help in Lencho’s watching of the sky, in the rain that falls,
from God. They are certain that God will answer their in wishing that the hailstorm will pass quickly, in
plea. Though at the end, it becomes as if God will the knowledge that God will help his family out of
have to help them mandatorily as He is all powerful. the difficult situation and in receiving an answer to
Lencho’s way of contacting God is rather temporal, his letter and getting the help. After the disaster
meaning not spiritual. His staunchness drives him to strikes, Lencho feels despair until he finds a way to
write a letter to God and post it. This faith is admired contact God. No sooner is the hope of a good harvest
by the postmaster, who strives not to disappoint shattered than it takes another form – faith. The hope
Lencho. The irony of the situation is that contrary of getting help is realised but turns into ingratitude. It
to what is expected of an honest believer, Lencho is comical as Lencho hopes that God will find another
turns out to be an adamant bargainer. Even if we side way to send him the remaining pesos. However,
with Lencho’s simplicity and ignorance, he seems true optimism is displayed by Lencho’s wife and the
to lack perception, understanding and good faith in postmaster.
humanity. It is impossible for him to see that the help
the postmaster extends to him is in fact God’s way of
taking care of him. Instead, he calls the postal workers Compassion
thieves. His faith turns out to be blind as Lencho The story stresses the fact that faith in God alone
discriminates between God and His people who did wouldn’t end our suffering. What one needs is the
help him. He takes the religious teachings he received important virtue of having faith in fellow humans as
on God too literally. This makes the reader think about they become God’s means of helping us. This theme
the story as a satire on blind faith. Is faith capable of is embodied by the postal workers and everyone who
rendering all other human faculties like intelligence contributes to the postmaster’s call to donate to
and reason useless? ‘a charitable cause’. Although they could have chosen
to dismiss the letter as the doing of a simpleton, they
did not. They chose to respond to a call for help and
did what they could to help Lencho and his family.

Character Sketches

Lencho omniscient and listens to His people and ‘quite
literally’ never fails to help them. However he
The central character of the story is a hard- himself fails to consider the ways in which God
working farmer living with his family in a might have sent him the help. He is reminded by
solitary house on a low hill of a valley. He has his wife that nobody dies of hunger. He doesn’t
utmost faith in God, which takes an ironical ponder over tackling his hardships himself or
turn towards the end of the story. After the making the most of the help he got as his letter
devastation of crops in his cornfield he loses his luckily fell into the hands of a compassionate
hopeful spirit with which he has welcomed the postmaster. Lencho remains desperate to find
rain. His way of starting a correspondence with monetary help from God. This forces one to
God – by post – to seek help is what makes him question his faith. Doesn’t Lencho believe in
exceptional. The two letters he writes to God praying or being satisfied in the will of God?
are more than a cry for help. Through Lencho He does know some worldly ways – reading the
the readers are made aware of the distinction weather; knowing his field intimately; writing
between faith and blind faith. For him, God is

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