Hell and its relevance

How did the religious model of hell become a metaphor for all the unacceptable, tormenting and unbearable that occurs in everyday life? In the Abrahamite context, the concept of hell basically includes both the concept of life after death and the idea of some kind of reward or punishment for actions in real life. Especially in Christianity this compensatory purpose of heaven and hell is widespread.

In addition to this religious view of life after death, a secular view emerged over the course of time in the form of survival in the memory of posterity, in one's own children, deeds and works. In Sartre, as a representative of French existentialism, hell is transformed from a supernatural torture chamber into a state of everyday life caused by our fellow human beings. Garcin, one of the tortured characters in the play, notes that torture tools have become obsolete, but the others are already completely enough to cause the torture. The fellow man becomes the torturer as well as a personalized tool of torture. The compensatory purpose of hell, however, remains: It is still a means of punishment.

Another aspect arises in the view of hell as the stage of an existentialist borderline situation of existence. Man is at his mercy and reacts with despair and powerlessness. If the situation survives, every effort is made to avert the potentially recurring threat.

In summary, it can be concluded that the depiction of death and its consequences in the form of metaphors and analogies and the associated rationalization also led to the detachment from religious ideals. The pictorial use of the term obfuscates its influence on human action, since metaphors are usually not recognized as influential in everyday life. Nevertheless, these, and thus hell, play an important role in day-to-day subjective decision-making.

Image credits:

“Christ's Descent into Hell”
by Follower of Hieronymus Bosch (Netherlandish, second quarter 16th century) via The Metropolitan Museum of Art is licensed under CC0 1.0

“Roundel with Souls Tormented in Hell”
by After Dieric Bouts (Netherlandish, Haarlem, active by 1457–died 1475), South Netherlandish via The Metropolitan Museum of Art is licensed under CC0 1.0