Final answer:
The grafters in Dante's Inferno - Punishment of Grafters are punished by being eternally immersed in boiling pitch, symbolizing their secretive and harmful fraudulent actions in life, and are tortured by demons if they surface. The boiling pitch symbolizes their fraudulent activities
Step-by-step explanation:
The punishment of the grafters in Dante's Inferno, specifically in Cantos 21 and 22 in Circle 8, Bolgia 5, is to be eternally immersed in boiling pitch. This metaphorical pitch is meant to represent the sticky fingers and corrupt practices of the defrauders and grafters in life.
They are guarded by demons known as the Malebranche, who torture them with hooks if they surface from the pitch. This punishment is fitting as it mirrors the secretive and hidden deeds of the scandalous lives they led - their ability to dive into the dark pitch
Reflects their ability to hide their corrupt actions in life. The boiling pitch symbolizes their fraudulent activities which were illicitly profitable but harmful to others - just as boiling pitch is dangerous and damaging.The boiling pitch symbolizes their fraudulent activities
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