Cantos XXI-XXIII

"My leader took me up at once, and did
As would a mother awakened by a noise
Who sees the flames around her, and takes her child,

Concerned for him more than herself, and flies
Not staying even to put on a shift:...

Hurtling along with me upon his breast
Not like his mere companion, but like his child."

Dante, especially when he is scared shitless, is very childlike. He makes Virgil seem like the superman that's always there to save the day.

Admittedly, Virgil is Dante's only pathway through which a tour through hell is even possible. But is it really necessary for Dante to call Virgil "Master" all the time?

I understand that without Virgil, Dante would not be able to make it through the depths of hell. I also understand that Dante is utterly thankful for Virgil's leading hand. But there comes a point in time when addressing Virgil in saying "O sun, that makes all troubled vision clear" seems a bit ridiculous.

I desperately want Dante to realize that, although he is thankful, and rightfully so, Virgil has gotten the point. Virgil knows that Dante is thankful. In praising Virgil each time he addresses him, Dante shows an unwarranted reverence towards Virgil. This unwaranted reverence makes Dante's constant thankfulness much less substantial than it was in the very beginning. By now, Dante is making himself seem completely ridiculous and docile and dramatic. How much creedence can you put into what someone says if they're a dramtic kiss-ass, who will always say what you want to hear?