Comparing Siddhartha And The Allegory Of The Cave

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi’s inception of simple philosophy did not start immediately. If he did not see the India’s suffering as well as the outright racial discrimination, then Gandhi would have remained a lawyer. After seeing the suffering, he took on a whole new perspective on the world and attempted to make a change. This process, known as “seeing the light” is tough for many to achieve. The majority of people are unable to see through the darkness, thereby losing themselves and their places in the universe. However, some people manage to see the light through a life changing event. Gandhi’s life changing event is similar to both the protagonist Siddhartha, in Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and the released prisoners in The Allegory of the Cave by Plato. Therefore Mahatma Gandhi’s life parallels with that of Siddhartha and the prisoners: he was born in a life of luxury and “darkness” yet realized the true pain and, in the process, becomes one with the world.
At the beginning, both Gandhi and Siddhartha are blinded by wealth and luxury from the harsh reality of discrimination. Gandhi was born into a rich family and lived an above average life in the privileged merchant caste level. Because of his upbringing, Gandhi’s received a …show more content…
When the prisoners leave the cave, they actually saw the light for the first time. Once they did, they were confused. Because the prisoners saw how the books really look like. They realized how wrong their perception of reality was when they were in the cave. It is bizarre that the concepts people grasp are on the same level as the things they see and process. Gandhi had the same reaction as well. After first experiencing racial discrimination and the corruption, his perfect world was shattered. Yet Gandhi had to make amends and change the world to prevent