PRACTICE ESSAY

Sartre vs. Plato Comparison

     Actions are how we judge people. What they do, what they say, and what they think are how we determine their character and make our judgments towards them. In No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre and The Allegory of the Cave by Plato we can infer a great deal about the characters by how they react to their situations.The prisoner who escaped in The Allegory of the Cave became enlightened and sought a true reality. Let's say that this "prisoner" belonged a family that he didn't fit into. This family had no desire for knowledge or outer compassion. This character was very different from the rest of his family and he felt that he could do more with his life. What would he do in this situation?

     As seen in the Allegory, the one prisoner has the courage to venture into the unknown or as Robert Frost would put it, took the road less traveled by. In the situation of the unfit family this prisoner would choose to take a different path. He would allow himself to be different and seek a different life rather than live the life he was expected to live. Since this prisoner sees more to life he would become an outsider within his family. They won't understand and they won't be willing to listen to his reasons for wanting a better life. He won't be able to go back to his old life. As Plato says "Yes, he would prefer any fate to such a life.". His response reflects the philosophy of Plato. Plato believed that many people would settle for a false reality and those who broke knowledge boundaries would discover a true reality. Plato would encourage the prisoner to search for a different life and discover a life that he wanted to have.

     Estelle from No Exit would choose a different path from the enlightened prisoner. Estelle would choose to stay in the situation and ignore the things that were wrong with it. She will do anything to convince herself that she is satisfied and allows herself to deep down stay angry and un-enlightened. She will accept her inner tortures rather than logically try to leave the situation. Sartre used a variety of characters to display a dark humor sense of tone. While Estelle was miserable, she came up with ways to make that misery livable.

     Both Plato and Sartre use their respective characters to show the path to enlightenment. Some characters like the escaped prisoner will become successful while others like Estelle will be forever locked in their own minds and never accept a true reality. The two writers really represent the dichotomy that society faces. To leave the comfort zone or stay. To understand the world around you or live in it blindly.