'The Lesson' By Toni Cade Bambara's Allegory Of The Cave?

A paradoxical question has arisen from many philosophers’ musings: what is reality? Plato gives his version of the answer in his anxiety-inducing “Allegory of the Cave”. In a dark cave, Plato depicts prisoners who have been “chained so that they cannot move, and can only see” what is in front of them (Plato). With this restriction in movement, they are only able to see the shadows of “men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals” (Plato). These shadows are the only things the prisoners have known in their lifetime; the shadows are the only realities the prisoners know. Similarly, many other prisoners are trapped in what they believe to be the truth of the world. Toni Cade Bambara gives her own answer of the reality of the state of Harlem in her short story “The Lesson” in which she depicts …show more content…
Bambara uses a similar organization and symbolism to show the financial oppression that the citizens of Harlem face in the Harlem in both a social sense and a fiscal sense. The prisoners face their own oppression, being denied the truths about the realities that exist outside the cave. By replacing different parts of the allegory with characters from her time, she depicts a story of Harlem kids who learn that there is a world more affluent outside of the poverty-ridden city they see everyday. Through the outlandish prices of the uncommon toys and the guidance of Miss Moore, the children learn that there are families that live in a whole new manner than that they are familiar with. With the enlightenment of the outside world, both the prisoners and Sylvia “are said to have ascended from the world below to the gods” (Plato). The prisoners and Sylvia perceive a new reality that is present outside of their current