What Is The Allegory In The Matrix

The Matrix is a film that challenges the genuine and the module of a complicated, false cyber-based reality. Before the character Thomas Anderson, also known as Neo, finds said realism in the film, Morpheus, the leader of a group of rebels, presents him a very intriguing question, “Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” (Wachowski). This question addresses immediately the issue of reality that brings into consideration both Plato and Descartes. Highlighted in Plato’s cave allegory are related themes presented in The Matrix, mainly the idea of one possibly observing different realities. Another theme that is shown …show more content…
In his writing, Plato asks everyone to imagine humans as prisoners kept from childhood in a deep, dark cave. They have chains around their necks to keep them facing forward while a fire from behind them projects shadows on the wall in front of them. These shadows act as the only real thing that they have ever come across (Plato). After one prisoner is set free and able to turn around, he becomes very confused of what is behind him. The prisoner is at a loss since he cannot differentiate between the reality that was unexpectedly presented to him and the one he had grown up with. There are some similarities and differences, though, between the allegory and the film. In the cave allegory, the prisoners are enlightened of their error and freed by their masters (Plato). In The Matrix, Neo is set free by a band of rebels trying to find the truth and damage the Matrix. While in the cave, the prisoners see their shadows against the wall and understand them as being completely real by using their senses while in the film, the slaves do not use theirs, instead all of their senses are stimulated by signals sent right to the