First Flight – Chapter 1: A Letter to God

About the Author: G.L. Fuentes (Gregorio López y Fuentes) was a Mexican writer.

Summary: The story "A Letter to God" is about a poor farmer named Lencho who lived in a lonely house on the top of a hill. His entire crop of corn was destroyed by a hailstorm. With no money to survive, Lencho had a strong faith in God. He decided to write a letter to God asking for 100 pesos. He posted the letter at the post office. The postmaster saw the letter and, not wanting to shake Lencho's faith, collected money from his employees and contributed part of his own salary. They could only collect 70 pesos and sent it to Lencho. When Lencho received the envelope, he was not happy. He thought that God could not have made a mistake. He believed that the post office employees had stolen the remaining 30 pesos. He wrote another letter to God asking not to send the money by mail because the post office employees were a bunch of crooks.

Lencho: A hardworking farmer who lived with his family in a solitary house on the hilltop. He was simple, innocent, and had immense faith in God. After his crop was destroyed by a hailstorm, he wrote a letter to God asking for help. His faith was so strong that he couldn't believe that God would fail him. When he received only 70 pesos instead of 100, he blamed the post office employees for stealing the rest. This shows his naivety and unwavering trust in divine justice.

The Postmaster: A kind, empathetic, and generous man. He was initially amused by Lencho's letter but was deeply moved by Lencho's unshakable faith in God. He wanted to preserve that faith, so he collected money from his employees and contributed his own salary to send 70 pesos to Lencho. He signed the letter "God" to keep Lencho's faith intact. His actions reveal that he was a good-hearted man who believed in helping others.

Answer: Lencho hoped for a good rain to nourish his corn crop, which was his only source of income.

Answer: Lencho's crop of corn required good rain to grow well and give a good harvest. A good harvest would bring him money. Therefore, he compared the raindrops to 'new coins'.

Answer: The rain suddenly turned into a hailstorm. Strong winds began to blow and huge hailstones began to fall. The hailstorm completely destroyed Lencho's corn crop. The field looked as if it were covered with salt.

Answer: Lencho was deeply saddened and worried. He felt that they would have no food that year and that they would go hungry. His soul was filled with sadness.

Answer: The postmaster read the letter.

Answer: The postmaster was initially amused but then became serious. To preserve Lencho's faith in God, he collected money from his employees and also gave a part of his own salary. He sent 70 pesos to Lencho in an envelope signed "God".

Answer: No, Lencho was not surprised at all. He had absolute faith that God would answer his letter and send him money.

Answer: Lencho became angry after counting the money. He was certain that God could not have made a mistake. He believed that the post office employees had stolen the remaining 30 pesos. He immediately wrote another letter to God asking Him not to send the money by mail, as the post office employees were "a bunch of crooks".

Answer: Lencho had complete faith in God. The following sentences in the story tell us this:
(i) "Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew how to write. The following Sunday, at daybreak, he began to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the mail. It was nothing less than a letter to God."
(ii) "God: If you don't help me, my family and I will go hungry this year."
(iii) "He wrote 'To God' on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town."
(iv) "God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested."

Answer: Lencho hoped for a good rain to get a good harvest. The harvest would yield him money. So, the raindrops that signaled the beginning of rain were like new coins for him. He hoped that after the rain, the crop would be good and he would get a lot of money.

Answer: The rain changed into a hailstorm. Hailstones began to fall along with the rain. The hailstorm destroyed Lencho's corn crop completely. The field looked as if it were covered with salt. The flowers were gone from the plants, and there was no greenery left on the field.

Answer: Lencho was filled with sadness and despair. He knew that the hailstorm had ruined his entire crop. He felt that they would have no food that year and would go hungry. He was worried about his family's survival.

Answer: The postmaster read the letter. He was a kind and generous man.

Answer: The postmaster was initially amused by the letter but then became serious. He decided to preserve Lencho's faith in God. He collected money from his employees and contributed a part of his own salary. He could collect only 70 pesos. He sent that money to Lencho in an envelope signed "God".

Answer: No, Lencho was not surprised at all. He had absolute and unwavering faith that God would answer his letter and send him the money he had asked for. He expected the money to arrive.

Answer: After opening the letter, Lencho counted the money and found that there were only 70 pesos, not the 100 pesos he had asked for. He became angry and was not grateful. He was certain that God could not have made a mistake. He believed that the post office employees had stolen the remaining 30 pesos. He immediately wrote another letter to God, asking Him not to send the money by mail, as the post office employees were "a bunch of crooks".

Answer: Students should answer based on their language. Examples in English: God, Lord, Almighty, Creator, Supreme Being, Father, etc.

Answer:
(i) Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so. → (b) a feeling that something good will probably happen
(ii) I hope you don't mind my saying this, but I don't like the way you are arguing. → (a) a feeling that something good will definitely happen
(iii) This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers. → (c) a feeling that what is desired can be had
(iv) We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes. → (d) hoping for something that is unlikely to happen
(v) I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school. → (e) wanting something to happen (and thinking it possible)
(vi) Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen began to come back. → (f) feeling that things will turn out for the best

Answer:
sent: The postmaster sent 70 pesos to Lencho.
sentences: The judge sentenced the criminal to ten years in prison.

Crest: top of a hill
Draped: covered or wrapped
Locusts: insects that fly in large groups and destroy crops
Hailstones: small balls of ice that fall like rain
Conscience: inner sense of right and wrong
Amused: finding something funny
Contentment: state of happiness and satisfaction
Crooks: dishonest people
Solitary: alone, without companions
Prediction: a statement about what will happen in the future
Correspondence: letters sent or received
Faith: complete trust in someone or something

Answer:
(i) "Ox of a man" means that Lencho was a very hardworking and strong man, just like an ox that works tirelessly in the fields.
(ii) Lencho wrote a letter to God.
(iii) Lencho wrote a letter because his entire corn crop was destroyed by a hailstorm. He had a strong faith in God and believed that God would help him and his family survive.

Answer:
(i) The postmaster was a fat, friendly and kind-hearted man.
(ii) The postmaster became serious because he was deeply moved by Lencho's immense and unshakable faith in God. He realized the depth of Lencho's belief.
(iii) The postmaster decided to preserve Lencho's faith. He collected money from his employees and contributed his own salary to send money to Lencho, signing the letter as "God".

Answer: The story highlights the theme of "faith and humanity". Lencho's unwavering faith in God is contrasted with the kind-heartedness of the postmaster and his employees who help Lencho anonymously. The story also shows the irony that while Lencho blames the post office employees for stealing his money, they were actually the ones who helped him.

Answer: The irony in the story is that the post office employees, whom Lencho calls "a bunch of crooks" for stealing his money, are actually the ones who collected and sent him the money to preserve his faith in God. Lencho's faith in God is unwavering, but he blindly blames the innocent post office employees without any proof. This situational irony forms the crux of the story.

Answer: Lencho was a simple, hardworking farmer who lived with his family in a solitary house on the hilltop. He was an honest and straightforward man. Most importantly, he had immense and unwavering faith in God. He was naive and innocent, as he believed that God would send him money through the mail. His faith was so strong that he couldn't imagine God making a mistake. However, he was also quick to blame others without evidence, showing his ignorance and lack of worldly wisdom.