The Gates of Hell

    What intrigues me most about the Gates of Hell is the name. The bronze sculpture in Philadelphia could not be opened or shut. There was no way to pass through it. Aside from the entryway form of the bronze, the Gates of Hell did not resemble gates at all. The bottom section of the gates seems a solid barrier. It has an even surface and seems most like a door. But above the gateway is divided into two halves that might open up like doors but for the mysterious appearance of the ocean-like surface. It is interesting that Rodin did not make it clear whether the gates were a barrier or just a frame through which one could see the darkness of Hell. I've always envisioned Hell as having gates but that Rodin did not make the gates functional makes sense in its own way. Rodin's gates serve more as a glimpse into Hell than as gates that would keep people out of Hell. My reasoning for this is that Hell is not a place one can enter and exit when the gatekeeper is on duty. Hell is a place sinners are sucked into and never allowed to leave. It does not require gates. Thus the gates are a symbolic piece of art that reveals Rodin's idea of what Hell is like. Hell is represented as an endlessly confusing abyss where darkness overwhelms the sinners like an ocean. There  are tiny people and enormous people, people in contorted positions, babies isolated on the outer rims of the gates, and no one seems aware of anyone else. Only those forced to be intertwined are aware of each other's presence. The suffering and pain is so vast that it cannot be taken in looking at the gates from either extremely close up or from only far away. The use of non-functional gates as a means of expression conveys the hopelessness of escaping Hell.