Just because I'm losing ... may mean I'm lost.

"Nessus had not yet reached the other side

When we moved forward into woods unmarked

By any path. ..."

Canto XIII. lines 1-2

"Thickets that are as rough or dense as this."

line 8

The pilgrim begins the journey in the woods, lost. Dante reintroduces this woodsy image, of dark forests and thick, dim woods. The woods can be terrifying – everything looks the same, it's dark, it's easy to lose your sense of direction. This image is a good representation/symbol of Dante's feeling of loss, confusion. When the pilgrim finds himself in the woods, it's a negative thing. The woods are dark, sinister and feared. ...just like dark in general is equated with evil/horror. There's no path in the woods in Canto XIII – this is symbolic of Dante's feeling of abandonment, almost? I dunno if that's the right word. The whole idea of the pilgrim's feelings is exemplified by the idea of woods, the image of a dark forest. He's lost.

"... O vengeance of God, how much

Should you be feared by all of those who read

What my eyes saw! ..."

Canto XIV. lines 13-15

From what Dante has described, I get the impression that God is wrathful, vengeful. It seems unfair that the punishments are so black and white (like what we talked about in class), and that circumstances aren't taken into consideration when punishment is doled out. On that quiz we took, I said that morals aren't relative, and that each should be held to the same standards. I'm reconsidering that. I guess the game of Life (copyright Milton Bradley) is, in theory, pretty easy to play...as long as you act morally, follow the rules, BAM! you're in purgatory, on your way. But then there're the poor kids who just weren't baptized, or the folks that lived beforehand. What about them? I think that this intense wrath from God, and the intense punishments Dante describes, reflect the tenor of the church at that time...by emphasizing the horrors of hell, the church could get the people to pretty much do what they wanted (i.e. pay me and you can get rid of a sin...indulgences). This dramatic rendering of hell that was probably sold by the church to the masses is telling of the times (power struggle; control struggle). If the people feared the church, it's all the better for the people working within the church.