The Allegory of the Cave by Plato Analysis Essay

Platos, The Allegory of the Cave is a text based on the idea of truth in the world. It is based on the inability for us as humans to understand how little we really see in the world. The storys hidden message is that of what we cant see that lies beyond the shadows. Just as there are two sides to every story, theres is two sides to this allegory. The prisoners and the shadows. Because of science we will never be able to have true knowledge of reality. To be able to fully understand what is being missed, we must question the truthfulness of science and the world we live in. 

This allegory is fixed on the idea that we as humans are so willing to trust strictly based off what they see and nothing beyond that. “He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?”(584). Plato is very focused on the idea that we as humans are so sheltered from the truth in the world because of science. Science is like our shadow from reality. Plato goes on to imply that what we know as reality isn't the full truth, its a copy of the truth, but missing some pieces. Science tries to help us see the truth in our existence by giving us the information we consider knowledge. 

 Plato is trying to explain that knowledge must be from our own experiences because it means less when its not seen through our own eyes. We can compar Plato's thought to a more modern literary text know as, The Great Gatsby.  The Great Gatsby is a novel that is solely focused on what we cant see in not just the world but the people in it. Jay Gatsby represents the shadows in The Allegory of the Cave. He is the side that we don't have much knowledge of besides the outline of his silhouette. All the prisoner in the allegory knew, is all the readers knew about Gatsby. Gatsby is living in this big lie, he is the shadow. Jay Gatsby is nothing more than shadows in the cave. When the truth about Gatsby is revealed, is when the prisoner is released from the cave. As the truths of both stories get unleashed, everything begins to change. All the prisoners knew of reality were the shadows,  and all Gatsby knew how to be were the shadows themselves. 

The idea of living behind the shadows or living in the shadows is the same idea as going somewhere or hearing about going somewhere. If Gatsby only heard of the valley of ashes, his mind could have seen different then it does when he actually goes there and sees it for himself. Just like the other prisoners didn't want to leave the cave after hearing about their fellow prisoners experience. “ ...the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me...”(585). The prisoners only knew what was shadowed to them on the wall. Nothing more. Following the idea of your own experiences meaning more than others words. That is their truth and your experience will form another truth that may be different. This is where science would be no help, science can see the shadows of Gatsby but our own experiences are what reveals the truth of his demise.  

Putting the text into modern day realistic terms, Plato’s prisoners is the same idea as prisoners today. While in the allegory the prisoners were almost blindsided by reality beyond the shadows, a prisoner now would feel the same. If someone has been locked up for twenty years, they may not be familiar with the world around them considering its apt to change in that amount of time. 

We as humans will never have the capability to see the full reality of our world. The reasoning for this comes down to the facts that we will always be sheltered by things in some ways.  Reality is a concept that you cant fully have grasp on until you're willing to change your thinking. The longer you stay sheltered in the dark, the more blinded you’ll be by the truth of reality.