Symbolism in the Punishment of Sin in Dante's InfernoInferno, the first part of the Divine Comedy, or Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, is the story of the journey through Hell and the observance of the punishments suffered following the commission of sin. In all cases the severity of the punishment, and the punishment itself, have a direct correlation with the sin committed. Punishments are appropriate because they symbolize real sin; in other words: "They got what they wanted." (Literature of the Western World, p.1409) According to Dante, Hell has two divisions: the Upper Hell, dedicated to those who have perpetrated sins of incontinence, and the Lower Hell, dedicated to those who have perpetrated sins of malice. The divisions of Hell are also divided into levels corresponding to sin. Each of the levels and the divisions within levels 7,8 and 9 have an analogous historical or mythological figure used to illustrate and exemplify sin. The first of the two divisions of Hell is the Upper Hell. The Upper Hell is the area inhabited by those who commit sins of incontinence or lack of self-control. This lack of self-control could manifest itself in the form of anything from sex to mood. Before delving into the sins of incontinence, we must first examine the first inconsistency of Hell. This inconsistency is found in the Vestibule of Hell. The Vestibule of Hell contains the trimmers and neutrals. Although almost all other sins mentioned in Hell are ethical and universal in nature, those mentioned here are sins only from the Christian point of view. These neutrals are the people who have not shown partisanship or taken sides. Lines 37-39 and 46-50 read: They are united with that choir... in the center of the sheet... ion. Dante cites now historical and mythological figures to exemplify sins and to allow a better understanding of sin even for the most inept of readers. This work ranks alongside the Bible as one of the greatest religious-literary masterpieces of all time. Works Cited Literature of the Western World, Volume 2. 4th Edition by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1997. Works consulted Niven, Larry and Pournelle, Jerry. Hell. New York: Pocket Books, 1976.MacAllister, Archibald T. Introduction. Hell. By Dante. New York: Mentor, 1954.Pinsky, Robert. Dante's Inferno. New York: Harper Collins, 1994. Shippey, T. A. "To Hell and Out Again." Times Literary Supplement, 8 July 1977, .820.Spinrad, Norman. Introduction to Inferno, by Niven and Pournelle. Boston: Gregg Press, 1979.