About halfway through my frustrations with the novel, I gained a new thought on Dante’s journey. That thought was that this journey was completely optional. However, I quickly realized that this novel was actually Alighieri’s analysis (or even a critique) on religion. Although Dante’s journey may have been conceptually optional, the themes covered through the work gave his expedition meaning.
Dante’s motivations for this journey are paradoxical, which almost makes this work seem like an analysis of human nature. Keyword: Almost. This notion may have been supported if not for the central themes of Religious imagery and trauma.
We quickly learn that Dante is completing this journey to rectify his sins.
“Midway in his allotted threescore years and ten, Dante comes to himself with a start and realizes that he has strayed from the True Way into the Dark Wood of Error (Worldliness)” (27).
His desire to cleanse his sins and get back to “the straight road” (28) drove him to descend through hell.
Furthermore, Dante seems like a naïve character, as he was immediately convinced to embark on this journey by perceived heavenly powers:
“How can he hesitate longer when such heavenly powers are concerned for him, and Virgil himself has promised to lead him safely? Dante understands at once that such forces cannot fail him, and his spirits rise in joyous anticipation” (34).
He appeared to just be searching for a sign to ease his spiritual burdens from being away from “the straight road” and he grasped the first thing he could see to get him back on track. This moment highlights how religious trauma may present and showcases the lengths individuals feel forced to pursue to relieve their perceived spiritual wrongdoings.
Do I genuinely believe this journey was completely optional? No, I do not. After taking time to organize my thoughts about the story, I realize that the meaning of the story. This story is an extremely introspective and reflective work that uncovers layers of Alighieri’s religious trauma through Dante’s journey within each circle of Hell. Saying Dante’s journey is optional almost diminishes the severity of Alighieri’s work. Dante is a character that has been pushed into immense shame and guilt for his actions that oppose traditional religious ideologies, and as a result, feels spiritually forced to go through Hell to rectify his wrongdoings.
I am interested in hearing your thoughts about this, do you think that Dante’s journey was optional?