Dante Alighieri Inferno Redemption And Redemption

Throughout the literary world there are very few books as renowned as Homer’s Odyssey, Dante 's Alighieri Divine Comedy, and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. These works are from evidently different time periods; however all tell the same story of an epic spiritual and physical journey to find oneself in their respective times through atonement. This spiritual and physical redemption comes through their interactions with their respective cultural and religious customs. In all three epics each respective protagonist has ended up exiled and helped by a spiritual figure in some fashion. In Dante Alighieri Inferno, Dante, the protagonist, has gotten himself lost in the woods and upon him escaping the woods he is encountered by three beasts which

Upon completing this challenge Odysseus slays the suitors who were vying for his wife 's hand in marriage and his estate. This was his spiritual atonement for what he has gone through. As aforementioned, Okonkwo led a failed one man rebellion to overthrow the Christian missionaries. This was atonement for his earth goddess, and his former and current clansmen. The reason why this is atonement for the earth goddess is due to him trying to preserve the tradition of mother earth in Africa. This is atonement for his former and current clansmen for displeasing the earth goddess and breaking his former clan’s law. This redemption is also for him because of the decisions he once made concerning the accidental shooting death of the elder 's son, and for abandoning his slave son

According to dictionary.com sin is defined as “any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.” In each literary work, each of the protagonists committed a sin or injustice, whether to a god(s) or to society. As mentioned above Okonkwo committed a sin to the earth goddess of the Igbo by murdering the elder clansman. Odysseus committed sin to the Greek God Poseidon by stabbing Poseidon 's Cyclops son in the eye, causing Poseidon to destroy Odysseus’ ship. Dante committed sin upon his respective society by going against the Catholic Church and public opinion forcing him to become an exile. However, being exiled through religious and societal beliefs led these protagonists along a spiritual journey in which each achieved spiritual enlightenment from. According to bibliotecapleyades.net, religion is defined as:

“Religion is an institution established by man for various reasons. Exert control; instill morality, stroke egos, or whatever it does. Organized, structured religions all but remove god from the equation. You confess your sins to a clergy member, go to elaborate churches to worship, and told what to pray and when to pray it. All those factors remove you from god.”