Study Guides/English/What did the postmaster do then
Study Guide · English

What did the Postmaster do then? (A Letter to God)

In the famous Class 10 English chapter 'A Letter to God' by G.L. Fuentes, a poor farmer named Lencho writes a letter directly addressed to "God," asking for 100 pesos because his crops were destroyed by a hailstorm. When the village postmaster opens this letter, his reaction defines the emotional core of the story.

Question (Click to Flip)

Why did the postmaster sign the letter as 'God'?

Answer

He signed the letter as 'God' so that Lencho would truly believe that the Almighty had read his letter and sent the money. He wanted to preserve the poor farmer's absolute faith.

Card 1 of 1 free previews

Key Facts

The author deliberately makes the postmaster an anonymous character without a name to symbolize that acts of pure humanity, charity, and kindness do not require fame or recognition.

The Initial Reaction (Laughter)

When the postmaster—a fat, friendly, and kind-hearted man—first saw the envelope addressed simply "To God", his immediate reaction was to burst out laughing. In his entire career, he had never seen anyone try to mail a letter to God. However, almost immediately, he turned serious. He was deeply moved by the sheer, innocent, and unshakeable faith the poor farmer had in God.

What did the Postmaster do then? (The Action)

To ensure that Lencho's beautiful faith in God was not broken, the postmaster decided to take action and answer the letter himself.

  1. He Collected Money: He knew replying with just kind words wasn't enough; Lencho needed actual cash to survive.
  2. Charity: The postmaster gave a large part of his own salary. He also asked his post office employees to contribute and asked several friends to give money as an "act of charity".
  3. The Envelop: Despite his best efforts, he could only collect 70 pesos (not the 100 pesos requested). He put the 70 pesos inside an envelope, addressed it to Lencho, and signed it with just one single word as a signature: "God".

The Irony of the Ending

The postmaster did this brilliant act of secret kindness expecting Lencho to be happy. Instead, when Lencho counted the money and saw it was short by 30 pesos, he got angry! Lencho wrote a second letter to God, calling the kind post office employees a "bunch of crooks" who had stolen his money. The postmaster's kindness was met with absolute irony.

Questions and Answers

Why did the postmaster sign the letter as 'God'?+

He signed the letter as 'God' so that Lencho would truly believe that the Almighty had read his letter and sent the money. He wanted to preserve the poor farmer's absolute faith.

More in English

Study Smarter with Shinyu.ai

Turn this guide into revision flashcards, a practice exam, or an AI-generated podcast — free, no signup required.