Letters from the Earth

Letters from the Earth

by Mark Twain

1962

Ratist Community Rating

—/ 10

No reviews yet

Your Score Estimate

~?/ 10

Rate a few books to unlock your estimate

Rate

Community breakdown

Story
—
Writing & Style
—
Emotive Effect
—
Characters & Voice
—
Pure Entertainment
—

Bars show the community-aggregated score per category. Rate this book to contribute.

The eponymous story, “Letters from the Earth,” is a set of eleven letters written by Satan to the archangels Gabriel and Michael about his travels. Satan finds human beliefs about themselves almost insane, pointing out that their conception of heaven leaves out everything humans find most pleasurable in life (particularly sex). He also considers God’s hypocrisies: not forgiving Adam and Eve even though humans are supposed to forgive transgressors; forbidding jealousy but then calling himself a jealous God; killing all the large animals during Noah’s flood even though they weren’t guilty of anything; allowing cruelty and misery to torment the innocent.

Included In

Anthologies, collected works, and omnibuses that include this book.