Ong Jing Yi 1102884

How is The Matrix fits monomyth and the Plato’s allegory of the caves?

In monomyth, the first stage, departure, the hero begins his journey in an ordinary world first and receives a call to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. Same in the Matrix, Neo is restless, eager and driven to learn the meaning of cryptic references to the "Matrix" appearing on his computer. In the second stage, initiation, Neo was trying to adapt to the ideal world since there are differences between ideal world and the real world. In the third stage, return, Neo knows that the knowledge and experiences he had gain are useful to the world so he decides to live in both worlds.

In the Matrix, within the person of the virtual world, it is a non-substantial pattern of the world, it is reflective of the real world, it is a shadow in its form. Like the prisoners in the cave, those who are prisoners in the system of matrix are held in their calm state by reason of the illusion that stimulates them and tricks them into remaining asleep or rather into being ignorant of the fact that they are prisoners in pads .

The shadows on the wall which are reflective, is to keep the prisoners on the Cave unaware of the fact that they are prisoners, that they are under bondage and have never truly seen life outside of the Cave. The shadows on the walls are by puppets .They could be seen as the agents, whom within the Matrix being programs are to maintain that the humans asleep in the matrix keeping man actively ignorant of what is truly happening, so they never wake up the puppets which are seen on the wall to keep the mind of the prisoners stimulated so they never realize that they are chained, they are blind to see broader perspectives.

In the Cave, some Light, the fire which cast the shadows of the puppets on the walls. This Light can be seen as a small aspect of the Truth.It can be said, that there is Truth beyond the illusion, as its source is the Light. In the Matrix, the difference is that people are the Light of the matrix since they created it.

The prisoner who lives in the cave, comes into the sun and their eyes are blinded by the light. The same can be seen when Neo first came out of the matrix and said “my eyes. I can't see.” In the Cave, the prisoners never used their eyes truly; they were always in the darkness where they could not see behind themselves to see what the source of the shadows was.

When said prisoner returns to the Cave his eyes have to readjust to the illusions of the cave, since it is much darker there. The same can be seen in perception when Neo first comes back into the matrix, has to come to terms with the fact that his whole life in there was lie. When this prisoner who has seen outside of the cave attempts to tell the prisoners of course no one believes him, they have never seen it before, so it relative to their experiences, from which side they see truth. In the Matrix no one would believe that they are in a computer programmed to keep them sleep.