Examine to consider Plato's infamous underground den. There are all sorts of lovely diagrams posted across the Internet that you might also peruse. Absorb his point.
Then, apply Plato's allegory to Gregor. You may find that you have to "bend and twist" parts of the story to draw parallels. This is O.K. It's critical thinking in its highest "form".
Whyte
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Plato's infamous underground den is one of shadows and reality.These men in the cave see the shadows as rality because they have seen them all their lives and are custom to them.In Gregors case his main focus is to support his family and nothing more.He has been working for so many years that the reality of his life is to bring home the money.Even if he did make the choice to be the provider in reality he never did have a choice to begin with.He believes in family duty and in Gregors opinion it is his duty to support the family.Like the men in the cave with the shadows Gregor is blinded by his daily routines of only going to work and returning home without having any time for himself.In the end the men from the cave want nothing to do with the outside world because they are so comfrotable with thier lives inside the cave.Gregor is comfortable with being the one who works for the family because he knows nothing else.He has been doing this for so long that he is now afraid to be his own person.In the end he realizes that his family is ungreatful but he is still blinded by wanting to make his family happy.
Plato’s Allegory to Gregor
Plato, the son of wealthy Athenian parents, became a student of Socrates, who helped him, Plato, in his philosophical career. In Plato’s infamous underground den, there are people of all ages and both genders, chained all over the place. These persons only see their own shadows cast by the fires that light up the cave. These persons do not see the light of day, because they are forced to work and live in the den all their life. For these persons, the only realities they see are the chains, other people trapped in the underground den, and their own shadows.
Gregor Samsa’s life is in a way almost like the life of the persons that are in the underground den. Gregor had invisible chains on him all his life since he started to work. Gregor’s chains were to work and bring the money home. This was almost forced labor like the people in the underground den, because Gregor does not wish to work and just bring the money home, because he was working at some place that he does not like. This continues to happen when Gregor goes through his metamorphosis, because Gregor is forced to see the same things every day, and not have contact with anyone. These chains changed a little, because now Gregor has to hide and see his sister clean his room and only being able to see his family through the cracks on the doors.
Gregor only gets to see his boss and family, because he has to go to work, and come back home with the money. This is like the people in the underground den, because both Gregor and everyone else in the underground den see the same people every day, and are not too happy in the way that they have to see them. Gregor is forced to see these persons, his family and boss, because he has been forced to work, make money, and bring the money back home to give to his parents.
The shadows that the people in the underground den see everyday are like Gregor’s everyday schedule. Gregor’s schedule was work, money, parents, and work at home every day. For Gregor, his schedule was almost human, and followed him everywhere.
Plato's Allegory of the Cave explains that the prisoners in the cave are people who are forced to live their lives in isolation. Like these prisoners, Gregor Samsa is compelled to be a prisoner in his room by his own father. He cannot break free from his imprisonment; when he does try and leave his room he is rejected and thrown back into the state of isolation and loneliness. The prisoner that escapes does not want to go back into the cave, because he has explored what is outside of his isolation. In Samsa's situation, it is not the same scenario. Once he tries to leave his room, he is rejected. And it is for this reason that Samsa makes the decision that it is best if he does not go back, and eventually dies in isolation.
The prisoners of this underground cave are also living in a life of routine. They have nothing to look forward to. Samsa is similar to the prisoners because he too is living a life of routine; working and providing for his family, the same two tasks over and over again. From his point of view, there is nothing left to look forward to after his transformation; he no longer has a job and cannot do the tasks he feels compelled to do.
Plato's cave is a cave that you are basically being trapped in and isolated. The cave is meant for someone who is a prisoner within themselves and does not understand what he or she is in life and follows the path of society like many other people in society or the puppets. Like Gregor he is trapped in his room secured by the walls that surround him and although he is able to leave his room he does not do so. In Plato's cave there are many shadows on the wall and they are mistaken to be other things like a book. Those shadows have been there and have made the people confused, just like Gregors family is doing to him. The the den when the prisoners are released they are finally able to see the truth and similar to when Gregor is dying, he is able to see the truth in life and the way that he was living should not of been the way he should of lived.
The people in Plato’s cave have been conditioned to view the world a certain way. Not only are there bodies actually chained in specific positions, their minds have also only been subjected to these shadows, these figures, which they take as the complete truth. In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor’s family and other characters are representative of society, and society, much like those forced to dwell in this cave, have been taught to see a certain way, to understand truth to mean that life is about working, earning money, and being a productive member of family and society. Gregor Samsa is one of those conditioned beings before his metamorphosis. But after his transformation, he is that one person who has escaped from the cave, who is forced to see the reality of life. At first, his eyes are blinded by this light, this truth. Once he has grown accustomed to this blinding reality though, he can see what life really offers, not just “shadows” or ideas cast by other people, those in power. Ultimately though, this man and Gregor must face the fact that though they have become “enlightened”, no one else cares or wants to understand the new possibilities. Instead, they shun and mock those who choose to be different, those who choose to question.
In Plato’s Underground den prisoners are found being isolated from the world and being made accustomed to their surroundings. They see shadows and darkness all around them, nothing more than the others shadows and the fire. This relates to Gregor because he is being isolated from the world by his family. He is being kept apart after giving so much to his family. The prisoners are kept to do their duties, jobs and are made sure that their whole purpose is for that; they are not given freedom or even let them see the sun. Gregor was kept to be the provider for the family and to have money for the family to live upon, that as his only purpose, they made sure that he did not have anymore than what he needed so he would not go to a different path. When Gregor becomes this vermin is when this prisoner is let out to see the outside and the sun. Gregor at first feels the pain and agony of becoming this monstrous beast, he does not want to become this thing because he knows he has duties and he has to follow them through; late he realizes the truth and sees that his family’s whole purpose was for him to provide money and nothing more he realizes that he was in a trap and feels pity for what he was doing. Same as the prisoner, the prisoner does not want to see the sun and the things around him because they are too difficult for him to decipher the things surrounding him; after he gets used to the sun and starts to see the things around him he feels sorry for the prisoners that are still inside the cave, they are fooling themselves that they can feel happy without having freedom. Like the prisoner, Gregor discovers that true reason comes after the pain and suffering and not before.
The people who are chained in Plato's cave are forced to gaze on a fixed wall and see the shadows of objects. They are used to being in darkness with only the shadows in their sight. In Franz Kafka's, The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa represents the people who are chained and are forced to face the wall. Gregor is bound by the responsibility he feels to be the provider for his family, and is forced to put up with his job, and a life of misery that he did not choose. The cave itself is symbolic because his family has closed him in the idea that he needs to be the provider, that he needs to take care of them, which is why when Gregor can not do so anymore, because of his metamorphosis, he feels "hot with shame and grief" (Kafka 27). He is very well chained into a cave that his parents have built around him because if it were not for his parents' sake, [he] would have quit long ago" (Kafka 4). Not only do they chain him but they lie to him. The shadows symbolize the hidden truth that they do not care for him, but they hide it so well because a shadow is but a dark figure that reveals no detail, just the outline of what is standing in front of the light, truth. The shadow symbolizes the secret and cover up that Gregor's family uses to hide their "disgust and endure him" (Kafka 38). After Gregor's metamorphosis, he becomes one of those people who escape the cave and is forced to see the truth behind the shadows. It hurts him at first but when he finally is able to see it, see that his family does not want him and does not appreciate him, it becomes hard for him to return to the cave and adjust again to the ways that society expects him to be. His family rejects him because society cannot stand one with the truth that can set themselves and others free from society's wicked ways. Returning to the cave is not an option for Gregor which is why in order to escape lies, and the chains of society, he chooses to free himself by dying. He no longer fits in with society since he holds the truth to be free from all its wicked ways. The truth sets Gregor Samsa free.
Plato's "Allegory to the cave" serves as an allegory. He describes a cave with prisoners chained to the walls. all they see are these shadows forming on the walss reflected my the fire in the cave. This serves to reveal what the prisoners try to perceive and what they want to see is their life. Since they cannot move due to the fact that they are chained, they create characters for these shadows to represent themselves being able to move and talk. They are stuck to this intended life of ilving in isolation. they are confused about the world like Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis. As society traps him under the expectatoins of being a hardworker to help the family and such. He does not know who he is for his father is forcing him to just work. He thinks of himself as a bug to show the burden he is to the family. Like the chains, his father restricts him from choosing what he wants to do. His bug-like for reveals his way of creating another life for him. he is in another body, like how the shadows of the walls represents the life of the prisoners. He wants to expose himself though this bug form to his family in order to realize it for himself that he is not wanted. He comes out of his room to find a reason to why his family is concern for his sickness, but when they see him they run away in disgust. like the prisoner in the cave, the world will reject him for wanting an understanding of his purpose in life. this is apparent when Grete rejects him. He realizes that the only way to be accepted is to go away.
Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” reveals an anecdote, which describes prisoners chained to a cave and forced to remain in a fixed state, such as staring at the wall. While they face the wall, the prisoners see shadows and voices; they immediately conclude that the shadows are talking. Since they are in isolation from the outside world, this is the only “reality” they know; however when they are free they feel disheartened to return to their chains.
Plato’s allegory contains many parallels to the character Gregor Samsa from The Metamorphosis. Gregor remains a “prisoner” to his family when he works endlessly at a job that he despises in order to provide his family with a comfortable lifestyle. Since this has become a routine for him, this is the only life that he knows. He becomes influnced by his family and feels that his role in life is to be the provieder. However, similar to the allegory, Gregor escapes from the “chains” that his family binds him in, when he turns into a vermin. When Gregor loses the ability to work, he notices that his family uses him for their own needs. They depend on him to earn a salary without doing anything in return. He does not wish to change back into a human state because he accepts his situation. Gregor’s metamorphosis enlightens him becaue he notices the burdens that he must carry for his family.
When mentioned the word chains, Imprisonment and entrapment come to mind. In Plato’s underground allegory den, humans as prisoners in a bland underground cave are shackled in chains everywhere--the legs, hands, head, and other places better not to be mentioned; the humans are unable to move at all. These humans are trapped in place, doing nothing except watching shadow figures created by the fire behind them and carriers that talk and stay silent. By watching the shadows all the time, they perceive that the shadows of the images are the truth; it is their reality. In Fran Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, all the characters in the story, with the exception of Gregor, are representatives of society; much like the human dwellers in the underground den, they perceive things in a certain way because they are taught that way; it is like the saying “monkey see, monkey do.” Gregor, prior to his metamorphosis, is enchained to his duties at the workplace and household; since he only worries about his duties, his life is shackled and imprisoned like the dwellers in the den. Similar to the allegory, Gregor is that one person who escaped the den through his transformation into an insect. Initially, this transformation blinds him like the light of the sun for the one who escaped; over time, however, he adjusts to the light and obtains knowledge and truth, allowing to seeing what life is really about. He is no longer bind to the “shadows” or manipulative ideas and lies the others create. In the end, the one man and Gregor are enlightened by finding their own truths, instead of the “truths” created by society. The man and Gregor, however, are faced with problems of being ignored and abandoned just because they are the different ones in society—the parasites.
Plato’s "Allegory of a Cave" connects with Gregor Samsa because it interprets how humans are prisoners of the cave and isolated from the world. In his allegory, Plato describes how humans are chained in a cave and not able to move their heads. This prevents them from seeing their surroundings and is only able to see the world in one perspective. The prisoners are only able to see and hear the shadow and echoes cast by objects that they cannot see. When the prisoners escaped the cave, they begin to see the reality and truth about life and find that the shadows that they have seen in the cave were only an appearance and that the real things can only be grasp with the mind. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor life is chosen by society because he follows the status quo set by society. He does not understand why he repeats his task everyday because all he worries about is supporting and bringing happiness to his family; his life is like a routine that repeats everyday. It is not until he is transformed into a disgusted monstrous vermin was he able to understand about the absurdity and life and rebel against it by defying social moralities. Throughout his life, society and his family chained him by forcing him to work in hard labors and not letting him discover his own life and find his own freedom. Even in his metamorphosis, Gregor is forced to live a lonely life in isolation; He is trapped in his bedroom and not able to interact with his family because they cannot accept his transformation. He feels rejected not only by his family, but also society. He chooses to die in isolation because he has nothing left to linger on after his metamorphosis.
Plato uses an underground den as an allegory in his book "The Republic." Humans live in this underground cave since they were little, and like slaves, they are chained and locked in a way that they can only look forward. They only see each otehr's shadows, created by the fire glazing at a distance. Also, Plato describes that once liberated the prisoner will be dazzle to see the realities of the world, and he will suffer sharp pains of distress at finding his own proper place.
Gregor Samsa relates to the prisoners in this cave. At first he is a prisoner to society by being a financial provider for the family. He is their object and slave. As he describes, the money was received but no warmth gratitude came in return (Kafka 26). Like the prisoners. Gregor can not communicate either with the others. Then he starts to see the reality with his transformation, and he starts to think on his own. He analyzes why the manager himself comes, his routine, and the way his family views him. Once he hears his sister say they must get rid of him, he realizes that he is on his own and he has no place in society. His role is to die so society can live free from his burden. These realities though hurt Gregor, because his own family does not care for him. He sees their selfish actions clearer than before. He understands that he has been used by them all along for they see him as a mere shadow. The fire blazed around them is society's norms that they follow. Therefore the underground cave resembles Gregor's life, in that he is a prisoner of society that once liberated goes through a confusion and reflection, and he finds truths that hurt him and lead him to his death.
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