Louisa Ulrich-Verderber
Mr. Archambault
Literature
November 17, 2013
Reality: The simple, truth, or a painful prison?
All cultures, from the dawn of time, have ways of describing reality through their
mythology, social structure, and religion. Some ancient philosophers say that experience is
fixed and perpetual, while others, such as Plato and Socrates argue there is no way to be certain
that what is seen, felt and sensed around us is real at all. However, many people see their own
reality as the one truth, and disregard all else, regardless of plausible alternatives. Plato’s
Allegory of the Cave, illustrates an individual’s ascent into enlightenment from their previous
misconception that the cave environment and shadow puppets presented to them were the only
reality. He questions the phrase “ignorance is bliss”, and asserts that knowing the truth, though
it may be painful, is far better. The movie The Truman Show also addresses these issues, it tells
the story of a man who is unknowingly the object of a worldwide famous television show since
his birth. His life and entire world takes place within an enormous television studio, which
parallels the cave within Plato’s allegory. The show’s creator, Kristof, states, “We accept the
reality of the world with which we are presented… Truman prefers his cell”, thus this line
applies to not only the film and the characters within it, but also to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
and to real life. Kristof’s assertions are correct, proving that humans do in fact accept, and in
some cases prefer, the reality shown to them, because it is an inherent part of human nature.
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In the movie The Truman Show, Truman is oblivious to fact that the world he is
presented with is staged, and never tests his surroundings for their validity. Understanding the
truth in an immensely painful process for Truman. He looses his wife, begins to question his
own sanity, and nearly drowns. The other actors on the show are also trapped. Truman’s best
friend, Marlin, “prefers his cell” in a way. Out side of the show he seems to have no marketable
skills, within the show itself his only job is to restock vending machines. Simply put, he does
not need to have any skills, or learn lines for that matter because his status in life, and paycheck
are guaranteed. Despite the fact that he has created this world, the show’s creator Kristof is also
trapped. Like Marlin, he too “prefers his cell”. Kristof is bound by his dependence on the show,
which brings in the revenue of a small country and Kristof has become accustomed to the fame
and fortune. The film also exemplifies how one can overcome this fog of ignorance and burst
victorious into the sunlight of knowledge. Unfortunately humans often prefer their
unenlightened states to enlightenment. The film The Truman Show expertly illustrates
humanity’s easy acceptance of personal reality and demonstrates through its many characters
that this is an inherent part of human nature.
Kristof’s line, “We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented…
Truman prefers his cell”, is congruent with Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Within the allegory
the prisoners are completely at ease and fulfilled by the shadowy world around them. “They see
only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite
wall of the cave? ... And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only
see the shadows? …To them…the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the
images.” The prisoners do not question that the world is anything different than what they see
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for the simple reason that they have been shown nothing else since birth. It is not until one of
the individuals is led outside that the individuals still in the cave learn to prefer their home to
the outside. The individuals still within the cave see this enlightened-one returning and
immediately see him as inept and crazy, simply because he no longer can preform the same
tasks they can excel at, such as seeing how fast and how many shadows one can identify. The
prisoners go so far as to never let anyone exit the cave again. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is
one example of human acceptance in the face of ignorance. It stands as a reminder of how
humans tend to prefer their current states of mind- unenlightenment though they may be - to the
possibility of facing a painful truth. Unfortunately, maintaining the social order is so important
that ignorant humans will stop others from becoming enlightened if they feel it threatens the
status quo or is harmful to the rest of the community and this impulse is deeply rooted in
human nature.
Kristof’s line, so expertly used in a work of fiction, is also very applicable to modern
day society. The human experience is filled with doubt, lies, deception and truth, all though
some are on larger scales than others. In real life the issues of ignorance and enlightenment
may be as simple as realizing there is no tooth fairy or as complex as finding out one has a
terminal illness. In this case humans accept reality not out of ignorance but out of necessity. A
person diagnosed with a terminal illness must accept that fact in order to stay away from the
despair that denial causes. Humans have the tendency to automatically accept what is show to
them. Some would state that this is human nature, while others would argue that it only takes
the right questions to break free from this impulse. Instances where humans prefer there cells
rather than enlightenment can become messy. The ignorant often see the enlightened as a
threat, simply because of the human fear of the unknown. This fear can cause exclusion, hatred
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and in extreme cases violence toward the enlightened. Kristof’s line in the film The Truman
Show beautifully demonstrates how humans accept, or must accept, the world shown to them
and how it is human nature for the unenlightened to often prefer there cell even if it means
exclusion or violence towards others.
The heavily symbolic line given by The Truman Show’s creator Kristof, “We accept the
reality of the world with which we are presented… Truman prefers his cell” is highly
applicable to the movie itself, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and real life, proving that humans do
tend to accept the reality shown to them and to prefer their cells. Within the movie, The
Truman Show, Truman accepts the reality shown to him. His best friend Marlin and the show’s
creator Kristof both prefer their cells due to the financial rewards and dependence on the show.
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave greatly exemplifies Kristof’s line through the prisoners’ being
oblivious to the outside world and through their exclusion of the one enlightened prisoner. In
real human experience people tend to heavily accept the reality presented to them, and in many
cases they are required to. Understanding that every person’s reality is different, yet still as
valid as one’s own, is crucial to global peace, collaboration, and problem solving. This many
require that humanity avoid the impulses of human nature that were once critical for survival
during human evolution, but are now obsolete.