What does the River Acheron signify in Dante's Inferno?

The River Acheron serves as a crucial symbol in Dante's Inferno, representing the boundary between the living and the dead. In the narrative, souls traverse the Acheron to reach the realm of the dead, marking their transition from the world of the living to the punitive and transformative dimensions of the afterlife. Charon, the ferryman of Acheron, plays a pivotal role by transporting these newly deceased souls across the river. This crossing emphasizes the irreversible nature of death and the beginning of the souls' journeys into the depths of Hell, where they must confront the consequences of their earthly actions. The significance of Acheron as a threshold reflects themes of judgment and retribution central to Dante’s exploration of morality and the soul’s fate.