Poetry · Chapter
CCXXXV explained
Saint Peter at the Gate confronts two figures: one claiming to be Memory, the other Satan.
What happens
Saint Peter at the Gate confronts two figures: one claiming to be Memory, the other Satan. Peter rebukes both, dismissing Memory to Hell and ordering Satan away. Satan then seizes Memory, declaring that Memory brings happiness only in its absence.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Self-Deception
Memory's claim to be 'Memory' is met with suspicion and dismissal, suggesting a deceptive or self-deceptive identity.
Justice and Revenge
Saint Peter's harsh judgment and Satan's forceful seizure of Memory reflect themes of punitive justice and retribution.
Characters to notice
- Saint Peter
Guards the Gate and rebukes Memory and Satan.
- Unknown
Appears as the figure claiming to be Memory.
- Jack Satan
Approaches the Gate seeking something, is dismissed by Peter, then seizes Memory.
Key passages
“Who art thou? said Saint Peter at the Gate. I am known as Memory. What presumption!—go back to Hell.”
Saint Peter asks the first arrival's identity; upon hearing 'Memory,' he condemns it as presumptuous and sends it to Hell.
Highlights Peter's immediate rejection of Memory as unworthy of Heaven.
“And Satan, laying hold of Memory, said: Come along, you scoundrel! you make happiness wherever you are not.”
Satan grabs Memory and declares that Memory creates happiness only in places where it is absent.
Reveals Satan's cynical view of Memory as a source of unhappiness when present.