Blog 3: The Matrix Analysis

                In the movie The Matrix, the audience is exposed to the idea of an alternate reality. This sort of “reality” goes completely against the lifestyle we have as humans today, where machines are the primary existence and the earth is a nuclear wasteland.  Similar to the Matrix’s action based movie, Plato’s Allegory of The Cave possesses the same and very famous argument. “Is ignorance really bliss?”

            Unlike today’s perspective of reality, the movie The Matrix takes a little turn on events. Instead of the “real world” being what an average person’s lifestyle would look like (composed of going to work, spending time with friends, and doing things on a routinely basis), the movie tries to get the viewer to believe that this (The Matrix) world is actually a non-existent one.  Implying that the Matrix is a simple façade, used to cloak the true world for what it really is. Although the “real world” in the movie is a world filled with never ending battles of man versus machine for cinematic purposes, it isn’t hard to miss the true intent behind it all: “If given a choice, would you prefer to live in the comfort of a lie or face the truth despite your losses?” This same question is further emphasized in certain scenes and lines from the script of the movie like:  

“MORPHEUS Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

NEO:How?

MORPHEUS: Hold out your hands.

In Neo's right hand, Morpheus drops a red pill.

MORPHEUS: This is your last chance. After this, there is no going back.

In his left, a blue pill.

MORPHEUS :You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe.

The pills in his open hands are reflected in the glasses.

MORPHEUS:You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

Neo feels the smooth skin of the capsules, with the moisture growing in his palms.

MORPHEUS :Remember that all I am offering is the truth. Nothing more. “

As quoted in the lines above, Morpheus (The heroin’s mentor) uses the pills to symbolize just how hard decision making in these situations can be. He offers Neo (heroin), nothing but the truth in exchange for his bravery. Unlike many people in today’s world, Neo chooses the hard way and prefers to fight for the truth, even if that means sacrificing himself for others.

            Plato further portrays the same puzzling decision in his Allegory of The Cave, where three prisoners are confined to a cave facing a blank wall with a blazing fire behind them. The shadows cast by the fire on the wall before them is the closest to reality the prisoner’s ever get to see, and because of this they begin to identify with the shadows as they would with real people. Therefore creating their own sort of reality made up of shadows within the caves walls. In the text, one of the prisoners come loose of the chains and faces the painful rays of the sun. With the sun directly hitting him, the prisoner comes to the painful realization that the shadows are actually not real people and when trying to tell this to the other prisoner’s, they prefer to disregard his cries of pain. As opposed to The Matrix’s Neo, but still upholding the same idea, Plato’s texts depicts how sometimes people would much rather live in the comforts they have known and trusted all along than face the blinding truth because they don’t just don’t know what the possibilities might be. Unlike the Matrix, the prisoners were not given a choice and were forced into a lie, therefore leading to their ultimate demise. As quoted by Socrates in Plato’s allegory of the cave; "True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?"

            Unfortunately, even the wise words of Plato and modern adaptations of it in movies like The Matrix can’t give us the answer we are all looking for in the troubling question. Even though a person might agree with Neo and feel that facing the truth is the right thing to do, or might side with the prisoners and feel that if they don’t remain ignorant they will become isolated. Like both, the prisoners in the cave and Neo, the answer is simply what you make of it.