Similarities Between A Christmas Carol And Inferno

How can a glimpse at the afterlife influence one’s present self? What would this glimpse at the afterlife reveal? To some, the concept of an afterlife leads them to act in a way that their beliefs align with. In Abrahamic religions, people act in ways to avoid eternal punishment in hell. A glimpse into the future might impact one more than a retrospection. The book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and the epic poem Inferno from The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri explore the afterlife and its influence in different ways through their protagonists, the people they encounter, and the effects the afterlife has on the protagonist.
The protagonist in both novels presents a need to change, unbeknownst to them. In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens writes the character Scrooge

as the protagonist. As a greedy miser, Scrooge goes openly rejects charitable donations with a defense that the homeless can live in prisons. His bitterness takes his Christmas spirit away from him. In Inferno, Dante writes himself as the protagonist. This allows Dante to directly relate himself to the historical and mythological characters he encounters in his journey. Dante’s choice makes his situation seem more personal, allowing a reader to put himself in Dante’s shoes and feel the fears he faces in Hell, whereas Dickens presents Scrooge as an unlikeable character that deserves to learn a harsh lesson. Neither protagonist knows they need to change. Scrooge needs to change by developing generosity, as evidenced by the spirits that visit him to show what his greed causes and will cause. By changing, he can avoid carrying the burdensome weight of the chains he forged throughout his life for eternity, as his old business partner Jacob Marley does. Dante, though he does not belong in hell, must learn to reject all sin and not sympathize with the sinners he encounters in hell. Virgil treating sinners harshly and reprimanding Dante when he shows sympathy for sinners evidences this needed abhorrence of sin. Both protagonists present a flaw that afterlife entities seeks to correct.
The people encountered in A Christmas Carol and Inferno differ.

In Dickens’s tale, Scrooge does not interact with any characters during the “afterlife” portion of the story except the spirits that guide him through the past, present, and future. He interacts with human characters, including the families he impacts and those from his past, only to exemplify his selfishness and avarice in the beginning of the story and to exemplify his change after encountering the afterlife. Scrooge becomes submissive to the spirits, begging them to take him back when he cannot bear his memories and the events he sees. As a writer, Dante uses the characters in Inferno to represent events taking place in his time and criticize authoritative figures. He offers his opinions on past figures and idealizes ancient poets. As a character, Dante can interact with all the characters in the story. Dante steps on some spirits to show dominance, but also shows submissiveness when he shows fear when confronted by others. The two characters act similarly by asking questions to their guiding spirits to learn. Otherwise, the characters Scrooge and Dante interact with other characters in their novel

differently.
The afterlife affects Scrooge and Dante differently. After his experience with the afterlife, Scrooge abandons his old ways, becomes charitable, and acts benevolent. He purchases food for the families around him and celebrates Christmas with his renewed Christmas spirit. Dante learns to abhor sin after witnessing every circle of Hell himself, even seeing Lucifer. He knows the punishments for sinners and all the horrors of Hell. His journey continues and he will encounter Purgatory. Both characters achieve the change and corrected a flaw a spirit saw in them by the end of their story. Their afterlives will not be burdensome after they saw it themselves.
How can a glimpse at the afterlife influence one’s present self? What would this glimpse at the afterlife reveal? A glimpse into the afterlife, according to the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and the epic poem Inferno from The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, changes one greatly. The glimpse reveals a future that one can accept or change to avoid. Both characters, though their stories play out differently, change in hopes to alter their afterlife. The stories explored these themes in a way that any person could place themselves as the character and hope to alter their perceived afterlife.