What is the primary mode of punishment for the Grafters in Circle 8?

The primary mode of punishment for the Grafters in Circle 8 is that they are suspended in hot pitch. This vivid imagery reflects the nature of their sins, as grafters, or corrupt political figures, engaged in deceitful practices for personal gain. The hot pitch symbolizes their sticky situation in life and death, representing the way their dishonest actions entrap them.

Suspended in pitch, the Grafters are at once hidden beneath the surface, unable to escape their fate, and exposed to the flames, which intensifies their suffering. The pitch is also indicative of how their treachery is now a binding burden from which they cannot escape, paralleling the entrapment they inflicted upon others in their lives. This punishment is unique to them and serves as a pointed critique of their moral failures, emphasizing the consequences of corruption and greed.