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character (who is also the narrator) that travels through hell, sin specific torments, and
inhabitants that are socially significant for the time in which the book was written. The two
novels are most clearly divided by the situation of the narrator and the organization of hell.
Hatcher is one of the damned in Hell, where as in Inferno Dante is an outside observer. Both
have a specific function that results in the reader being shown the nature of hell; Dante must
travel through hell and Hatcher is Satan’s anchorman for the daily news. Butler’s Hell is chaotic
and confusing. In it most of the damned are free to travel about (there is one great city in which
they can do so, but typically they do not go far because it is difficult and dangerous to do so), and
are seemingly randomly tortured for each of their many sins. Inferno, on the other hand, is
highly organized; in it Dante has strictly confined each sinner to their specific circled based on
Dante gives the reader a significant amount of intellectual material to consider. Butler,
though, is much better at engaging the reader on an emotional level than Dante. Butler begins
his book by making the reader laugh, and weaves a narrative in which the reader connects to the
main character, Hatcher. In Hell the souls are tormented psychologically and physically and part
of how this is conveyed is through Butler’s manipulation of the reader. In Inferno the damned are
primarily subjected to physical torments, and the reader not given much opportunity to pity them.
Dante’s logical layout and constant assessment of the situation of the damned keep the reader
apart from him. The reader may be disgusted, or filled with righteous indignation, but they do
not find themselves sympathetic to or concerned for Dante or the damned. The torture of the
damned is just and reasonable. Dante dehumanizes them by rationalizing their situation. There is
no question in Inferno of whether the damned are being justly punished. Dante’s souls, although
in pain at least have a reason for their torture and can find comfort in the justice of their
punishment. Butler’s souls have no solace, they are not given reasons and there is no clear
Although Dante is disturbed by what he sees, hears, and smells in hell, he has the
constant assurance that he will not be subjected to any of the torments and from his first step into
hell he is on his way out. You don’t feel bad for Dante, and you don’t cheer him on. Reading the
Inferno is a bit like being on a Disney boat ride (i.e. “It’s a Small World” or “Pirates of the
Caribbean”) you are just watching. Hatcher, as one of the damned, has no consolation. He begins
to believe though there is a way out of hell, and that he will be smart enough to get out. Butler
uses Hatcher’s first words of the book to engage the reader. “Good evening, good evening, good
evening, good evening, poopy butt, poopy butt, poopy butt”3. And you laugh at him, not with
him, not because he’s funny, but because humans laugh at each others humiliation. As the news
cast wears on it gets worse for him, you move from laughing to feeling bad as you realize how
miserable he actually is. Then when you start to loose any hope for him, you are introduced to
“Now!”
says, “But first these messages,” and he waits and he watches his
3 Butler 1
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Anne Nies / English 113 / Final Paper: Hell vs. Inferno / December 10, 2009
own face waiting and waiting on the screens, going out like this
the pain of Beelzebub’s shouting in his ear, he has come to wait out
this inevitable delay of the cutaway with his lips set in a thin,
knowing smile, his eyes steady. I’m learning, Hatcher thinks. I can
hopes.4
At this point the reader is on Hatcher’s side, mostly because of the guilt they feel over
having laughed at him two pages ago. Now that the reader is invested, Butler is able to leave his
impression of hell etched into those who read it. Traveling with Dante the reader is not
encouraged to empathize with him. Instead, the purpose of his writing is clearly to show the
reader Dante’s version of hell. Throughout the book although he is on a journey, he does not
face any obstacles that are difficult to overcome nor does he seem to develop significantly as a
character. The reader is given no genuine reason to care about or even to like Dante.
For Butler, hell clearly is a combination of lack of knowledge and false knowledge. The
lines between reality and fantasy blur throughout the novel, but it not clearly expressed to the
reader until the end. In “Inferno” hell is clearly organized according to the primary sins. The
sins are clearly defined and timeless; the punishments are specific and clearly linked to each sin.
There is no question over what is reality for the damned and what is not. It’s very easy when
reading Inferno to remain emotionally distant; to have the horror of hell wash over you and leave
you just as quickly as walking out of a horror house. Butler does not let the reader off so easily,
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Anne Nies / English 113 / Final Paper: Hell vs. Inferno / December 10, 2009
the meaning of hell is not given to the reader or to the damned as quickly as Dante gives it. He
leaves the reader to consider hell itself, rather than the beauty of his prose. By making the time,
place, and reason of the physical torments unpredictable Butler places his souls in the constant
Throughout Hell the damned fight to be free and are punished for their struggles, but
always the false hope of escape returns. Whereas Dante’s souls are resigned to their punishment
and do not struggle against it. The torment of this false hope for escape is poignant in Hatcher’s
conversation with Judas before, the explosion of the spaceship (full of those hoping to finally
hooked loosely over the ears. And inside the overlarge robe is a
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Anne Nies / English 113 / Final Paper: Hell vs. Inferno / December 10, 2009
The fake Jesus is able to lead the damned onto the spaceship, but not Hatcher he’s too
smart for that he can see through the deceptions of hell to the truth. The reader cheers him on and
just like Hatcher does not consider that although Hatcher can see through the deception of the
fake Jesus, he did actually believe Judas. After the spaceship takes off and explodes the
situation of the damed is more fully revealed as Hatcher and Judas part.
But before Hatcher can find those words, Judas finishes the
The torment is in not just having hope and loosing it again, but also that the same
situation plays out over and over. Knowing that although there is no point, there will be hope
again. Hatcher doesn’t give up on the idea of getting out, even in the face of this clear display of
the futility of escape. Rather he is encouraged, because he can see what so many others can not.
One of Hatchers goals that he does succeed in is to interview Satan, and he seems to
believe that in doing so he will find a way out. This makes sense if you consider the Inferno, in
it Dante has put Satan at the center and lowest point of hell, where he is tormented and trapped in
place, and more importantly he is held in the doorway out of hell. Dante and Virgil climb over
5 Butler 208
6 Butler 210
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Anne Nies / English 113 / Final Paper: Hell vs. Inferno / December 10, 2009
In Inferno even Satan is clearly miserable and in torment. It can not be questioned for a
minute. Butler makes Satan very different, but still puts him on the apparent border of hell.
Butler’s Satan is more like a man bordering on the edge of insanity or an exiled prince than a
broken angel.
He puts his face to the glass and tires to look back to the city.9
even from where Hatcher sits, a hundred yards away, the lodge is
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Anne Nies / English 113 / Final Paper: Hell vs. Inferno / December 10, 2009
so massive as to utterly fill his sight, the rough wood trunks of its
Joe (Stalin) and Adolf (Hitler) tote Hatcher across the drive
and up the steps and through the front door, and striding toward
fleece earflaps. 11
Butler’s Satan is not the way out. He appears to be busy tormenting a chosen few, so
there is some hope for Hatcher that he can move about without being noticed. This idea is
further supported when Hatcher interviews Satan and comes to the conclusion that Satan can not
hear his thoughts. It’s interesting at this point, because while Hatcher is trying to find a way out,
he is instead solidifying the justice of his being in hell, by shooting people at Satan’s command.
It is a sharp contrast to Dante’s Inferno, where Satan is not free to devise new punishments or to
interact with the damned. There are demons to do that work. Certainly it is more disturbing to
have Satan wandering about hell, coming up with new tortures, than it is to have him safely
In Hell Satan has set up a broadcasting network and one of the primary features of it is a
special “Why do you think you’re here?” The habitants of hell are encouraged to reflect on their
previous sins and to ponder the reason(s) for their torment. In Inferno Minos judges each soul as
it arrives and places them in their respective circle. The idea that you don’t know why you’re in
10 Butler 57
11 Butler 59
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Anne Nies / English 113 / Final Paper: Hell vs. Inferno / December 10, 2009
hell, not specifically at least leads to an internal and personal torment. Was it that or this, why
did I do it, was it worth it? Always reflecting and questioning yourself. Butler uses the sins to
torment the damned, they do not know the present or future only the past. Hatcher is a normal
person, they all seem like normal people. Dante does just the opposite. His damned are villains
and can not know the past or present but only the future. It’s much easier to pity Hatcher, than it
is to pity Dante. Although both are in hell, and neither are enjoying it. Dante clearly justifies
why he must make this horrible journey, but Hatcher like all of the other damned has no clear
reason why he is in hell. He just doesn’t seem that bad, even being a reporter.
On every point Hell is set to cause both emotional and physical pain to those
contained within and everyone is there. But you can’t leave the novel behind without wondering,
is everyone really there? How much of that torment was specific to Hatcher and how much was
actually hell? This difficulty in drawing the line is part of what makes “Hell” such an effective
portrayal. Certainty gives comfort, but uncertainty is in its self a form of torture. Dante provides
great physical torment to those in Inferno but they are not the same group of desperate denizens
as in “Hell”. Butler has a much more personal hell than Dante. Although Dante adjusts the level
of torment based on the severity of the sin, he does not allow for multiple sins to be punished at
the same time. Butler’s hell on the other hand is a free for all. It’s that very nature which allows
the reader to hope for Hatcher; despite the futility of that hope. Without the emotional
investment of the reader hell can be portrayed with eloquence and cold intellectual power, but it
looses some of it’s potency if the reader is not also moved by what they have read.