Class 10 English — First Flight · Chapter 1 NotesA Letter to God

The story opens in a valley where Lencho's house stands alone on the crest of a low hill. From there he can see his field of ripe corn dotted with flowers that promise a good harvest. The only thing the earth needs is a downpour or at least a shower. Lencho, who knows his fields intimately, spends the whole morning looking at the sky towards the north-east, searching for signs of rain. At supper, he tells his wife that they are going to get some water, and she replies, 'Yes, God willing.' The older boys work in the field while the smaller ones play near the house. The family's life depends entirely on the rain, and Lencho's hope is tied to nature's mercy.

• Lencho's house is the only one in the entire valley
• The field is full of ripe corn and flowers that promise a good harvest
• Lencho needs a downpour or at least a shower for his crops
• His wife's words 'Yes, God willing' show the family's faith

Just as Lencho predicted, big drops of rain begin to fall, and huge mountains of clouds approach from the north-east. The air becomes fresh and sweet. Lencho goes out to feel the rain on his body and joyfully says that the raindrops are not water but new coins — the big drops are ten-cent pieces and the little ones are fives. But suddenly a strong wind begins to blow, and very large hailstones fall along with the rain. The boys run out to collect the frozen pearls. For an hour the hail rains on the house, the garden, the hillside, the cornfield and the whole valley. The field turns white as if covered with salt. Not a leaf remains on the trees, the corn is totally destroyed, and the flowers are gone. Lencho's soul is filled with sadness.

• Lencho compares raindrops to new coins, showing his joy and hope
• The hailstorm lasts for an hour and destroys the entire crop
• The field looks white as if covered with salt
• Lencho says a plague of locusts would have left more than the hail

That night is a sorrowful one for the family. They say, 'All our work, for nothing,' 'There's no one who can help us,' and 'We'll all go hungry this year.' But in the hearts of all who live in that solitary house, there is a single hope: help from God. Lencho's wife tries to comfort him by saying that no one dies of hunger, but Lencho remains troubled. All through the night he thinks only of one hope — the help of God, whose eyes, as he has been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one's conscience. Lencho is described as 'an ox of a man', working like an animal in the fields, but he still knows how to write. The following Sunday, at daybreak, he begins to write a letter which he himself will carry to town and place in the mail.

• The family spends a sorrowful night thinking about their lost crop
• Lencho's only hope is help from God
• Lencho is called 'an ox of a man' because he works hard like an animal
• He decides to write a letter to God asking for help

Lencho writes a simple, direct letter to God. He writes, 'God, if you don't help me, my family and I will go hungry this year. I need a hundred pesos in order to sow my field again and to live until the crop comes, because the hailstorm...' He addresses the envelope 'To God', puts the letter inside, and still troubled, goes to town. At the post office, he places a stamp on the letter and drops it into the mailbox. The letter is a pure expression of faith — Lencho does not doubt for a moment that God will receive it and answer. His request is not for luxury but for the basic means to survive and work again.

• Lencho asks for a hundred pesos to sow his field again
• He addresses the envelope simply 'To God'
• He himself carries the letter to town and posts it
• His request is for survival, not for wealth

At the post office, one of the employees, who is a postman and also helps at the post office, goes to his boss laughing heartily and shows him the letter to God. The postmaster, a fat, amiable fellow, also breaks out laughing, but almost immediately turns serious. Tapping the letter on his desk, he says, 'What faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting up a correspondence with God!' In order not to shake the writer's faith in God, the postmaster decides to answer the letter. He asks for money from his employees, gives part of his salary, and several friends are obliged to give something 'for an act of charity'. He cannot gather the full hundred pesos, so he sends Lencho a little more than half. He puts the money in an envelope addressed to Lencho and signs the letter with a single word: God.

• The postmaster is amazed by Lencho's faith
• He collects money from employees and friends to help Lencho
• He signs the letter 'God' to keep Lencho's faith intact
• He can send only a little more than half of the hundred pesos

The following Sunday, Lencho comes a bit earlier than usual to ask if there is a letter for him. The postman hands him the letter while the postmaster looks on with the contentment of a man who has performed a good deed. Lencho shows not the slightest surprise on seeing the money — such is his confidence. But he becomes angry when he counts the money. He believes that God could not have made a mistake, nor could He have denied him what he had requested. Immediately, Lencho goes to the window to ask for paper and ink. He writes another letter, buys a stamp, licks it, and affixes it to the envelope with a blow of his fist. The letter says: 'God: Of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But don't send it to me through the mail because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.' The irony is that the very people who helped him out of kindness are accused of stealing his money.

• Lencho is not surprised to receive a reply from God
• He becomes angry because he receives only seventy pesos
• He writes a second letter asking for the rest of the money
• He calls the post office employees 'a bunch of crooks' — this is the irony

The story explores several themes: faith, hope, human kindness, and irony. Lencho's faith in God is absolute and unquestioning — he never doubts that God will help him. The postmaster represents human goodness and charity, as he helps a stranger without expecting anything in return. The irony lies in the fact that Lencho's faith in God is so strong that he cannot imagine the money coming from anyone else, and he accuses the very people who helped him. The story also shows two kinds of conflict: between humans and nature (the hailstorm destroying the crop) and between humans themselves (Lencho accusing the post office employees). The writer uses simple language, metaphors like 'new coins' for raindrops and 'an ox of a man' for Lencho, and negative words for emphasis, such as 'not a leaf remained' and 'not the slightest surprise'.

• Theme of faithLencho's complete trust in God
• Theme of charitythe postmaster's kindness
• Ironythe helpers are accused of being crooks
• Conflicthumans vs nature, and humans vs humans
• Metaphors'new coins' for raindrops, 'an ox of a man' for Lencho