Similarities Between The Allegory Of The Cave And The Great Gatsby

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Plato is one of the most familiar and commonly studied philosophers. His work is of the highest intelligence and full of thought-provoking attributes. Plato’s “Allegory Of The Cave” is perhaps one of the works most easily related to life. This allegory creates a sense of advancing into the “light” of understanding and knowledge.
The allegory tells of a person who is put into a cave at infancy and knows nothing except for the shadows that the bypassers project onto the wall. The person is blind to the knowledge of what is out “there” much like Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Jay is stuck in a romantic fantasy, which he devotes his life to. He often refers to a light he stares at across the bay. This light symbolizes the step that Jay needs to overcome in order to escape from his darkness and enter into the “light” of knowledge and understanding of his fantasy. If one, such as Jay, dwells in the presence of knowledge but refuses to gain it, then no good may be done.
The person in the cave is taken out and put into the world. The brightness of the sun is blinding to his eyes causing him to be blind to the “realities” …show more content…

The gift of knowledge and understanding would drive him crazy and he would pity the others in the cave. The others would not believe a word he said because they have never known anything but the shadows. This issue relates to Nick Carraway’s encounter and time with Jay in The Great Gatsby. When Nick met Jay, he had experienced a small portion of life and had experienced the “light” gaining an abundance of knowledge. As he spent time with Jay, who remained in the “cave”, slowly began to enter back into the darkness. Nick pitied Jay because he was missing out on so much simply because he would not let go of his fantasy which ultimately blocked out the “light”. You cannot pity one who refuses to advance into the light, for you will begin to lose your knowledge for the greater

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