Allegory of the Cave (Assignment)

When I first saw The Matrix, nearly ten years ago, I immediately recognized the numerous religious overtones that the film contained. In truth, they were palpable. What never occurred to me, however, was the fact that it contained, not only religious, but philosophical references, as well. At the time, I knew nothing about the Allegory of the Cave. I, also, had no idea that the theme of my Composition I course would (in any way, shape, or form) pertain to The Matrix, either. These unforeseen chains of events have since, enhanced my perspective on the movie, itself. What I am curious to see, is whether or not explaining this, particular, concept (that, prior to last week had been completely foreign to me) will enable you to fully grasp the context of the passage, and how it relates to the film.


We were asked to read the Wikipedia article for the Allegory of the Cave. Allegory is an excerpt from, the Greek philosopher, Plato's book, The Republic. The excerpt includes an interpretation by one of the book's characters, Socrates. It describes two earthly realms; one that exists above the surface, the other below. In the lower realm, since childhood, certain groups of people have been held captive beneath the surface. Their limbs are shackled by chains that are bolted into the rock surface of the cave. More significantly, their necks are chained, which fixes their gaze on the walls of the cave in front of them. Located on a plateau above them, and obscured from their line of sight, is a large fire. The fire is used by another group of people to create silhouettes, using puppets of plants and animals, to pacify the prisoners below. As the story is being told, a theory is presented: What if one of the prisoners is released and is, suddenly, compelled to take stock of their imprisonment? You can infer that once the truth of their manipulation becomes known to them, they would then feel the urge to climb out of the cave, above the surface. Now, taking into consideration the fact that they've been enveloped in darkness for their whole existence, the light of the sun would be blinding to them. Once their eyes have adjusted to the brightness of the sun, they would then feel obligated to rescue their subterranean brethren. However, the return to the darkness of the cave would, once again, render them sightless, and thus destroying their ability of perception, forever.

The parallels that one can draw between The Matrix and Allegory of the Cave are many. Notice how the prisoners of the lower realm are similar to the human slaves of the machine-dominated world of The Matrix? The cave in Allegory is comparable to the simulated world of The Matrix, and the shadow puppets are used in the same capacity as the computer program designed to subdue the human race. The sun represents truth, or true knowledge, and like The Matrix, not everyone who has been freed from their captivity is prepared to accept the truth about reality, are they?

Fascinating stuff, isn't it? If you want to take these concepts one step further, you could (could being the operative word, here) apply them to the ongoing conflicts and issues regarding the, gradual, curbing of our civil liberties; that has been perpetrated on the American people since the attacks of September 11th.

If you're interested in reading more about the similarities between The Matrix and the Allegory of the Cave click here... Plato's Cave and the Matrix