In this self-study guide, we have provided a deeper analysis of A Letter to God, a chapter from Class 10 English textbook First Flight, covering the summary, themes and their significance, literary devices and their impact, character development, and key plot points to help you understand the story from a literary perspective. This will not only help you answer questions in your board exam but also improve your understanding of language and literary techniques.
Gregorio López y Fuentes (1895–1966) was a Mexican writer, poet, and journalist. He wrote stories about poor people, farmers, and their daily struggles. His writing is simple, emotional, and easy to understand, but it carries strong messages about life and society.
In his story A Letter to God, he shows how deeply a poor farmer believes in God, and how sometimes people don’t understand the help they receive. The story teaches us about faith, kindness, and the reality of life.
Famous Works: El Indio, Tierra, A Letter to God
Writing Style: Simple, emotional, and realistic
Themes: Faith in God, kindness, poverty, and human nature
A Letter to God is a heart-touching story about a poor but hardworking farmer named Lencho, who has deep faith in God. He liveswith his family in a small house on a hillside, surrounded by fields of ripe corn. Lencho is excited about the upcoming harvest, as itpromises a good yield. However, he worries about the lack of rain and prays for it.
Soon, dark clouds cover the sky, and it starts to rain. At first, Lencho is delighted because the raindrops feel like “new coins” fallingfrom the sky. But suddenly, the rain turns into a heavy hailstorm, which destroys all his crops. His hopes are shattered, and herealizes that his family will have to struggle for survival.
Even in this difficult situation, Lencho does not lose faith. Instead, he trusts God completely and writes a letter to Him, asking for100 pesos to replant his crops and support his family. He drops the letter in the post office, addressing it simply to “God.”
When Lencho’s letter reaches the post office, the postmaster and his staff are amazed as they read it. They feel touched by hisstrong belief in God and decide to help him. They collect money from their own salaries but can only gather 70 pesos. Thepostmaster puts the money in an envelope and signs it as “God.”
When Lencho receives the money, he is not grateful. Instead, he gets angry because he is sure that God must have sent the full100 pesos, and he believes that the post office workers stole the rest. Without hesitation, he writes another letter to God, askingHim not to send money through the post office because the postal workers are “a bunch of crooks.”
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