A letter to God – Extra Questions

1. What was the cause behind the sudden change of mood of Lencho from that of happiness to that of sorrow and despair?
2. Why and how did the postmaster help Lencho?
3. Did God really help Lencho?
4. Who was Lencho? What were his main problems?
5. What did Lencho compare the raindrops to and why?
6. Why did Lencho write a letter to God?
7. Why and how did the postmaster help Lencho?
8. How much money did Lencho need? How much did he get?
9. Why did Lencho not want the money to be sent through mail?
10. Do you think that Lencho was right to call the post office employees a bunch of crooks? Why or why not?

Answers

1.  The cause was the hailstorm that destroyed the standing crop in the fields. He was happy at the rains and called the rain drops as ‘new coins’ but the haling changed the atmosphere and now there were lying hails as ‘frozen pearls’ in place of ‘new coins’.
2. The Post Master helped Lencho to keep his faith in God intact and also, he could see how innocence Lencho was. To help Lencho he himself contributed a part of his salary and convinced his post office employees to donate some amount. This way, they were able to collect 70 pesos that was 30 pesos short of Lencho’s demand.
3. God is an abstract entity in the minds of people with huge literary and oral accounts spread around this abstract entity God. So, to see from the angle of description of God, it can be contended that God helped Lencho in his need through men at post office. If we think logical way then it was help from post office employees and the letter was received by them who could easily throw it away.
4. Lencho was a hardworking farmer who lived on the crest of a low hill with this family. His was the only house in the entire valley. He eagerly waited for a good rain to have a good harvest but hailstorm destroyed his crops, so he needed money to sow his field again and support his family. So, these were his main problems.
5. Lencho, a poor farmer, was waiting for the rain to have a good harvest so when it rained, Lencho compared the raindrops to new coins. The big drops were ten cents pieces and the little ones were fives because the crop needed the rain badly and it was the sign of good harvest.
6. Lencho’s crops were completely destroyed by the hailstorm. But there was no one to help him in his difficult situation. Being a firm believer in God, he wrote a letter God, as He was the only hope in his despair. Lencho asked Him to send hundred pesos to sow his field again and support his family till the next crop.
7. The postmaster was mesmerised to see Lencho’s faith in God and he didn’t want his faith to be shaken. He asked his employees and friends to help Lencho. He was so determined to help Lencho that he himslef contributed a part of his salary for this act of charity. He collected seventy pesos and put them in an envelope containing only a single word as a signature of God.
8. Lencho asked God to send him hundred pesos to sow the crops and support his family till the next harvest but when he received the letter from God which was sent by the post office employees, he saw only seventy pesos in it, less than he had demanded from God.
9. Lencho did not want rest of the money to be sent through mail because he knew that God could not do such a mistake and send him only seventy pesos as he asked Him to send hundred pesos. Due to his firm faith in God, he blamed the post office employees for stealing his money from the envelope. He also called them a ‘bunch of crooks’, who actually helped him in this difficult situation.
10. Lencho was a simple and poor farmer who had firm faith in God. When he asked God to send him hundred pesos, he received only seventy pesos in reply. Due to his faith in God, he blamed the post office employees for stealing his money as he could not believe that God could send him any less money. He doubted these employees. But he was not right to call them a bunch of crooks as they helped him in his problem.