Plato's Cave

The Allegory of the Cave, also known as the Parable of the Cave, was written by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work The Republic. In the parable, Plato describes prisoners who have lived in a cave since childhood. They are chained so that they can only look at a wall where shadows of objects are projected. On this beach, where an old boat lies stranded in shallow waters, there is also Plato's Cave. In it, a group of prisoners have an imperfect perception of reality because they know nothing else. Every day, a group of young men work in the dark, damp holds of the ship. They use basic tools to tear out insulating foam and wooden planks so that the ship can be dismantled with blowtorches. For two weeks, they are stuck in the bowels of this iron monster, where the strong smell of naphtha mixes with the thick, suffocating heat. They receive a measly $130 for this work, which they must share among themselves.