Compare And Contrast The Truman Show And The Allegory Of The Cave

The Truman Show and Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” both provide a great example of what humans perceive as truth and reality. They portray the fact that humans assume that wherever they find themselves presently is the real world regardless of their lives only being as it presents to them. The Truman Show introduces the film’s protagonist, Truman Burbank, as a man trapped in a alternate reality he perceives as his actual reality. The Allegory of the Cave is a symbol for the contrasts between ideas and what humans perceive as reality. The Allegory of the Cave is an enlightening philosophical work that portrays people as sponges that only know as much as they are told. It shows the effects of education and the lack of it in human nature. Plato’s main concept presented in the allegory is that people see reality as the visible world presented in front of them — or in this instance — placed in front of the flame. He begins with the assumption that if a group of prisoners have their necks and hands chained down in a cave, they would be unable to see behind themselves, which would reveal the person working the show
The show’s creator and executive producer Christof is able to capture Truman’s real emotions and human behavior when put in certain situations, making Truman a type of pawn in a game he doesn’t know he is even playing. Truman’s hometown of Seahaven is a giant set built under a giant dome in the Los Angeles area. His family and friends are all played by actors, allowing Christof to control every aspect of Truman’s life. Every aspect of his life is comparable to the images casting shadows onto the cave wall for the chained people to view as