Class 10 English First Flight Chapter A letter to God : A Letter to God” by G.L. Fuentes, from the NCERT Class 10 First Flight textbook, narrates Lencho’s faith-driven letter to God for 100 pesos after a hailstorm destroys his crops. The postmaster’s kind response with 70 pesos highlights human compassion, though Lencho’s ironic mistrust underscores the story’s themes of faith and irony.
Author
G.L. Fuentes, a Mexican writer known for his simple yet profound storytelling, often focusing on rural life and human emotions.
Setting
The story is set in a rural, isolated valley in Latin America, likely Mexico. The protagonist, Lencho, lives in a solitary house on the crest of a low hill, overlooking a river and his fields of ripe corn. The rural setting emphasizes the dependence on agriculture and the vulnerability of farmers to natural forces.
Characters
- Lencho: A hardworking farmer with unwavering faith in God. He is naive, trusting divine intervention but suspicious of human intentions.
- Lencho’s Family: Includes his wife and children, who depend on the harvest for survival, though they are not deeply explored in the story.
- The Postmaster: An amiable and kind-hearted man who is moved by Lencho’s faith and organizes help for him.
- Post Office Employees: Minor characters who contribute money to help Lencho, reflecting human kindness.
Plot Summary
Lencho, a farmer, eagerly awaits rain to nourish his corn fields, which are ready for harvest. He compares the initial raindrops to “new coins,” symbolizing prosperity. However, the rain turns into a devastating hailstorm, destroying his entire crop and leaving his fields covered with hailstones like salt. Facing starvation, Lencho’s unshakable faith in God leads him to write a letter requesting 100 pesos to sow his fields again and support his family until the next harvest. He addresses the letter simply to “God” and posts it.
At the post office, the postmaster, initially amused by the letter, is touched by Lencho’s faith. To preserve it, he decides to help, contributing part of his salary and collecting 70 pesos from his colleagues and friends. He sends the money to Lencho in an envelope signed “God.” When Lencho receives the money, he is not surprised, as he fully believes God answered his prayer. However, he is angry to find only 70 pesos instead of 100, suspecting the post office employees of stealing the rest. He writes a second letter to God, requesting the remaining 30 pesos and asking that it not be sent through the mail, as he calls the post office employees “a bunch of crooks.” The story ends with this ironic twist, highlighting Lencho’s faith in God and his mistrust of humanity.
Themes
- Faith in God: Lencho’s unwavering belief in divine intervention drives the story, showing both the strength and limitations of such faith.
- Human Kindness: The postmaster and employees’ selfless act of helping Lencho reflects the power of human compassion, often unrecognized.
- Irony: The irony lies in Lencho accusing the very people who helped him, revealing the gap between perception and reality.
- Man vs. Nature: The hailstorm’s destruction of Lencho’s crops underscores the vulnerability of humans to natural forces.
Moral
The story suggests that while faith can provide hope in times of despair, human kindness is often the practical means of support. It also highlights the importance of recognizing and appreciating the goodness in others, rather than being blinded by rigid beliefs.
Literary Devices
- Irony: Situational irony is central, as Lencho accuses the post office employees who helped him.
- Symbolism: Raindrops as “new coins” symbolize hope and prosperity; hailstones symbolize destruction.
- Simile: The fields covered with hailstones are compared to a “sheet of salt.”
- Personification: The storm and rain are described as active forces impacting Lencho’s life.
Significance
“A Letter to God” is a poignant tale that blends humor, irony, and empathy to explore the interplay of faith, human nature, and the unpredictability of life. It encourages readers to reflect on the balance between spiritual belief and human effort, making it a valuable lesson for Class 10 students studying themes of resilience and compassion.
A Letter to God – Questions and Answers
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- Who is the author of the lesson “A Letter to God”?
a) J.K. Rowling
b) G.L. Fuentes
c) William Shakespeare
d) Roald Dahl
Answer: b) G.L. Fuentes - What did Lencho hope for at the beginning of the story?
a) A new tractor
b) A good shower of rain for his crop
c) A new house
d) A buffalo
Answer: b) A good shower of rain for his crop - Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
a) They were shiny
b) They would bring prosperity through a good harvest
c) They were made of silver
d) They were heavy
Answer: b) They would bring prosperity through a good harvest - What destroyed Lencho’s crops?
a) Flood
b) Drought
c) Hailstorm
d) Locusts
Answer: c) Hailstorm - How much money did Lencho ask for in his letter to God?
a) 50 pesos
b) 70 pesos
c) 100 pesos
d) 200 pesos
Answer: c) 100 pesos - Who read Lencho’s letter addressed to God?
a) The postman
b) The postmaster
c) Lencho’s wife
d) The village priest
Answer: b) The postmaster - Why was Lencho not surprised to receive money in the envelope?
a) He was too sad to notice
b) He had unwavering faith in God
c) He expected it from the postmaster
d) He knew the post office would help
Answer: b) He had unwavering faith in God - What is the irony in the story?
a) Lencho was sad after the hailstorm despite wanting rain
b) The postmaster laughed but helped Lencho
c) Lencho blamed the post office employees who actually helped him
d) There is no irony
Answer: c) Lencho blamed the post office employees who actually helped him - How much money was the postmaster able to collect for Lencho?
a) 50 pesos
b) 70 pesos
c) 100 pesos
d) 30 pesos
Answer: b) 70 pesos - What did Lencho call the post office employees in his second letter?
a) Helpers
b) Crooks
c) Friends
d) Angels
Answer: b) Crooks
Fill in the Blanks
- Lencho’s house was located on the crest of a ______ hill.
Answer: low - Lencho compared the raindrops to ______ coins because they promised a good harvest.
Answer: new - The rain turned into a ______ that destroyed Lencho’s crops.
Answer: hailstorm - Lencho wrote a letter to ______ requesting 100 pesos.
Answer: God - The ______ was moved by Lencho’s faith and decided to help him.
Answer: postmaster - Lencho received ______ pesos instead of the 100 he asked for.
Answer: 70 - Lencho’s fields were covered with ______ after the hailstorm, as if with salt.
Answer: hailstones - The postmaster signed the letter to Lencho as ______ to preserve his faith.
Answer: God - Lencho believed the post office employees were a bunch of ______.
Answer: crooks - The story highlights Lencho’s ______ faith in God.
Answer: unwavering
Short Answer Type Questions
- Where was Lencho’s house located, and why was it significant?
Answer: Lencho’s house was located on the crest of a low hill, the only house in the entire valley. This isolated location allowed Lencho to see the river and his fields of ripe corn, emphasizing his deep connection with his land and his dependence on it for survival. - Why did Lencho compare raindrops to ‘new coins’?
Answer: Lencho compared raindrops to ‘new coins’ because they were essential for a good harvest, which would bring prosperity to his family. The rain symbolized wealth and hope for a bountiful crop. - How did the rain change, and what was its impact on Lencho’s fields?
Answer: The rain started as a welcome shower but soon turned into a hailstorm with strong winds and large hailstones. This hailstorm lasted for an hour and completely destroyed Lencho’s corn fields, leaving them covered with hail as if with salt. - What was Lencho’s only hope after the hailstorm?
Answer: Lencho’s only hope after the hailstorm was help from God. Despite the destruction of his crops, his unwavering faith led him to believe that God would provide for his family. - Why did the postmaster decide to reply to Lencho’s letter?
Answer: The postmaster was moved by Lencho’s strong faith in God and did not want to shake it. He decided to collect money and send it to Lencho, signing the letter as ‘God’ to preserve Lencho’s belief. - What made Lencho angry when he received the money?
Answer: Lencho was angry because he received only 70 pesos instead of the 100 he had requested from God. He believed God could not make such a mistake and suspected the post office employees had stolen the remaining 30 pesos. - Why did Lencho write a second letter to God?
Answer: Lencho wrote a second letter to God to request the remaining 30 pesos, as he believed the post office employees had stolen part of the money. He asked God not to send the money through the mail to avoid further theft. - What is the meaning of the word ‘amiable’ as used to describe the postmaster?
Answer: The word ‘amiable’ means friendly and kind. The postmaster’s amiable nature is shown through his willingness to help Lencho by collecting money to preserve his faith in God. - Why was Lencho not surprised to receive the money?
Answer: Lencho was not surprised to receive the money because he had complete faith in God. He was confident that God would answer his letter and provide the help he needed. - What kind of person was Lencho based on the story?
Answer: Lencho was a hardworking, naive, and unquestioning person with unwavering faith in God. Despite his literacy, he believed God would directly answer his letter, but he lacked trust in humanity, as seen in his suspicion of the post office employees.
Long Answer Type Questions
- Describe Lencho’s faith in God and how it influenced his actions in the story.
Answer: Lencho’s faith in God was unwavering and central to his character in “A Letter to God.” As a hardworking farmer, he depended on his crops for survival, and when a hailstorm destroyed his entire corn field, he did not lose hope. Instead, his deep belief that God sees everything and helps those in need prompted him to write a letter to God, requesting 100 pesos to sow his fields again and save his family from starvation. This act of writing a letter without an address reflects his naive yet steadfast faith. When he received 70 pesos, he was not surprised, as he fully believed God had answered his plea. However, his faith blinded him to human kindness, leading him to suspect the post office employees of stealing the remaining 30 pesos. Lencho’s faith influenced his resilience but also highlighted his lack of trust in humanity, creating a contrast between divine belief and human reality. His second letter to God, requesting the rest of the money, further underscores his unquestioning belief that God would provide. - What are the two kinds of conflict in the story, and how are they illustrated?
Answer: The story “A Letter to God” presents two primary conflicts: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. The conflict between humans and nature is illustrated by the hailstorm that destroys Lencho’s crops. Lencho, a dedicated farmer, had hoped for rain to ensure a good harvest, but the rain turned into a devastating hailstorm, covering his fields with hailstones and ruining his corn. This natural disaster left Lencho and his family facing starvation, highlighting the unpredictability and power of nature over human efforts. The second conflict, between humans themselves, is shown through Lencho’s mistrust of the post office employees. The postmaster and his colleagues, moved by Lencho’s faith, collected 70 pesos to help him, signing the letter as ‘God.’ However, Lencho, unaware of their kindness, believed they stole 30 pesos, calling them “a bunch of crooks.” This misunderstanding underscores the conflict arising from Lencho’s blind faith in God and his lack of trust in human generosity, creating an ironic situation where those who helped him were wrongly accused. - What is the irony in the story “A Letter to God,” and how does it reflect Lencho’s character?
Answer: The irony in “A Letter to God” lies in the fact that Lencho accuses the post office employees of stealing his money, unaware that they were the ones who helped him. After his crops were destroyed, Lencho wrote to God for 100 pesos, and the postmaster, touched by his faith, collected 70 pesos from his colleagues and himself to send to Lencho, signing the letter as ‘God.’ However, Lencho, receiving only 70 pesos, believed God could not err and concluded the post office employees were “crooks” who stole the rest. This situational irony highlights Lencho’s naive and unquestioning nature. His unwavering faith in God made him trust divine intervention without question, but his lack of faith in humanity led him to misjudge the very people who showed him kindness. This irony reflects Lencho’s character as a man of deep belief but limited perspective, unable to recognize human compassion due to his rigid trust in divine justice. - Discuss the role of the postmaster in the story and how his actions reflect the theme of human kindness.
Answer: The postmaster plays a pivotal role in “A Letter to God,” embodying the theme of human kindness. When he receives Lencho’s letter addressed to God, he initially laughs at its naivety but is soon moved by Lencho’s unwavering faith. Determined to preserve this faith, the postmaster decides to act as ‘God’ by collecting money to help Lencho. He contributes part of his own salary, rallies his colleagues, and even involves друзей to gather 70 pesos, which he sends to Lencho in an envelope signed ‘God.’ His actions demonstrate selflessness and empathy, as he goes beyond his duties to support a stranger in distress. Despite not collecting the full 100 pesos, his effort reflects the power of human compassion in the face of adversity. However, the irony lies in Lencho’s failure to recognize this kindness, as he accuses the post office employees of theft. The postmaster’s role underscores the story’s message that human generosity often goes unnoticed, yet it remains a vital force in supporting others, contrasting with Lencho’s blind faith in divine intervention. - How does the story “A Letter to God” depict the themes of faith and human nature?
Answer: “A Letter to God” explores the themes of faith and human nature through Lencho’s unwavering belief in God and the contrasting actions of the post office employees. Lencho’s faith is depicted as absolute; after a hailstorm destroys his crops, he writes a letter to God requesting 100 pesos, confident that divine help will come. His faith sustains him through despair but also reveals his naivety, as he trusts God implicitly while suspecting humans of dishonesty. When he receives 70 pesos, he attributes it to God but accuses the post office employees of stealing the rest, highlighting his limited perspective on human kindness. In contrast, the postmaster and his colleagues represent the positive aspects of human nature. Moved by Lencho’s faith, they collect money to help him, with the postmaster even contributing his own salary. Their selfless act, done anonymously, reflects empathy and community support. The irony that Lencho fails to recognize their kindness underscores the complexity of human nature, where faith can both inspire and blind individuals to the goodness around them. The story thus juxtaposes divine faith with human compassion, showing that while faith provides hope, human kindness is often the tangible force that aids in times of need.