Paralysis: Static Narratives and Circularity in Inferno and Trap Lines

Paralysis: Circular Narratives and Stasis in Inferno and Trap Lines




Circular narratives are juxtaposed to traditionally linear narratives with beginnings and endpoints that allow readers to track the progression of a character development (Lecuyer 36). Narrative structures in Dante's Inferno and Thomas King's "Trap Lines" are constructed through an allegory of paralysis. Paralysis in the context of these works is defined by the absence of physical movement and effective introspection. Certain characters exhibit an excess of movement but their insistent sense of motion translates to inaction due to the storyline's circular structure. These characters are often provided with the opportunity to reflect upon their decisions in order to amend their mistakes, but their focus is distorted by fears and moral blindness. These paradoxes of action and inaction, vision and darkness, are enforced by the circularity found in these texts, and they underscore the paralysis that is responsible for hindering character growth.
The circular construction of Hell introduces the idea of paralysis in Dante's Inferno. The inscription above the gateway to Hell, "BEFORE ME NOTHING BUT ETERNAL THINGS/ WERE MADE, AND I ENDURE ETERNALLY" (Dante III.7-8) is a fitting description for this landscape. The emphasis on Hell's eternal nature, combined with its spherical structure, implies that escape from it is intrinsically impossible. Dante's inferno is funnel-shaped; each consecutive level is characterized by a reduction in diameter. This decrease in size corresponds to the theme of paralysis as it signifies constraint and immobility.
The claustrophobic and petrifying geography of the inferno mirrors the actions and sins of its inhabitants. The lack of repentance following the inhabitants' crimes is the reason for their eternal damnation. Their suffering is composed of repetitive movements and physical confinement that represent an externalization of their sins. The perversion of sin into punishment is Dante's Contrapasso technique. The environment of the tormented lovers in the second circle, Francesca and Paolo, illustrates an example of Contrapasso: "The hellish hurricane, which never rests,/ drives on the spirits with its violence:/ wheeling and pounding, it harasses them" (Dante V.31-33). The lovers suffer this destiny as a consequence of their unabated lust. The storm that assaults them is metaphorical for the violent passion that consumed them in their earthly lives. This eternal rehearsal reinforces the singularity and narrowness of the shades' existences. They recognize their entrapment in cycles of punishment but refuse to realize that repentance would spare them a torturous fate. Instead of expressing remorse and desire for penitence, the sinners are preoccupied with maintaining a honourable reputation, or kleos, among the living. Having lost everything through sin, being remembered is their last chance at a semblance of life and freedom. Ciacco is the first to express this appetite for glory in begging, "But when you have returned to the sweet world,/ I pray, recall me to men's memory" (Dante VI.88-89). He is fixated on the inflation of his reputation and his willful blindness towards repentance illustrates his lack of contrition. Furthermore, Ciacco's reference to the world as "sweet" suggests that he remains paralyzed in his gluttonous mindset. Ciacco's request of Dante demonstrates the circularity of his narrative since the focus of his script is unchanging. The repetition and limited scope of his narrative reinforces the theme of petrification among the shades. Their tunnel vision impedes the potential for any spiritual and moral development.
Immediately in Canto I, we encounter a disoriented Dante wandering in a "shadowed forest" (Dante I.2), which is the first reference to darkness in the text. Dante has presumably found himself in this predicament due to his wavering faith, as signified by the metaphorical darkness of his surroundings. Initially, Dante is unable to see the path to enlightenment that would help him realize the error of his ways. He shares the same moral blindness with the shades he meets in his travels. His redemption hinges on the restoration of his faith and recognition of the sinners as creatures unworthy of compassion.
Instead of responding with indignation to the infernal souls, Dante is often overcome by pity and fainting spells. At the conclusion of his interaction with Francesca and Paolo, Dante exclaims, "I fainted, as if I had met my death" (Dante V.141) before falling unconscious. Dante establishes a connection between Hell's residents and himself through the use of "death". Not only does he resemble the deceased in his state of unconsciousness, but also identifies with their moral and spiritual paralysis. Dante has yet to grasp the righteousness of divine justice given his display of compassion to the lovers' plight. Dante's empathetic response and the relationship he posits between himself and the deceased alludes to his susceptibility to sin. If Dante is indeed prone to evil, he may not succeed in completing his pilgrimage. Therefore, readers cannot be sure if Dante is making a linear progression through Hell in terms of positive personal development, or if his descent towards Cocytus is an avenue to a morally profound darkness.
Dante's compassion prevents him from breaking free of his paralysis since it juxtaposes the integrity of divine justice. However, Dante eventually succeeds in reacting in a manner that is both morally and spiritually appropriate. The first instance of Dante exhibiting resentment is in an interaction with Filippo Argenti, a Florentine condemned to the fifth circle. During a confrontation with Argenti, Dante rebukes him with, "In weeping and in grieving,/ accursed spirit, may you long remain;" (Dante VIII.37-38). Dante's spiteful response elucidates the shift in his character. Virgil's later appraisal of Dante's transition from empathy to scorn affirms that Dante's ferocity is preferable to his previous kindness; his anger demonstrates his moral and spiritual integrity. Dante's newly acquired insight helps him grasp the gravity of the sinners' transgressions, and marks the beginning of his ascent to a higher moral status.
To expand upon Dante's reaction in Canto VIII, he desperately wishes to see Argenti drown. Dante bitterly explains that he's, "very eager/ to see that spirit soused within this broth/ before we've made our way across the lake" (Dante VIII.52-54), to which Virgil responds, "Before the other shore/ comes into view, you shall be satisfied;/ to gratify so fine a wish is right" (Dante VIII.55-57). The "other shore" of the Styx serves as a description of the destination they will reach by boat, and foreshadows Dante's arrival to the threshold of purgatory. The mention of the "other shore" implies that Dante will achieve the enlightenment he seeks provided that he maintains a morally appropriate attitude towards future souls he encounters in his journey.
"Trap Lines" presents an affliction of both verbal and literal constipation among the males of a contemporary Native American family. Christopher's father – hereby Dad – begins the story by explaining how his father spent a significant amount of time sitting in the darkness of the bathroom and thinking. Immediately, parallels between Dad and Dante are made obvious; both characters begin their narratives in the shadows. What is troubling in Dad's case is that his position is static, whereas Dante's is consistently mobile. Although movement does not necessarily entail personal development, it provides a semblance of progress and potential for escape. If the majority of Dad's introspection occurs in a paralytic setting, it is unlikely that he'll recognize the effects of his dismal communication abilities and find a remedy. Externally, Dad's immobility prevents him from physically searching for a solution to his mistakes, should he recognize his faults. The hope for an internal epiphany through introspection is lost when Dad concludes his narration in the same conditions he introduced himself: "I sat in the bathroom and imagined what my father had been going to say just before the wind took his hat" (King 46). As per his tradition of contemplation on the toilet seat, Dad remains caught in the past, and his unchanging approach to life underscores his absence of a metamorphosis. Due to his constant reflection on his childhood, Dad's past, present, and future are interwoven. He is tangled in a web of reoccurring behaviors that prevent him from addressing concerns in his role as a father to Christopher.
Due to his limited grasp on language, Dad is unsuccessful in resolving his entanglement. Dad admits that he, "was always shy around language" (King 34) unlike Christopher, who is unafraid. This discrepancy in language skill creates a conflict in communication, further compounded by the generational gap between father and son. Dad comments on his difficulty interacting with Christopher, stating that some conversations "were hard" (King 34). Dad's poor introspection and fear of language do not compel him to practice and expand his communication skills, which places a serious burden on his relationship with Christopher. Dad is comfortable passively repeating his father's unsuccessful attempts at lessons, like that of a stronger bond in a group of sticks. As these lessons are misunderstood from generation to generation, they are told without corrective action. Since Dad endures regular interaction with a significant degree of difficulty, it is unlikely for him to stray from the comfortable circular narratives copied from his father. Unfortunately, Dad's passivity does not only further commit him to his entrapment; the recitation of these lessons may result in Christopher repeating them to his children, thereby condemning future generations with verbal constipation. Dad does not undergo a Dantean transformative process; he remains the Dante that wakes up in the forest in the opening of the Inferno. While Dante is unable to reach superior morality and spirituality due to his inability to see the rewards of virtue, Dad's personal growth is stunted as a consequence of his fear of language and dependence on his ancestors' scripts.
Dad's characterization of Christopher being "fearless" (King 33) with language supports Christopher's inquisitive and bold nature. Christopher's fearlessness and curiosity play to his advantage; he is highly adaptable in that he succeeds in finding a job and achieving university acceptance independently. Christopher's flexibility contradicts the implications of the beaver analogy explained by his grandfather. The beavers, which are cited as "regular" (King 41), are intended to symbolize Native Americans in Western society and, on a smaller scale, Dad and his ancestry. Unlike Dad's predictable speech patterns and actions, Christopher is innovative, and he surprises his family by abandoning his summer apathy and being accepted to university. Ultimately, his adaptability aids him in evading the beaver trap set by society and his stagnant relationship with his father. He succeeds in physically displacing himself from a static environment by relocating to Vancouver. His future academic career is emblematic because it defies the oppressive stereotypes of Native Americans working only in the trades and there being nothing "but scratch and splinters in being an Indian" (King 39). As an adolescent, Christopher's youthful innocence and versatility prevent him from falling into the same patterns that trapped the other male members of his family, providing him with the chance to escape a fate of paralysis.
Dante and Christopher conclude their journeys as creative non-victims. They have moved into this position because of their internal and external progress (Atwood 38). As Dante descends through Hell, he approaches spiritual enlightenment upon accepting the integrity of divine justice and abandoning patterns of misdirected compassion towards evildoers. Christopher's story concludes with him physically displacing himself from his quiescent family life. He undergoes significant personal growth with his decision to attend university. This choice enables him to evade a destiny similar to that of Dad and his forefathers. Christopher avoids the beaver trap conventions of Indigenous lives in Western society while Dante wrestles and ultimately escapes the wrath of the Medusa, an allegory for his continued moral and spiritual petrification. By breaking their oppressive cycles, the protagonists become agents of their own destinies in contrast to the shades and Dad, whose moral developments are immutable due to their inability to seriously contemplate and remedy the paralysis of their respective situations.
Literature enables readers to experience, interpret, and redefine the human condition through the written word. Authors employ literature as a medium to critique society and offer solutions. Dante's Inferno and King's "Trap Lines" are excellent examples of texts in which attention is drawn to moralistic issues afflicting both medieval and contemporary societies. Through an allegory of paralysis and the circular narratives perpetuated by certain characters, readers can identify instances of petrification in their own lives and heed textual lessons about the effectiveness of insight and physical displacement in breaking paralytic cycles.
















Works Cited

Alighieri, Dante. Inferno. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. New York: Bantam Dell, 1980. Print.
Atwood, Margaret. "Basic Victim Positions". Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 1972. 36-39. Print.
King, Thomas. "Trap Lines". One Good Story, That One. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1993. 33-46. Print.
Lecuyer, Michelle Lynn. "Dante's Literary Influence in Dubliners: James Joyce's Modernist Allegory of Paralysis". MA Thesis. Iowa State University, 2009. Graduate Theses and Dissertations. Web.














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