Ch 1A Letter to God

A Letter to God

Author: G.L. Fuentes (Gregorio López y Fuentes), a celebrated Mexican writer known for his stories of rural Mexican life.

Introduction

"A Letter to God" is a touching story about a poor farmer's unshakeable faith in God. Set in rural Mexico, it explores how deep faith can be, and at the same time gently points out the irony of human nature — the farmer trusts God completely but doubts his fellow human beings, the very people who actually help him.

Detailed Summary

Lencho, a hardworking farmer, lives with his family in a solitary house on the crest of a low hill. From his house, one can see the river and his field of ripe corn dotted with flowers, which always promised a good harvest. The only thing his crop needs is a good downpour, or at least a shower. Lencho, who knows his fields intimately, keeps looking at the sky expectantly.

During the meal, as he had predicted, big drops of rain begin to fall. Lencho happily goes out to feel the rain on his body and describes the falling raindrops as "new coins" — the big drops are ten-cent pieces and the little ones are fives, because the rain means a rich harvest and therefore money.

Suddenly, a strong wind begins to blow and very large hailstones begin to fall along with the rain. The hailstones look like "new silver coins", but they prove disastrous. The hail rains on the house, the garden, the hillside, the cornfield and the whole valley for an hour. When it stops, not a leaf remains on the trees, the corn is totally destroyed, and the flowers are gone from the plants. Lencho's soul is filled with sadness; he tells his sons that even a plague of locusts would have left more than this. He fears that his family will go hungry that year.

But there is a single hope in the hearts of all who live in that valley: help from God. Lencho, though he works like an ox in the fields, knows how to write. On the following Sunday, he writes a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos to sow his field again and to live until the new crop comes. He writes "To God" on the envelope, puts the letter inside, and drops it at the post office.

The postman, laughing heartily, shows the unusual letter to the postmaster. The postmaster also laughs at first, but almost immediately he turns serious, moved by the writer's amazing faith in God. Not wishing to shake that faith, he decides to answer the letter. He collects money from his employees, gives part of his own salary, and asks several friends to contribute "for an act of charity". He manages to collect a little more than half of the hundred pesos — seventy pesos — and sends it to Lencho in an envelope signed simply "God".

The following Sunday, Lencho comes to ask for the letter. He shows not the slightest surprise on seeing the money — such was his confidence in God. But he becomes angry when he counts it: God could not have made a mistake, nor could He have denied what Lencho had asked for. Lencho immediately writes another letter to God. He asks God to send the rest of the money, but requests Him not to send it through the mail, because he believes the post office employees are "a bunch of crooks" who must have stolen the missing thirty pesos.

Themes

• Unquestioning faith in God: Lencho's faith is so complete that he writes a letter to God and is not even surprised to receive a reply.
• Irony of human nature: Lencho trusts an unseen God but distrusts the postmaster and his staff — the real people who helped him.
• Humanity and generosity: The postmaster and his colleagues sacrifice their own money to keep a stranger's faith alive.
• Man versus nature: The hailstorm shows how helpless a farmer is before the forces of nature.

Character Sketches

Lencho

Lencho is a poor, hardworking farmer who works "like an ox" in his fields. He is devoted to his family and knows his land thoroughly. His defining quality is his firm, childlike and unquestioning faith in God. However, he is also naive and quick to suspect people — he calls the kind post office employees "a bunch of crooks" without any proof. He represents simple rural folk whose faith is both admirable and, at times, blind.

The Postmaster

The postmaster is a fat, amiable and generous man. Though he first laughs at Lencho's letter, he immediately respects the farmer's extraordinary faith and resolves not to let it be shattered. He shows rare kindness by contributing part of his own salary and persuading others to help. He is the true hero of the story — a doer of good deeds who expects nothing in return, yet ironically is branded a crook.

Important Word Meanings