Getting Away with Murder

St. Martin's Church,
 location of Winston Churchill's grave

The book Inferno is written through the perspective of a Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, during the time when the Catholic Church was highly influential and powerful. Dante’s describes how he depicts Hell and places the fraudulent sinners in circle eight while the murderers are only in circle seven. Since I am a Christian I see Dante’s perspective and agree with it. Fraud is a worser sin because it goes against not only the Catholic Church but also God’s will and love for us.

During Dante’s lifespan Italy was shifting from the Medieval Ages to the Renaissance. In this time period the Catholic Church was the most influential and unifying structure making religion a primary focus. This is one of the most significant explanations as to why Dante made fraud a greater evil over violence. He was raised with the strict doctrinal Christian values established by the Church. Unlike Dante, non-religious people would be more concerned with human safety and harsher on those who murder then those who commit fraud but through the eyes of a well educated Catholic fraud disrupts God’s will and plan.

One of Dante’s goals in life is to follow God’s plan so he will achieve eternity in heaven. This is a common mindset for someone of his time. Dante believed that God’s will is more important than what humans want.  Thieves are and example because they go against gods plan as they manipulate and break the trust of others. In bolgia 7 of circle 8 Vanni Fucci reluctantly tells the poets of the fraud he is now so ashamed of, “That you have found me out among the strife and misery of this place, grieves my heart more than did the day that cut me from my life.” (XXIV, 133-135) As a thief he admits that stealing hurts him more then his death. After Fucci commits the crime he spends his life watching in guilt as others are punished for his crime. Not only did this affect his life but also others as it spread distrust and ill emotions. Although the sin of murder and violence should not be taken lightly it has a lesser impact on God’s will. Violence is not part of God’s plan but Fraud is worse because it distorts relationships and love.

God is love, his greatest gift to mankind was love. Even Hell was created in love. Fraud breaks the bonds between humans with other humans and with God. They loss trust and love for each other which is far worse then the act of violence. Without love our world would be chaos, the culture we live in needs love and compassion. After Vanni Fucci, a thief, tells his story in defiance he makes an obscene gesture towards upwards to God. Dante, still shocked comments, “In all of Hell’s corrupt and sunken halls I found no shade so arrogant toward God.” (XXV, 13-14) In none of the other circles before this one has the sin ever created disregard for God. Fucci was the first character met in the story to convey hate towards God. This show that fraud extracts love and trust from all the relationships of that person. Fraud alters these foundations of our civilization that in turn inaccurately shows God and his plan.

Up a Tree

In the second round of the seventh circle of Dante’s Inferno those who have been violent against themselves are punished. When Dante and Virgil reach this round they enter a forest of black and gnarled trees. The sounds of people suffering can be heard but not seen. That is because their bodies have been transformed into these twisted trees. Dante used trees because they symbolizes unity, knowledge, and wisdom which is relatable to the sinners.
The most commonly known symbolic tree is the tree of knowledge from the garden of Eden. Similar to Adam and Eve who where disconnected from God after the expulsion from Eden because of the tree, the sinners are separated from God for eternity because they went against his will on Earth. Pier della Vigna one of the tree-souls tries to defend his decision to kill himself, “I swear to you that never in word or spirit did I break faith to my lord and emperor.” (XIII, 73-74) Vigna lacks the wisdom to see that it is not his loyalty to the government but to God that is most important. He is still concerned with life on earth most likely because he left before he was meant to leave.
Another symbol that a tree exhibits is unity, with others and God. There is a sense of irony in this because the sinners chose to separate themselves from God by committing suicide. They rejected their own bodies by going against God’s will. Within this realm Pier della Vigna is one of the tree-souls and confess to how rumors lead him to feel alone. Instead of looking towards God he gave up and took away his life. Vigna explains, “Then, unjustly blamed, my soul, in scorn, and thinking to be free of scorn in death, made me at last, through just, unjust to myself.” (XIII, 69-72) Vigna, as well as the other people, isolated themselves from God and others making their lives as twisted as the trees branches. They were driven to kill themselves because they were not living in peace and unity like the tree represents.
Trees have very extensive life spans on earth and are sometimes perceived as immortal. This is similar to how humans were given the gift of eternity from God. Although, the sinners in round 2 of circle seven are denied the gift of immortality because they rejected their bodies on earth by killing themselves. The sinners decision to abandon their bodies will stay with the for eternity. One of the unknown tree-souls tells Dante of how his unforgiving mistake on earth will never be forgotten. “Like the rest, we shall go for our husks on Judgement Day. But not that we may wear them, for it is not just that a man be given what he throws away...Our bodies will dangle to the end of time.” (XIII, 103-107) Unfortunately, for those who committed suicide and gave up their bodies will never have them returned.

God's Love and Justice

      The Inferno is written through a medieval Catholic perspective. Dante is introduced to the idea that even though Hell was created to punish it was done for love and justice of mankind by God. God wanted humans to have freedom so he gave them free will. With this allowance comes responsibility and consequences.
      In the Vestibule of Hell, the gates of Hell display the inscription, “Sacred justice moved my architect; I was raised hereby divine omnipotence, Primordial love and ultimate Intellect.” (VII, 4-6) God saw sin being committed and had to do something. Those who where compelled to sin in life were also compelled to punish themselves because the two are linked together. The choice to do the sin is intertwined with the choice to accept responsibility and take the punishment. For every injustice, justice must be served. The sinners made the choice to sin so inadvertently they also made the choice. The punishments in hell coincide with the crime to create the ultimate form of justice.
      When Hell is brought to mind words such as evil, hate, and suffering comes to mind not love. I believe there is a misunderstanding that Satan created Hell but actually God formed hell in light of justice and love. On the contrary to common misbelief, Dante goes into hell actually in search of love, from Beatrice and God. In circle six Virgil explains how fraud prevents love, “All who rail at God and His commands in their hearts’ dark. Fraud, which is a canker to every conscience, may be practiced by a man on those who trust him, and on those who have resposed no confidence. The latter mode seems only to deny the bond of love which all men have from Nature.” (XI, 50-57) This suggests that God love for mankind is great and wants to create a relationship but fraud enables humans to be close to God. This proves that God loves but the materialistic world blurs mankind's vision from seeing that.
      Dante's Inferno was the first to open the eyes of many to many concepts. The idea that God created Hell not only to punish but to seek justice and love is hard to grasp, even for Dante in the book. God has a plan for all humans but not everyone can go to heaven yet he still loves everyone.