“Allegory of the Cave”
Summary
Socrates describes a cave underground where the prisoners are chained in such a
way that all they can see is a wall in front of them. On the wall, shadows appear created
from a fire behind and above the prisoners. The shadows or images are created by form
holders who stand between the prisoners and a fire. They hold up all sorts of objects and
make sounds for these objects. The prisoners are at the mercy of the form holders. They
may hold up the image of a duck and make a barking sound. This is the world of reality
for the prisoners.
One day a prisoner escapes, and he sees the cause of the shadows and the light
that casts them. Slowly, he makes his way out of the cave. He is blinded by the light of
the outside world, but eventually, he adjusts to the light and sees true reality. Ducks don’t
bark, they quack. He decides to return to the cave and reveal the truth to the chained
prisoners. They disbelieve him because all they know is the world of darkness and
shadows. They jeer him and, given the opportunity, they would tear him to pieces.