Dante and his guide, Virgil, enter the the fourth ring of Hell, and are confronted by Plutus, the god of wealth. This region of hell is reserved for those guilty being greedy throughout their lives. Because they possessed this negative trait, they were condemned to mindlessly roll these “enormous weights”– think large boulders—and slam into each other. Interestingly, Dante’s guide notes that many of those condemned to this circle of hell were throngs of former clergymen, “in whom avarice is most likely to prevail”. Like in the other circles of Hell, the punishment is both symbolic and didactic:
It was squandering and hoarding that have robbed them
of the lovely world, and got them in this brawl…
You see, my son, the short-lived mockery
of all the wealth that is in Fortune’s keep,
over which the human race is bickering;
for all the gold that is or ever was
beneath the moon won’t buy a moment’s rest
for even one among these weary souls. (Canto VII 58-66)
Virgil here is teaching a lesson for the generations; namely, that if one leads a greedy lifestyle, he or she is condemned to continue this belligerence for all of eternity, only in hell, the wealth that they are fighting over (and with) are these large boulders. Not only does the incessant pursuit of money and power leaves an individual without rest or satisfaction on earth, but even if one amassed “all the gold that is or ever was”, he will never find a moment’s rest from the eternal divine retribution.
It is interesting to consider this passage through an American, capitalist, 21st century lens, it is difficult to believe the punishment fit the crime. Sure, our society condemns those who are fraudulent or thieves, but greed alone–especially in the absence of any legal wrongdoing–has become a tacitly accepted virtue in our culture. America loves rags-to-riches stories. Our economic principles are based on the understanding that people work towards having more money and power. It is understood as a basic human principle to be greedy. Our anointed role models may be benevolent and philanthropic billionaires such as Buffet or Gates, but it is undeniable that a preponderance of their attraction lies in their ability to amass a dizzying proportion of Fortune’s keep. Indeed, Gordon Gekko, though himself a charlatan, wasn’t incorrect when he said, “Greed is good.” At the very least, we do not live in a society that dictates the opposite. Therefore, though the punishment does fit the crime in a symbolically, it surely does not fit the crime in a morally.
I really like how this passage describes wealth as “short-lived mockery,” and I think you did a really great job of expressing that very idea in your post. Both the passage and your post capture the idea of money and material possessions as fleeting (the “you can’t take all that with you to the grave” sentiment), but it’s interesting because, in a way, these souls took their possessions with them to Hell–only they ended up with a different kind of baggage, the large boulders. Rather than losing their wealth, they gained a sort of burden in replacement of their wealth. I also like how the passage uses words like “bickering” and “squandering,” which have a bit of a mocking and derisive connotation and match how I picture this circle of Hell in my head–it’s almost comical.