Modern hell : the reconstruction of the classical image of hell

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the reconstructed images of modern hell in three literary works; Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit, and Robert A. Heinlein’s Job: A Comedy of Justice, that are different from the traditional images of hell that appear in classical and religious texts. The research finds that the images of modern hell in the three literary works are influenced by the social and cultural contexts as well as by the experiences of the authors. In Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, hell is the result of the inhuman brutalities and the pursuit of commercial interests of imperialism in Africa. It also reflects the author’s ambiguous position as a refugee from imperialism on one hand, and on the other, as a captain in the merchant navy, and therefore involved in imperialism. In Sartre’s No Exit, hell reflects the failure to take responsibility for one’s action and decision that leaves one subject to the other’s judgment. This is Sartre’s criticism of his compatriots’ failure to resist the German occupation of France during the Second World War. In Heinlein’s novel, Job: A Comedy of Justice, hell reflects the lack of freedom and the negation of difference that result from the religious dogmatism and racial discrimination in the U.S. society.