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| 10.15.98 | |||||
| Dante's novel Hell explores the consequences of Eve's famous nibble of the forbidden fruit. The narrator takes a journey into the underworld, exposing Hell and the baser side of mankind. With this intricate description and artful storytelling comes a discourse on the nature of sins themselves. To Dante, sins are the decisions that one makes to disobey God. Several characteristics of sins are illuminated as Dante's character makes his way to the deepest pits of Hell, but the most enduring quality is the inequality of sin. Every sin has the power to send its practitioner to Hell if not forgiven, but the sins themselves are unequal in severity. The placement of sins in Hell is indicative of this inequality. Also, every sin is punishable and should be punished if justice is to be served, but the punishments are not uniform. Finally, every sin save one is forgivable. Examining the narrator's reaction to the sinners exemplifies this. In Hell, sins are characterized by the inequality of their placement, punishments involved, and ability to be forgiven. | |||||
| All sins that are not forgiven are punished in Hell, but generalizations about sins end there. The inequality in sins can be seen in Dante's differentiation of sins by nature and geography. There are three overarching categories of sins in Dante's Hell. Before these three comes the Vestibule, where the futile souls are. Because these people did not offend God and loved only themselves, they are placed highest in the trench. After this comes the a stage of limbo. The people here are the unbaptised and the virtuous pagans. Once again, their sins are less malicious and thus allow them to remain above the rest of the horrors of Hell. �The first of the three large categories comes next. Dante calls it Incontinence. These circles included in this category house the unbaptised, the virtuous pagans, the lustful, the gluttonous, the hoarders, the spendthrifts, and the wrathful. These are also known as the sins of the leopard. In Canto XI, Virgil admits "incontinence offends God less" (83) and is "less blameworthy" (84). As such, these sins are placed farthest from the center of hell and outside of the Gates of Dis. Next are the circles involving heresy and violence. These include the heretics as well as the violent against neighbors, self, God, art, and nature. These sins differ from the preceding sins both by their nature and their geography. They are more serious offenses and are actually placed within the Gates of Dis. Finally, the last two circles contain the souls of fraudulent people. Virgil explains to Dante that these sins are worse to God because these sins can only be committed by humans. As such, they are placed closest to the center of hell. | |||||
| Just as diverse as the sins themselves are the accompanying punishments of sin. Punishment seems to be a necessary part of being in Hell. There appear to be two ways that the punishment is made to fit the crime. In certain instances, the category that the sin falls under determines the type of punishment, as with the sins of complex fraud. All of these are plunged into ice. However, the individual sins also affect the punishment rendered. As with the sins of complex fraud, the severity of the sin is proportional to how deep the person is in the ice. All of the rest of the sins are dealt with individually, though not on an individual basis. Almost all of the individuals in a particular circle are subject to the same punishment. In most cases, the punishment reflects the original sin committed. For instance, the people that sowed discord and caused an ideological split are continually slashed by a demon with a sword - they get a physical split. Also, the sorcerers always tried to predict the future. Their punishment is to have their heads twisted so that they can only walk backwards. Dante did not seem to think that it was enough for the sinners to be in Hell; rather, their punishments had to be tailor made to suit their crimes, so long as the punishment is eternal and painful. This implies that there is justice involved in the punishments. Every sin must have a consequence, and by sin's nature of being disassociated with God, this consequence must be punishment. | |||||
| Finally, most of the sin in Dante's book is forgivable. There are three reasons this conclusion can be drawn. First, not every person who has committed the enumerated sins is in the circles. While Dante does not give a complete list of the people in Hell, he does mention that Abraham and some others of the Jewish faith were taken out of Hell by Jesus. These people committed the same sins as the unbaptised people that they were in Hell with, but God forgave these sins and allowed them to enter into Heaven. Thus the defining reason for being in Hell seems not to be the sin committed but the unforgiven quality of the sin. Second, Dante as the narrator is a sinner that can be rehabilitated and still partake of eternal bliss in heaven. At the beginning of the story, Dante finds himself in a dark wood on a mountain that he can not cross. The dark wood is a metaphor for the sins in Dante's life. Yet even though Dante has sinned, he will still have a chance after completing his journey to repent for these sins. Finally, Dante shows both compassion and pity for most of the people in Hell. In Canto V, Dante expresses his feelings for the lustful when he says, "Thy dreadful fate makes me weep" (116). Later on, Dante meets a former teacher of his, Brunetto Latini. "Might I have had my will,/ Believe me, you'd not yet been thrust apart/ From human life," (XV.79-81) speaks Dante. Of course, there are notable instances where Dante does not feel pity for the conditions of the sinners. Rather than compassion, Dante observes that Pope in Circle VIII "deserved thy doom" (XIX. 97). In Canto XXXII, Dante actually physically assaults one of the sinners. Yet this seems to be a personal matter for Dante. The important point is that Dante does feel compassion for some of the sinners. If Dante as the writer is the judge of justice, it seems as though he is making it acceptable to feel pity toward these people. In that case, the only thing between these sinners and Heaven is not the actual sin committed but the decision to not ask for forgiveness for the sins. However, considering that all the sins are unequal, there does seem to be one that can not be forgiven, or at least not forgiven in the usual manner. This is the sin of treachery to guests. In this case, the sinner goes directly from earth to Hell before his body dies, and the body is inhabited by a demon while it is still on earth. If this is the case, Dante seems to suggest that one would be wise to embrace hospitality at all costs. | |||||
| In conclusion, Dante discusses the nature of sin in his novel Hell. In this book, sin is an act in which one disobeys God. There are several qualities of sin that Dante's book reveals. Foremost of these is the inequality of sin. This inequality can be seen by examining the structure of Hell, the punishments accompanying the punished sin, and the forgivable nature of sin, as presented by Dante. While sins may be unequal to Dante, it seems as though the best way to avoid punishment is to not sin at all. ����� | |||||