"The allegory of the cave"

              In the Allegory of the Cave there is great symbolism. The characters in the book are all chained together in a cave. The cave is supposed to symbolize the world of which perceive and the chains symbolize the beliefs that bind us together. In the story the people chained together can not see anything but shadows brought to them by fire. The shadows are illusions created for us by others and the fire is the source if power behind the illusions. In the story there is also the sun and a rugged ascent out of the cave. The sun is to be the source of real life and the ascent out of the cave is the pathway to the real world.
            The philosophical meaning of Socrates' story is to broaden your horizons and seek out further knowledge. He wanted to enlighten people to break away from the basic norms that they were confined to and learn more about philosophy.