A Letter to God
Why This Chapter Matters
This is the opening story of First Flight — always tested in CBSE Class 10 board exams. Character sketches, themes, and important questions from this story appear every year for 5-8 marks.
About the Author
G.L. Fuentes — Mexican writer. The story is a translation from Spanish.
Summary
Lencho is a hardworking farmer in Mexico. His entire corn crop is destroyed by a hailstorm. He is devastated and faces starvation for his family.
Lencho has unwavering faith in God. He writes a letter to God asking for 100 pesos to survive. He addresses it simply to "God" and puts it in the post box.
The post office workers are amazed and amused by this letter. The postmaster — moved by Lencho's faith — decides to collect money from his staff and friends. He gathers 70 pesos (could only collect 70, not 100).
The postmaster puts the money in an envelope signed "God" and sends it to Lencho. When Lencho receives the letter and counts only 70 pesos, he is ANGRY. He assumes the post office employees stole 30 pesos.
Lencho writes another letter to God: "God, send me the rest. Don't send it through the post office because those people are a bunch of crooks."
Irony: Lencho has complete faith in God but no faith in human beings — even those who helped him anonymously.
Characters
Lencho: Simple, hardworking, deeply religious farmer. Complete faith in God. Ironically, distrusts the very people who helped him.
The Postmaster: Kind, compassionate, imaginative. Moved by simple faith. Takes initiative to help a stranger. Represents human goodness.
Post office employees: Honest, generous people who donate despite not being wealthy.
Key Themes
1. Faith and Hope: Lencho's faith in God is absolute — so absolute he never doubts when money arrives, only doubts that God sent the full amount.
2. Human Goodness vs Irony: The postmaster and staff are genuinely good people, yet Lencho calls them crooks. This is the central irony of the story.
3. Irony: The entire story builds to an ironic conclusion — the very people who helped Lencho are accused by him. His faith in God is 100% but trust in humans is zero.
Important Questions with Answers
Q1: What did Lencho hope for after the hailstorm?
Lencho hoped for help from God. His faith was so strong he believed God would send him money directly. He wrote a letter to God asking for 100 pesos to replant his field and survive until the next harvest.
Q2: Who read Lencho's letter first? What was his reaction?
The postmaster read it first. He laughed but then became serious — deeply moved by the man's faith. He decided it was wrong to shake such faith and organised a collection to help Lencho.
Q3: Was Lencho surprised to find money in the envelope? Why/Why not?
No, Lencho was NOT surprised at all. He was completely certain God would send money. He counted it calmly. His only reaction was anger when he found 30 pesos missing — he assumed post office workers had stolen it.
Q4: What is the central irony in the story?
The postmaster and employees are kind, honest people who donated their own money to help a stranger. Yet Lencho, whose faith in God is absolute, has no faith in humans at all. He calls these generous people "crooks" — the people who actually helped him. This is the core irony.
Q5: How does the story explore the theme of faith?
Lencho's faith is shown as childlike and absolute — he writes to God like writing to a trusted friend, never doubts that God will respond, and doesn't thank any human because in his mind only God helped him. The story shows how faith can be both beautiful (in its purity) and limited (when it excludes trust in human beings).
Extract-Based Questions (Board Pattern)
Extract: "Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence — but he became angry when he counted the money."
Q: What does this tell us about Lencho's character?
A: It reveals Lencho's absolute, unshakeable faith in God. He expected the money so completely that receiving it caused no surprise. However, it also shows his limited perspective — he trusted God completely but immediately suspected the post office workers when the amount was less than what he asked for, without considering that humans had tried to help him.
PYQs (Board Pattern)
2023: Why did Lencho write a second letter to God?
He found only 70 pesos instead of 100. He believed the post office workers stole the remaining 30 pesos and asked God to send the rest but NOT through the post office.
2022: What qualities of the postmaster are revealed in the story?
The postmaster is compassionate, imaginative, and generous. He was moved by Lencho's simple faith, took the initiative to help, contributed from his own salary, and arranged a collection — all for someone he had never met.
2021: Identify the element of irony in the story.
The irony is that the people Lencho calls "crooks" are actually the most honest and generous characters in the story — they gave their own money to help a stranger, while Lencho, who has absolute faith in God, has no trust in human beings at all.
MCQ Practice
Q1. Lencho's crop was destroyed by: (A) drought (B) flood (C) hail (D) insects → C
Q2. How much money did Lencho ask God for? (A) 50 pesos (B) 70 pesos (C) 100 pesos (D) 130 pesos → C
Q3. The postmaster signed the letter as: (A) Postmaster (B) A friend (C) God (D) The government → C
Q4. The theme of the story is BEST described as: (A) Poverty (B) Faith and irony (C) Dishonesty (D) Nature's destruction → B
Q5 (Hard). The story suggests that Lencho's faith is: (A) admirable in every way (B) misplaced entirely (C) pure but ironically blind to human goodness (D) hypocritical → C
Vocabulary
hailstorm = sudden shower of ice pellets
draped = covered loosely
plague = pest/problem
amiable = friendly
consoled = comforted
resolution = firm decision
crooks = dishonest people