According to the Dictionary, an allegory is “the use of symbols in a story, picture, to convey a hidden or ulterior meaning, typically a moral or political one” Within the Inferno each Canto is functioning as an allegory by reflecting an aspect from Alighieri’s life through the sins and sinners in each Canto. Alighieri’s banishment was his journey through hell, this is reflected throughout The Inferno. Allegory is one of the most present literary devices found within The Inferno, The author, or Alighieri, use Allegory to explain not only his own political beliefs, ideologies, but also his past experiences that led to his exile and redemption in the eyes of God. If the reader explores even deeper into the text they can see that Alighieri is …show more content…
Within canto one Dante the pilgrim wakes up lost before he even meets virgil or has any clue as to his future travels, all he knows is that he is lost and afraid. Dante the pilgrim states, “Woke to find myself alone in a dark wood.” (Alighieri 28) The dark wood in which Dante wakes up in, is an allegory for how far both Dante and Alighieri have strayed from the light, and how they must both now travel through darkness to find redemption. While Dante must suffer through Hell, Purgatory, and Eventually paradise to reach the light, which is allegorically representing God and his wisdom. For Alighieri however he must travel through banishment from his home and suffer through the destruction of his name and legacy until he is to find the light, which is once again allegorically representing God. Alighieri uses allegory this early in the book to explain to the reader that his life is a living hell, but he must travel through this darkness to reach the light as all good people must. Throughout the rest of The Inferno he continues to use allegory to describe hell and people of special interest to