A Letter to God - CBSE Class 10 NCERT
About the Author: Gregorio Lopez Fuentes was a Mexican novelist, poet and journalist.
Theme of the Story: The story discusses the power of innocent faith in God by a man and how is able to accomplish his want through it. The story ends with an irony.
SUMMARY
The story talks about Lencho, the main character who is a farmer and has immense faith in God. His cornfield has been totally destroyed by a hailstorm but he does not give up or loose his faith in the generosity or justice served by God and instead decides to write a letter to God and ask for some financial aid. In the letter he mentions that - “If God does not help his family will go hungry this year and therefore he needs hundred pesos to sow new crop”. He addresses the letter “To God”.
In the post office when the post man saw the letter he bursted laughing and showed this letter to the postmaster. The postmaster being a good man thought that he wished he had the faith that Lencho had and after having a good laugh he turned serious and decided to help Lencho with some money. He was able to collect seventy pesos with the help of the staff and by deducting some money from his salary.
He kept this money inside the envelope and with a single word as signature: God he closed the envelope addressing it to Lencho. When Lencho came to the post office to receive the letter he was not at all surprised and fact grew angry at it by finding only seventy pesos instead of hundred. So he decided to write another letter to God in which he asks him to send full amount and this time not by mail as the post office staff are mischievous and steal some money from it.
PEN SKETCHES:
- Lencho -
He had a firm believe in God and was very innocent. He was very caring for his family and that is why he decides not to give up and find some way to help his family.
2) Postmaster -
He was a nice, very helpful and genuine man whose natural instinct was to help Lencho and therefore he collects money for him and even deducts some money from his own salary.