In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. This is demonstrated in the literary works of The Inferno and No Exit. Both are vivid portrayals of Hell and provide suitable punishments for the act of sinning. These scenes of violence, however, are not just there to fill in space, but actually contribute to the overall meaning of the work. Violence adds to what Dante Alighieri and Jean-Paul Sartre want to ultimately convey in the end of their works. This can easily be seen throughout the stories of The Inferno and No Exit.
             In The Inferno, there were many scenes of violence. The most obvious violent scenes were those in which the punishments of the sinners were described. The law of Dante's Hell, or the law of symbolic retribution, states as they sinned so are they punished. For example, the Gluttons were those who made no use of the gifts of God in life and wallowed in food and drink. Therefore, their punishment was to wallow in garbage while Cerberus slaved over them. They were punished in Hell according to their sin in life. Also, the Violent Against Their Neighbors were those who shed the blood of their fellowmen. Their punishment was to be immersed in boiling blood forever while Centaurs remained ready to shoot, with their arrows, any sinner who raised himself out of the River of Blood. These scenes of violence contributed to the complete work of The Inferno by supporting the law of Dante's Hell. The law was followed throughout each Canto adding to the work's complexity.
             There were three main stories in The Inferno in which Dante was sympathetic to the sinner. A particularly violent story was that of Count Ugolino and Archbishop Ruggieri. Dante entered the second round of the Ninth Circle where Ugolino was gnawing on Ruggieri's head. In life, Ruggieri betrayed Ugolino who died by starvation as did his four sons. This violent scene had the purpose of making the reader sympathize with the si...