Dante 1-6 Question 1

Dante sets up the journey by finding himself in a dark forest, not knowing how he got there. I can see this whole story as Dante being lost, trying to find his way around and finding out some answers in the meantime. All he wanted to do was climb over the hill, but he had to pass through some obstacles along the way. He discovers new explanations to stuff that he never even thought about before. I can see Dante not remembering how he got to his destinations in the rest of this story. He probably would not want to remember how he got there, because it is a shocking experience for him. I know that he has a guide, but without Virgil, he would have been lost and not been able to find his way. His journey is to climb the hill, but pass through the place of eternal punishment and a place of lesser punishment, to reach God’s city. Dante probably had no idea what he was getting into during all this. The pilgrim’s state of mind at this time is he didn’t care much; he just wanted to get to his destination without being attacked by the beasts in the beginning. But through his journey, Dante realized what it was to suffer. He probably never thought it before like that, but now he has a better understanding of what it really means to be in another world suffering. Dante feels the soul’s pains, and has pity for them. He probably never thought before how much these people suffered, and now he feels pity for them. He never cared much before, and now through this journey, it is like he is becoming a new person.