Irony in the Ending of "A Letter to God"
Irony in the Ending:
- The irony in the ending of "A Letter to God" lies in the unexpected turn of events that take place after Lencho writes a letter to God requesting money to help him through a difficult time.
Explanation:
- Lencho, a poor farmer, writes a letter to God asking for 100 pesos to help him recover from the damage caused by a hailstorm to his crops. He believes that God will send him the money through the mail.
- The postmaster and his colleagues are moved by Lencho's faith and decide to collect money amongst themselves to send to him, signing the letter as "God."
- When Lencho receives the envelope with money in it, he is disappointed to find only 70 pesos instead of the 100 he had requested. He writes another letter to God, expressing his disappointment that someone at the post office must have taken the missing 30 pesos.
- The postmaster is surprised by Lencho's lack of gratitude and faith, as he had witnessed a miracle of people coming together to help him. The postmaster then feels compelled to explain that they had collected the money themselves and signed it as "God" out of goodwill.
- The irony lies in the fact that Lencho's strong belief in God's intervention led him to doubt the generosity of his fellow human beings, missing the true miracle that had taken place.
In conclusion, the ending of "A Letter to God" is ironic as Lencho's unwavering faith in God ironically blinds him to the kindness and generosity of his community.