Literary Depictions of Hell

7/29/2019 Literary Depictions of Hell

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Literary depictions of hell

Rainier Ababao


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Hell

In many religious traditions, hell is a place of suffering

and punishment in the afterlife.

It is a concept that we cannot know about except

through direct experience, which, once obtained,

probably cannot be shared. This doesnt prevent us

from envisioning its form, though.

To what extent have older literary depictions of Hell

affected Juan Rulfos interpretation of Hell?


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The Divine Comedy

An epic poem by Dante Aligheri, written in three parts:

Inferno

Purgatorio

Paradiso


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Dantes Inferno

This is the first part of the Divine

Comedy. It is an allegory aboutDantes journey through what is

largely the medieval concept of

Hell, guided by the Roman poet

Virgil, who wroteAeneid, which

offers a similar interpretation of

hell.

Dantes Hell contains Circles,

which are ordinally categorized (the

First Circle, Second Circle, etc.) to

hold souls based upon their sins:they are specifically named Limbo

(for the unbaptized and nice but

non-Christian pagans), Lust,

Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy,

Violence, Fraud, and Treachery.


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Dantes Inferno

Each of the circles represent a

gradual increase in wickednessfrom the last, and they

culminate in Satans hold at the

center of the earth.

People who sinned but prayedfor forgiveness before their

deaths are not found in Hell but

in Purgatory, where they labor

in order to become free of their

sins.

Contrapasso


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Virgils Aeneid

A Latin epic poem written by

Virgil between 29 and 19 BC;the legendary story of Aeneas,

who became the ancestor of the

Romans.

10,000 lines in dactylichexameter.

Aeneas goes to the underworld

in Book 6.


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Virgils Aeneid Both VirgilsAeneidandDantes Inferno

propose that Hell has a certain logical

structure.

However, Virgils has a less

particularized structure, and their

notions of Limbo are different. Dante

placed virtuous non-Christian souls in

Limbo, whereas Virgil had no religious

prejudice at all.

Dantes Hell is definitely more

unforgiving; if they sin and never repent,

they are automatically doomed to Hell

for eternity. This demonstrates a large

amount of influence by the Christian

beliefs it represents.


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Virgils Aeneid Virgils society believed that no one

behaved perfectly throughout theirlives, i.e. nobody was without sin.

They simply had to pay dues. The

nature of these dues was not

important nor well described, but

the mere existence of suffering

made their hell an undesirableplace.


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Changes Dante borrowed ideas from Virgil,

even taking up the name as Dantesguide through Hell in his journey,

but these major, more Christianity-

specific differences reflect huge

cultural changes in Italy between

Augustus reign to Italys Middle

Ages.


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John Miltons Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost is an epic poem

written in rhyme-less iambicpentameter by John Milton,

published in 1667.

John Milton describes Hell as a

place of absolute darkness, fierce

heat, and hostile elements.

The nature of Hell as a place of

punishment as it was explored in

Dantes and Virgils works is not

explored, but is portrayed as anabode for the demons and the

prison from which they plot their

revenge upon Heaven by corrupting

the human race.

Pedro Paramo!


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Hell in Pedro Paramo Pedro Paramo examines the

physical and moral disintegrationof a laconic cacique (boss) and is

set on a mythical hell on earth

inhabited by the dead, who are

haunted by their past

transgressions.

Juan Rulfo certainly borrows

concepts from Dantes Inferno. He

writes, In the shimmering sunlight

the plain was a transparent lake

dissolving mists that yielded a grayhorizon. Farther in the distance, a

range of mountains. And farther

still, faint remoteness.


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But is Comala Hell? Comala probably represents some

kind of purgatory with souls thatare just wandering and asking for

forgiveness.

In this town, the citizens are

obsessed with prayer and want to be

in peace one day; this is why theyare devoted to the church.

Father Renteria?


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Mexican Catholicism

Bibiana Bogues


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MEXICAN CATHOLICISM

Was the most dominant religion in Mexicomost dominant religion in Mexicomost dominant religion in Mexicomost dominant religion in Mexico, and still

is today. 91919191% of the people followed the Catholic faith% of the people followed the Catholic faith% of the people followed the Catholic faith% of the people followed the Catholic faith

Mexico is the second largest country in regards tosecond largest country in regards tosecond largest country in regards tosecond largest country in regards to

number of Catholicsnumber of Catholicsnumber of Catholicsnumber of Catholics (Brazil is first) The church is seen as a second family,second family,second family,second family, the priest

is seen as your father, and the other people of the

church as your brothers and sisters. Idolizes saints, spirits, and ghostsIdolizes saints, spirits, and ghostsIdolizes saints, spirits, and ghostsIdolizes saints, spirits, and ghosts.


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QUICK HISTORY

The Mexican ConstitutionMexican ConstitutionMexican ConstitutionMexican Constitution of 1824 had required

the Republic to prohibit the exercise of anyprohibit the exercise of anyprohibit the exercise of anyprohibit the exercise of anyreligion other than the Roman Catholic.religion other than the Roman Catholic.religion other than the Roman Catholic.religion other than the Roman Catholic.

Benito Jurez:::: Following the revolution of 1860,

President Benito Jurez issued a decreeissued a decreeissued a decreeissued a decree

separating Church and stateseparating Church and stateseparating Church and stateseparating Church and state (which had never

been done in Mexican history).


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GHOSTS ~ MEXICAN CATHOLICISM

Mexican Catholicism stresses the human

characteristics within the dead, spirits, and ghosts.They are not seen with a negative connotation butrather with another mind with feelings andanother mind with feelings andanother mind with feelings andanother mind with feelings andthoughts just as someone alive.thoughts just as someone alive.thoughts just as someone alive.thoughts just as someone alive.

This is shown in Pedro Paramo because it isdifficult to truly know who is dead and who is alivein Comala because they dont have a distinctdifferentiating factor. They are seen as parallelThey are seen as parallelThey are seen as parallelThey are seen as parallelparts with equal importanceparts with equal importanceparts with equal importanceparts with equal importance.


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MEXICAN CATHOLICISM DURING THE MEXICAN

REVOLUTION

-FromFromFromFrom 1876187618761876----1911191119111911 relations between the Romanrelations between the Romanrelations between the Romanrelations between the RomanCatholic Church and the Mexican government wereCatholic Church and the Mexican government wereCatholic Church and the Mexican government wereCatholic Church and the Mexican government weresteadysteadysteadysteady. Daz had a devoted interest in keepinggood relations with the Churchgood relations with the Churchgood relations with the Churchgood relations with the Church because hebelieved it would aid him in his plans and make his

goals easier to attain.- Diaz, however, did not completely support the

church. Many Roman Catholic clergy, includingMiguel Pro, were executed during the antiexecuted during the antiexecuted during the antiexecuted during the anti----clericalclericalclericalclericalCristero WarCristero WarCristero WarCristero War during the later part of theRevolution.


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CRISTERO WAR

Particularly offensive to Catholics was Calles'sinsistence on a complete state control on educationcomplete state control on educationcomplete state control on educationcomplete state control on education,

suppressing all Catholic education and introducingsecular education in its place.

The effects of the war on the Church were deep.The effects of the war on the Church were deep.The effects of the war on the Church were deep.The effects of the war on the Church were deep.BetweenBetweenBetweenBetween 1926192619261926 andandandand 1934193419341934 at leastat leastat leastat least 40404040 priests were killed.priests were killed.priests were killed.priests were killed.There were 4,500 priests serving the people before therebellion, but by 1934 there were only 334 priestslicensed by the government to serve fifteen millionpeople. The rest had been eliminated by emigration,expulsion and assassination. By 1935, 17 states had nopriest at all. Catholicism and church had hit a hugeCatholicism and church had hit a hugeCatholicism and church had hit a hugeCatholicism and church had hit a hugedownfall.downfall.downfall.downfall.


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By: Mia Mills


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Born May 16, 1918 in the town of Sayula, Mexico

Died in 1986 of lung cancer

Their family consisted of wealthy landowners buttheir money was lost after the MexicanRevolution/Cristero War

Grandparents raised him after all the deaths of thefamily members (Father, Mother and Uncles)

Growing up with his grandparents, he was grantedaccess to the library of a priest who kept books intheir house

Rulfo recalls this as being a fundamental in hisliterary creation and development.


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Rulfo held various different types of jobs

during his lifetime These include different writing, agency, culture

and art-related jobs

His artwork (photography) is located in thePalacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City

His literary creations are short, only publishing

two works: The Burning Plain ( El llano enllamas) and Pedro Paramo


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The aftermath of the Mexican Revolution

greatly affected Rulfos childhood His father was killed after the revolution and

his mother died of a heart attack- thus, leavingRulfo an orphan

His two uncles were murdered along with hisfather due to troubles during the Revolutionand Rebellion

Many of these family deaths created a lastingeffect on Rulfo and his writings (the prevalenceof death in nearly all of his works)


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The Cristero War (1926-29) also plays a

significant role in Rulfos childhood It was a struggle between the government and

Catholic militias over the restricted rights of

the churches The War caused widespread destruction

during the late 1920s


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Rulfos hometown, San Gabriel, had been a thrivingtown until the revolution turned the town upside down-made the town poor and deserted

Rulfo depicted the ghost towns in Pedro Paramo asSan Gabriel after the Revolution by being represented asa place where promised reforms were never carried out

Meaning that Rulfo replaced San Gabriel with Comalabecause comal means an earthenware utensil that isplaced over the embers for the purpose of heating thetortillas--and the heat that prevails in that town was

what gave me the idea of the name Comala ,the place over embers, depicts the fiery

nature of Pedro Paramo

The town depicts rural Mexico and its people


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Jalisco was the state where he was born andtranslates to sandy plain-- this type of setting is

where nearly all of his writings take place Rulfo states that he choose the setting of a ghost

town because he had taken a trip to San Gabrielwhere instead of finding the idealized town he had

in his memories from his childhood he had literaryseen a ghost town

By using this in Pedro Paramo, he wanted to tryand bring back the town to life

The use of death and violence in Rulfos writings isdue to his own experience of violence during therevolution


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The Generation of 1952 included Rulfo and

his works by classifying them as the timeperiod of literary boom in Latin America

His literary works played an important role in

gaining worldwide recognition (along withother authors during the time period)

This also created more opportunities for

prominent novelists to become widely known


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http://www.gradesaver.com/author/juan-

rulfo/ http://mostlyfiction.com/latin/rulfo.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Rulfo

http://legacy.lclark.edu/~woodrich/SPAN230/seligmanparamo.html

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