The parable: Analogy of illusion and reality in “The Iceman Cometh”

Abstract

The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O’Neill has a linear structure of a journey from illusion to reality and back again to illusion. Carefully considered, The Iceman Cometh is a parable analogous to the famous parable of “The Simile of the Cave” in Plato’s Republic. The parable, which is about the nature of reality and man’s relationship to it, describes the human condition as identical to with that of a group of prisoners chained to wall in a cave. Outside of the cave, in the clear light of the sun, lies reality. Plato then describes how painful it would be for the prisoners to face reality, if they were set free.