In the lecture preceding “Five Characters in Search of an Exit”, we learned about Plato’s philosophy of the two worlds. Plato asserted that we all live in two worlds: the intelligible and the sensible. The intelligible world is symbolized “upwards” and is characterized by liberation, thought, and creativity. The sensible world is that which is around us and perceivable through the five senses. In order to access the intelligible world, the liberating arts may be utilized.
Plato’s philosophy was exemplified in his allegory of the cave. He described those who live chained up inside of a cave (the sensible world), interpreting shadows as reality. They are truly only seeing a fragment of reality. The one who is liberated and exits the cave is able to perceive reality in its fullest, truest form. However, each is accustomed to their way of experiencing reality and the philosopher will face persecution and rejection if they attempt to liberate those in the cave.
We also discussed the parallels between Plato’s philosophy and the psychological concept of the conscious and unconscious. It can be understood that we each live in both worlds simultaneously. There is the conscious, or sensible, world we partake in tangibly, but there is also the unconscious, or intelligible, world we often visit in daydreams, ponderings, and creative ventures.
In “Five Characters in Search of an Exit”, there are a soldier, a clown, a bagpiper, a vagrant, and a ballerina stuck in what is seemingly a windowless, doorless, tube. The soldier desires strongly to leave while the other four are content with their current circumstances. The four agree to the soldier’s plans for escape, and when he makes it over the open ledge he lands unmoving in the snow. As the camera pans out, we realize the five are sentient toys in a donation bin.
The episode, in many ways, is a retelling of Plato’s allegory. The chained cave-dwellers (everyone except the soldier) are content with their limited vantage point of reality while the philosopher (the soldier) desires the full range of sight and understanding. In the end, the philosopher is liberated and cannot return to the cave-dwellers.
However, this episode can also be thought of through Rod Serling’s life experiences. He was a soldier in World War II and likely saw endless unnecessary violence and hatred, which was so starkly opposite to his sensitive, philosophical nature. Through this lens, Serling is the philosopher-soldier escaping the cave of war and war culture. The making of this episode can also be thought of as his passionate attempt to free the cave-dwellers that were 1950s American citizens, obsessed with McCarthyism and the persecution of perceived differences.
No ratings yet.
You must be logged in to rate this post.