Plato's Allegory of the Cave

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SYM. Antithesis: A: Reality

"This is the construct. It is our loading program. We can load anything from clothing, to equipment, weapons, training simulations, anything we need."

Morpheus reveals the digital nature of the setting in the scene. It is the opposite of Neo's habitual belief of the substative "real" world: everything can simply be loaded.

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SYM. Antithesis: B: Appearance

"Your clothes are different. The plugs in your arms and head are gone. Your hair has changed."

Neo is seeing himself as such an image because has been programmed by the Matrix to believe what he perceives is true. However, the image is merely an illusory appearance of the reality, rather than the reality itself. In other words, Neo is confusing his Avatar with his true self.

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SYM. Antithesis: A: Appearance

"Two chairs appear in front of them, and Neo reaches out to touch one. He runs his hand along it's back."

The sudden appearance of the chairs indicates their illusionary nature. Neo is deceived by the appearance because he "reaches out to touch one", even though it is merely the output of a computer program that is projected into Neo's consciousness.

Of course, Neo's image himself is an appearance as well, as indicated previously. The only way he can make sure that he is a real existence rather than a program is by checking his thinking process and self-awareness. This is René Descartes's "Cogito ergo sum".

The Matrix is a thought experiment to convey the problem that everything that we perceive might be an illusion. Some other similar thought experiments are: Hillary Putnam's thought experiment of Brains in a vat and Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

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SEM. Control

"Morpheus changes the channel on the televison."

Morpheus could manipulate the reality of the television by changing the channel. This control process signifies the control (of the architect) over the Matrix. The channels of the television are like the programs of the Matrix: they are all created by a higher being, the former by men, the latter by the architect, and thus are both subject to the control of their creator. The creator of the Matrix, therefore, is going to be able to control the Matrix by coding its programs, just like controlling the television by changing the channel.

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SEM. New/one

"Neo"

Neo in latin means new. It's also an anagram of "one". Thomas Anderson, Neo's given name relates to 'doubting Thomas' in the bible when he doesn't believe he is the One. Anderson means 'son of man' which is a messianic title.

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SEM. Fashioner

"Morpheus"

Morpheus means the fashioner or molder, because of the shapes he calls up before the sleeper, in classical mythology. He is the god of dreams, which ties in with the sleep/dream theme that runs throughout the Matrix.

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