Dr. Mitchell said to day in class
that in Dante’s hell, the crime doesn’t necessarily fit the punishment, but
instead, the crime is the punishment. In Canto XXIV, Dante describes the
punishment of thieves. They are naked.
Their hands are bound by snakes, which constantly attack them. How is this
punishment the crime? I believe that snakes and thieves share many
characteristics. To be a thief, one must be very sneaky, deceitful, conniving,
and manipulative. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent shared all of these
qualities. I believe that its ironic that their hands are bound by the
embodiment of the qualities that got them to hell in the first place. The crime
is the punishment.
I commented on Jasmine’s Blog!
Well said! Think also, like the serpent of the garden who lost his limbs, the thieves lose their limbs (or their ability to use them) as a result of their sin, ironically bound by the serpent.
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