Sinners or Survivors An Interpretation of Deliverance...

The characters of Lewis, Ed, and the hillbilly rapists can be examined in terms of the circles of Hell found in Robert Pinskys translation of The Inferno of Dante. Each circle of Hell is reserved for a particular type of sinner with very specific punishments. When the characters from James Dickeys Deliverance are viewed from the perspective of Dantes nine circles of Hell, their actions seem to be much more sinister then when they are taken in the context of Dickeys novel alone. What could be viewed as justifiable homicide in Dickeys world suddenly places Lewis and Ed in the pits of Hell, right alongside the rapist, murdering hillbillies. Lewis is one of the most complex characters in Dickeys novel. It is difficult to†¦show more content†¦Because he shot the first rapist hillbilly with the bow and arrow he could also find himself in the first round of Circle 7 in Hell. This is where the sinners who are violent against their neighbors are kept. They are forced to live submerged in a river of boiling blood, with centaurs guarding the river. The centaurs shoot arrows at the sinners when they try to emerge from the river to make sure they stay at the prescribed depth for their sin. Now with a trusty escort, we made our way Along the boiling crimson-those boiled inside Shrieking beside us. On some it came so high It covered their eyebrows. The mighty centaur said, `These are the tyrants given to blood and plunder. Here they lament the merciless harm they did:` (Dante 12.94-99) It seems ironic that if Lewis were to end up in this circle that it would be arrows shot at him in order to keep him submerged in the river, when it was an arrow that he used to take the life of the rapist hillbilly on the river. Ed could likely find himself in a couple of different places in Hell according to Dantes interpretation. He was a murderer who could end up in Circle 7, Round 1 with