In the “Allegory of the Cave” Plato makes the argument that ordinary men are blind to the existence of higher realities. He states common men are like chained “cavernous” (64) people, who can perceive only “shadows of artefacts”(65) on the wall of their provincial world. To become aware of what a thing truly is, or to belong to the world of truth, Plato believes it behooves man to break away from the conventional thoughts and perceptions of the average person; for man is unaware of his own ignorance until he seeks to break free from the shackles of widely assumed ideas of reality. The intellectual eye, once it enters into the world of truth through reason, will see with great clarity things in the perfect sense and ponder how he formerly existed without this truth. Plato warns, however, that man will only continue in this state if he remains outside of conventional society. To go back is to give up one’s self-dignity. Anyone who has seen truth and reverts to his former life of ignorance is only worthy of ridicule and pity. The argument Plato presents then is to reject representations of reality so as to find truth through one’s own reason and a personal pursuit of the divine realities.
The significance of Plato’s allegory of the cave for literary scholars is truly vast. Plato brought up an argument that made the literary and philosophical world think long and hard about the idea of man’s ability to find truth and asked whether literature inhibits that process or whether it assists it. Take, for example, the text which discusses the shadows of objects upon the wall in the cave and the people who see them. “[T]he shadows of artefacts would constitute the only reality people in this situation would recognize. […S]omeone tells him that what he’s been seeing all this time has no substance, and that he’s now [after leaving the cave] closer to reality and is seeing more accurately, because of the greater reality of the things before his eyes” (65). Plato makes the point that what man sees through representation is empty, meaningless. Man, therefore, must deny his own previous understanding of things if he wishes to come closer to possessing truth and to recognizing divine realities. Reason must be the way towards the divine, not representation, or literature. Literature is among the shadow world and desists one from aspiring towards “the sight of the character of goodness” (66) which “is a prerequisite for intellectual conduct” (66). Plato affirms that without the knowledge of truth, man will be corrupt, or at the very best, incomplete. This idea later inspired philosophers to consider whether or not this assertion bears validity. Is literature one of the “shadows of artefacts” (65) that blinds those in pursuit of truth? Are those who belong to the world of divine realities the only people who can have the “sight of the character of goodness?” (66) These questions and others made Plato’s writings instrumental in influencing future ideas regarding writing and whether literature, or representation, is a conduit or an obstacle in leading people closer to divine truth and reality. Plato’s contribution to literary studies could appropriately be called one of the cornerstones that laid the foundation for the construction of literary criticism and theory. Thus, his role among classical literary theory cannot be ignored due to the controversy his arguments engendered during that time.
Although Plato’s ideas on representation and reality were significant in impacting literary thought and criticism, they do, however, contain inaccuracies. First, Plato does not recognize that he himself uses a form of representation to convey his beliefs. He uses literature to clarify his ideas though rebukes those who look to them for truth. Plato clearly contradicts himself in this regard. He cannot be against something and then use that something to his own advantage. Secondly, human nature needs a channel through which it can come to find truth. Abstractions are not enough for people; they need a material form to associate with. To find truth, Plato states man must leave behind his senses and come into the world of reason; however, reason, the senses and reality cannot be segregated. When one brings them together they can come to find truth. Plato is blinded by this fact due to his rigid conviction that reason alone is necessary, but this is not so. Thirdly, representation, though it is a lesser form of reality does not mean it is an invalid means to communicate truth. Religion and literature, for example, have worked collectively together for millennia. Written words, representative images, oral traditions etc. keep intact the beliefs of others and instruct followers in coming to find the higher realities or the “realm of the knowledge of goodness” (66).
Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” impacted the world of literature and the understanding of complex concepts in ways never before witnessed in literature and for this it deserves credit. It challenged the minds of men to reflect deeply upon the idea of how it was one could find reality and truth. Plato was correct in highlighting the necessity for man to attain truth and to not take what one sees at face value. Furthermore, he was wise to challenge the reader to want to know more and to ask himself where it is he dwells and whether he possesses reality. Thus, Plato’s work can be looked upon as a valuable source that lead the classical world of literature towards a new understanding the significance of literature and its significance on the human persons.
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