Reason for the journey

[ginayang]

Dante all of a sudden one day gets lost in the woods and journeys through hell and will eventually reach heaven. Why do you think this happens?

I think Dante missed his love, Beatrice, who was already dead. Thus, he wanted to go to heaven and be reunited with her again.

[juliekim]

I think he just committed some kind of sin that sent him into a deeper spiral of sins. He committed those sins, but as a Christian he knows that he can receive redemption through Christ's blood. So even though he committed all those terrible acts, he knows that in the end, if he repents God will take him back.

[sang]

I think that perhaps Dante had a special case. Maybe what Julie said is correct, or that he did indeed missed his love, Beatrice. However, it is clear that he had a special case since it's either that you are categorized into purgatory, hell, or heaven. Yet, he got to go through the different stages and experiences them, and most luckily, got to end up in Heaven, the most desirable place out of those three supposedly. So, as of right now, I think that we don't know for sure, but that he is indeed a different "sinner" from others.

[cesar]

Going along the lines of what Julie said. I think Dante went through some kind of crisis. “Midway through the journey of our life, I found myself within a dark wood, for the right way had been lost.”, What I take from this is that Dante is going through some kind of episode after completely losing his true path. After experiencing this episode he ends up in a forest and his journey begins.

[sojounggg]

as he said to the man who takes you down to hell

it is what he is showed up to the world for.

that is what i think

there will be a reason for him going to hell when he is alive

[edward08]

i think going through hell is trying to tell him to go through hard times and getting what he wants, the reason why he would want to go through the prcedure

[joannekim]

It is later mentioned that it was God's will...I also think the Dante committed many sins even though he was not like that before. He actually says that he got strayed from the right path. I think loving Beatrice was one of his sins, classified as lust. Perhaps God wanted Dante to experience all nine levels of hell so that he would stop committing sins. Since he is also a good writer, Dante could also write about horror of the hell so that people would read it and refrain themselves from committing sins.

[juliekim]

I think he was starting to seriously think about his faith. He saw that his sins were offenses to God, and he wanted to tell others that even though he stumbled and committed many sins, he came back to the right path and asked God for redemption. In a way, he was trying to encourage his fellow Christians.

[ginayang]

Most of you guys are saying that Dante's sins were the reasons for his journey through hell. So do you guys think the author, not the character in the story, went to heaven? Dante, the author, loved Beatrice, even after he got married to Gemma. Thus, he performed a very lustful act. I think Dante may have gone to heaven if he realized his sin and repented.

[rebeccahan0613]

I think Dante committed sins (like everyone does no matter how 'good' a person can be) and ended up in hell. But I think he wans't very sinful(?) because he mentioned that he was on the right path and he somehow tumbled into the wrong path. Also, he wasn't even dead when he reached hell so he got to like travel through hell, pergatory and heaven eventually so I guess this is saying that he has been forgiven? and like sincerely repented his sins and asked for forgiveness to god.

[sujeonggg]

I don't understand why did Dante end up in hell too. But according to many of you guys' answers, I agree that Dante might possibly committed some kinda sins that would caused him to travel hell, not heaven. If he have been always faithful and committed all the "good" deeds, then he might have ended up in heaven.

[seongrae]

Dante committed few sins, as many normal people do, but I think he ended up going to hell in somehow accidently because he was alive and found the way to hell. He also said that he was on the right way and maybe there is another way in the middle of right way that leads to hell. Anyways, the reason why he ended up going to heaven was that he did not committed huge crime and god forgiven him to go to heaven.

[RegXD]

why journey to hell?... why not journey to heaven. maybe heaven is all the wonders such as houses, the sun, maybe it also looks like our society today. But the reason why dante choose to visit hell is a mystery because hell is where all the evil and bad stuff goes there. Or maybe he feels like he belongs there so he went in search for it by starting in the forest than he got lost and everything came true for him. So fantasy like story.

[cathysjun]

I also agree with you Gina. I also think that Dante loved Beatrice so much he was curious where she was. I think he wanted to see Beatrice once more.

[jessicak016]

Maybe Dante wanted to see Beatrice again. But I think that Dante really wanted to see how hell, heaven and purgatory was like. And I don't really think that Dante was entering the hell because he had to receive punishment because he was still seen as a living soul in the hell. Rather I thought that God chose him to see and observe the hell, heaven and purgatory and write it down. But that's just my assumption. I do not know what the author, Dante, was thinking when he wrote this.