Caves

In literature, caves are often symbols of repressed memories and truths, knowledge and ideas that hidden below the surface of apparent reality, such as the true brutalities of slavery that the public ignores, as in this novel. Also, Victor’s discovery of Kevin within a cave, and subsequent emergence from the cave also recalls, as a metaphor, Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” In Plato’s ancient allegory, he suggested that human beings – as symbols – could be understood as prisoners who are chained to the group, facing a wall. Behind them, according to Plato’s vision, there would be a wall, a group of puppeteers performing behind the wall, and a fire behind them that projected the shadows of the puppeteers on the wall in front of the prisoners. Given that the prisoners have always faced the same wall and are enchained, they have no awareness...