Thus, Plato employs this analogy to explain his theory of knowledge. .
The author describes a cavernous and dark place, an underground den inhabited by prisoners which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; there they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above them a fire is blazing at a distance walkway [] (Plato). Along this walkway is a low wall, behind which people walk carrying objects including figures of men and animals made of wood, stone and other materials. In this way, the walking people are compared to puppeteers and the wall to the screen over which puppeteers display their puppets. Since these walking people are behind the wall on the walkway, their bodies do not cast shadows on the wall faced by the prisoners, but the objects they carry do. The prisoners cannot see any of this behind them, being only able to view the shadows cast upon the wall in front of them. There are also echoes off the shadowed wall of sounds the people walking on the road sometimes make, which the prisoners falsely believe are caused by the shadows (Plato). In the allegory, Plato contemplates the self-release of one of the prisoners and ponders on the plausible actions this prisoner may undertake. The author provides the reader with a few assumptions as to how the prisoner would feel and react once he is unchained. Supposing he is forced to stand on his feet, turn his head from the wall, walk towards the light and finally leave the cave in order to see what lies in the exterior, the prisoner will have to undergo a difficult and painful path, given that he has never used his muscles before nor his eyes, for he has lived all his life in the shadows. Once he is outside the cave, it will take him some time to elucidate the figures that appear before him.
