A Gate of Hope

In Canto IX, Virgil wakes up Dante the Pilgrim, where they find themselves in front of the gates of purgatory. One of the first people they meet upon the gate is Lucia and she says to them, "Come, let me take this man who lies asleep: I wish to speed him up on his journey." Now, lets compare this approach to the gate of hell. They are two totally different atmospheres, as we already know with hell that immediately as they walked up there was a huge amount of fear. Dante was afraid looking into hell and reading the sign above the gate frightened. But with purgatory, it seems to be a very different approach. Just based off of Lucia's words, you can tell it is a much better place. It has hope for all, as you can tell from Lucia's words when she talks about beginning the journey up. When comparing this to hell, there is not a single ounce of hope. All who are down there remain down there for eternity. It is very interesting how both of these gates have immediate symbolism when these characters approach these gates. Their reactions and emotions show what each gate means. Hell representing eternal punishment for man, and purgatory showing hope. Even though one must climb up and do their time in purgatory, it is a hopeful suffering for man and his achievement for salvation.