ईश्वर को पत्र — by G.L. Fuentes
A Letter to God is a story by G.L. Fuentes that revolves around Lencho, a poor but hardworking farmer who has immense, unshakable faith in God. The story is set in a Latin American countryside where Lencho's entire livelihood depends on a good harvest.
Lencho's fields are ripe with corn, and he eagerly awaits rain. When rain finally arrives, he is overjoyed — but the rain soon turns into a devastating hailstorm that completely destroys his crops. Not a single leaf is left on the plants. His family faces the prospect of going hungry for an entire year.
Despite the total devastation, Lencho does not lose hope. His faith in God is so strong that he decides to write a letter to God, asking Him for 100 pesos to re-sow his fields and survive until the next harvest. He addresses the envelope simply to "God" and drops it in the post office mailbox.
When the postmaster sees the letter addressed to God, he is initially amused but then deeply moved by Lencho's unwavering faith. Not wanting to shake this faith, the postmaster decides to collect money from his colleagues and friends. He manages to gather 70 pesos out of the requested 100 and sends it to Lencho in an envelope signed "God."
When Lencho receives the money, he is not surprised at all — he expected God to respond. However, upon counting the money and finding only 70 pesos instead of 100, he becomes angry. He writes another letter to God, asking for the remaining 30 pesos — but this time he adds a request: "God, please do not send the money through the mail, because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks."
Poet: Robert Frost
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
"The way a crow / Shook down on me / The dust of snow / From a hemlock tree" — The poet describes a simple, small incident. A crow sitting on a hemlock tree shakes off fine snow dust that falls on the poet below. Both the crow and the hemlock tree are traditionally associated with bad omens and sorrow.
"Has given my heart / A change of mood / And saved some part / Of a day I had rued" — This small, seemingly insignificant event lifts the poet's spirits. He was having a bad day ("a day I had rued"), but the gentle snowfall changed his mood entirely, saving the rest of his day from being wasted in sadness.
Even the smallest, most unexpected events in nature can change our mood and outlook. Happiness can come from the most ordinary moments if we are open to it. Things considered negative (crow, hemlock) can bring about positive change.
Poet: Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
"Some say the world will end in fire, / Some say in ice" — People have different opinions about how the world will end. Fire represents desire, passion, and greed. Ice represents hatred, coldness, and indifference.
"From what I've tasted of desire / I hold with those who favour fire" — The poet says that based on his own experience with desire and passion, he agrees that unchecked desire (fire) is powerful enough to destroy the world.
"But if it had to perish twice, / I think I know enough of hate / To say that for destruction ice / Is also great / And would suffice" — If the world were to be destroyed a second time, hatred and coldness (ice) would be equally capable of bringing destruction. Both are sufficient to end everything.
The poem explores two destructive human emotions: desire (fire) and hatred (ice). Both are powerful enough to destroy the world. Robert Frost suggests that excessive desire can consume everything, while cold hatred can freeze all warmth and humanity. The poem is a warning against both extremes.
Lencho hoped for rain for his field of ripe corn. He was a farmer whose crops were ready and he needed a good downpour to ensure a successful harvest. He looked at the sky with hope, expecting large drops of rain that would be like "new coins" for him — representing prosperity and food for his family.
Lencho compared the raindrops to new coins because rain was essential for his harvest. The big drops were like ten-cent pieces and the little ones were like five-cent pieces. For a farmer like Lencho, a good harvest meant money and survival, so each raindrop was literally like currency falling from the sky — it represented his income and livelihood.
Lencho had unshakable faith in God. He believed that God sees everything and would help him in his time of need. After the hailstorm completely destroyed his crops, Lencho wrote a letter addressed to God, asking for 100 pesos to re-sow his field and survive until the next harvest. He placed it in the mailbox at the post office with full confidence that God would send the money.
The postmaster read the letter addressed to God. At first, he laughed at the idea but was then deeply moved by Lencho's unwavering faith. He did not want to shake this faith, so he came up with a plan. He decided to collect money from his employees and friends. He himself donated a part of his salary. Together, they managed to collect 70 pesos (out of the requested 100). The postmaster put the money in an envelope and sent it to Lencho with a letter signed "God."
No, Lencho was not at all surprised to find a letter from God with money in it. His faith in God was so absolute that he fully expected God to reply. However, when he counted the money and found only 70 pesos instead of 100, he became very angry. He believed that God could never make a mistake or send less money. Therefore, he concluded that the post office employees must have stolen the remaining 30 pesos. He wrote another letter to God, calling the postal employees a "bunch of crooks" and requesting the remaining money be sent directly, not through the mail.
(a) Where was Lencho's house located?
Lencho's house was situated on the crest (top) of a low hill. It was the only house in the entire valley.
(b) What could one see from the height?
From the height of the hill, one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with flowers.
(c) What did the flowers on the corn indicate?
The flowers on the corn promised a good harvest, meaning the crops were healthy and would yield well.
(a) Who is speaking and to whom?
Lencho is writing to God in his letter, asking for financial help after the hailstorm destroyed his crops.
(b) Why does the speaker need money?
Lencho needs 100 pesos to re-sow his destroyed field and to feed his family until the new crop comes.
(c) What does this extract reveal about the speaker's character?
It reveals Lencho's absolute and unquestioning faith in God. He treats God as a personal helper who will directly respond to his needs — showing both deep faith and simplicity.
The postmaster is called a generous man because, after reading Lencho's letter to God, he was deeply moved by the farmer's faith. He did not want this faith to be broken. So he decided to collect money from his employees and even donated part of his own salary. He went out of his way to help a stranger, asking his colleagues and friends to contribute — all just so Lencho's faith in God would remain intact. This selfless act of kindness makes him truly generous.
The irony in the story operates on multiple levels. The situational irony is that the people who selflessly helped Lencho (the postmaster and his colleagues) are the very ones he calls "a bunch of crooks." They gave their own money to preserve his faith in God, yet Lencho accused them of stealing. The dramatic irony is that the reader knows the truth — that the money came from the post office employees — but Lencho remains completely unaware. His blind faith in God made him grateful to God but ungrateful to the real helpers.
The story "A Letter to God" beautifully illustrates how faith can be both empowering and limiting at the same time.
Faith as strength: Lencho's faith in God is remarkable. After the devastating hailstorm destroyed his crops and left his family facing starvation, while anyone else might have despaired, Lencho remained hopeful. His faith gave him the courage to write to God and believe that help would come. This unwavering trust kept him from losing hope — showing that faith can indeed be a powerful force that sustains people through difficult times.
Faith as blindness: However, Lencho's faith also blinded him to reality. He could not see or appreciate the real human kindness around him. The postmaster and his employees — ordinary people with limited means — gave their own hard-earned money to help a stranger. They were the real "angels" in the story. But Lencho's absolute faith in God and his corresponding suspicion of humans led him to call these very helpers a "bunch of crooks." He could not fathom that God might work through human beings.
The deeper message is that while faith is valuable, it should not make us blind to the goodness in the people around us. True faith should open our eyes to kindness everywhere — whether it comes from God directly or through the hands of compassionate human beings. Lencho's story is a cautionary tale about how excessive, unthinking faith can lead to ingratitude and injustice towards those who truly help us.
