Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” are connected in that both stories have this theme of being trapped. In “Allegory of the Cave”, the prisoners have been trapped in this cave for so long that it is literally the only thing in the world that is real to them. They have no conception of the outside world. Even when one of the prisoners escaped and saw what the world really looked like, the rest of the prisoners didn’t believe him because they have been trapped in this cave so long. This compares well to Gregor’s situation because toward the end of “The Metamorphosis”, Gregor accepts the fact that he is trapped in a roach’s body and there isn’t anything that he can do about it at that point. ” ‘What now?’ wondered Gregor, and looked around in the dark. He soon made the discovery he could no longer move. It seemed inexplicable that he had been able to get as far as he had on his frail little legs. Otherwise, he felt as well as could be expected.” (pg.239). It is clear that Gregor has accepted the reality that he will be trapped as a cockroach forever.
-Muneeb Khan
3 responses so far ↓
j.morreale // Apr 7th 2017 at 1:05 am
i can definitely see where you connect the two stories. Muneeb said “both stories have this theme of being trapped.” I like the way he described this since it did seem at different points in each story the character does seem to be trapped. The prisoners were trapped in the cave while Gregor became trapped as a cockroach forever. Even though they were both trapped, they were trapped in different ways. Gregor is becoming trapped as a cockroach and this is after Gregor had experienced the real world. The prisoners in the cave however were not able to see the real world except for the one prisoner who escaped. When that prisoner escaped anyway and told everybody what the real world was like they did not believe him anyway. At least Gregor was able to experience the real world where as for the majority of the prisoners they were not able to experience what the real world looks like.
j.yatcha // Apr 7th 2017 at 11:12 am
It is glaringly evident to me that both the “Metamorphosis” and Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” are deeply entrenched in the meaning of change in the human society. Both authors would agree that people generally dislike and fear change. In the “Metamorphosis” “Gregors only concern had been to devote everything he had in order to allow his family to forget as quickly as possible the business misfortune which had brought them all into a complete state of hopelessness.” Once Gregors was no longer devoted to this goal his family panicked. Gregor as a bug, this was change, and change is un predictable, people can’t handle unpredictable. In the allegory of the cave, similarly, those who never left the cave would not know the wonders of the outside world. They are happy and safe where they are and don’t intend on changing any of that being as people enjoy predictability. The cave is safe, we don’t know about the outside world.
j.guzman3 // Apr 7th 2017 at 11:33 am
Jorge,Jamie,Muneeb
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In the allegory of the cave, Upon being freed the prisoner comes back to inform the others about his new found knowledge but do to conformity and the safety of sticking to what they know they are not receptive to the prisoners new knowledge. This relate to Plato, as well as Greger because generally they are both like the prisoner that has been freed, for they had learned new knowledge and tried to tell his peers but they are not receptive to him in the case of Plato. As for Gregor, it is evident that he has had a realization by the way in which he smirks upon understanding that he now needs help from his. “H]e felt very proud that he had been able to provide such a life in so nice an apartment for his parents and his sister. But what now if all the peace, the comfort, the contentment were to come to a horrible end?”
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