"Great spirits have always met the violent opposition of mediocre minds" (Albert Einstein). When faced with the inexplicable, people's visceral reactions often oscillate between fear and amazement, yet establishing the topic in terms of "otherness." Steven Millhauser's collection of short stories, The Knife Thrower and Other Stories, explores this realm of otherness in terms of familiar human emotions. The title character of "Kaspar Hauser Speaks" illustrates the struggle to tame great spirits (and the normalization of otherness) by mediocre minds in a plot that recalls a distorted reflection of Socrates' Allegory of the Cave. Various descriptions of Kaspar's life stages echo scenes of the cave dweller, although they are often tainted by social involvement. From existence within the cave, to painful exploration in transition, to the awe-inspiring desire to learn in the world of light, Kaspar is in many ways a reflection of the allegorical caveman. While Socrates illustrates the challenge of the first cave-dweller's progress towards the light and the opposition encountered upon his return to the cave, Millhauser highlights the plight of the last cave-dweller to enter the light and, in turn, the conflict against the rest of the "enlightened" society. In addition to mirroring the Allegory of the Cave, Millhauser's goal in writing this fictional tale is to ask: What is lost when one is removed from the cave and "civilized"? Is it worth it? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay “Is it possible for you…by the deepest, sincerest, and most prolonged effort of the imagination, to understand what it means to “have the sensations of a worm?” (Millhauser 204) Socrates creates a world in which all humanity is chained to the ground, constantly staring blankly at the shadows playing before them. This is what they were created to do and serve, the reality established by their creator he is "chained to the ground" and lives "in the darkness", but unlike the cave dwellers, he lives "without seeing light, nor face, nor voice" and "without even being able to feel the loss of these things" ( 203, 205). In stark contrast to the cave dwellers, Kaspar is guarded by a man he has never met but who comes to his prison at night to bring him a meager sustenance “creature that babbles incomprehensibly,” by human hands as a scientific experiment (201). Although this harsh, animalistic treatment appears cruel to the observer, Kaspar is in that moment "pleased, or if not pleased, then not displeased" (205). Although the isolation seems brutal in hindsight, Kaspar ignores his own self-image and is therefore blind to the negative aspects of comparing himself to his peers. In the darkness he knows only peace and neutrality, he desires nothing else because he, like a worm in existence, knows nothing else. “I knew nothing but terror and pain” (203). The transition from darkness to light is not without pain and challenges. Once Kaspar is forced out of the cave, he is exposed to rigorous and sometimes painful socialization/education. Like cave-dwellers newly exposed and subsequently blinded by the sun, Kaspar finds that "for many days, [he] could not bear the light...symbol of knowledge" because his "eyes burned" to the point that "when he looked away look, everything was white” (205, 207). Acclimatization and education in this new life prove challenging and disconcertingwhether it involves encountering a candle (the stick that "bit him"), seeing a landscape ("ugly! a word that [he] had recently been taught"), or a black hen (to which "terror caught" and he "tried to escape"), Kaspar embodies the difficulties of exposure to reality (203, 204). Both Kaspar and the cave's inhabitants are reluctant to see forms in the realm of enlightenment after having only known shadows. They long for the simplicity and familiarity of cave life, without immediately recognizing the benefits of knowledge and experience. Confusion, anger, fear and violence are the prevailing feelings surrounding Kaspar's first introduction into society. Still not recognizing enough reality to draw many connections, Kaspar maintains a neutral self-image. Although at this point he is unable to recognize a sense of self, Kaspar knows all too well the torture and difficulty of exiting the cave. “I liked looking up into the brightness” (203). After much effort (and pupil contraction), Kaspar and the caveman get used to the light and thus to learning. Objects become real, not simple shadows or puzzles. Kaspar, like the caveman, discovers a sense of wonder and fascination with the world, wanting to know more and experiencing “bursts of curiosity” (206). No longer a source of confusion, light and its reflection become entities to be looked at and appreciated. Finding that "bright and shiny objects pleased him" is a testament to Kaspar's admiration and pursuit of knowledge (204). Still just emerging from the black cave, he finds himself gazing with "childlike wonder as he [looks] at the star-filled night sky" (209). His desire to know and explore is insatiable. In stark contrast to life inside the cave and the transition into the light, actually being outside the cave presents a clearly positive (if brief) circumstance. Learning is fun, but at what point does acquiring knowledge spark boredom or, worse, cynicism? For the moment, life outside the cave is characterized by emotions and feelings of liberation, amazement, innocence and curiosity. Although he still lacks a defined self-image, Kaspar slowly recognizes his limits. Regardless, embrace truth and light: “Sometimes I stumble into a pit or well of sadness, a deep well, a long fall… there is no bottom, I look up and see faces peering down at me , unimaginably tall faces.” (202). While Socrates' allegory addresses the transition from the cave to the light in grave detail, describing darkness, confusion, and enlightenment, it neglects to explain the emotions surrounding the cave dweller's reflection on his past. Contentment and the desire to learn can only last for a limited time until one realizes the futility behind this pursuit of knowledge. Slowly connections begin to form; awareness is no longer desirable because along with it comes tiredness. Kaspar gradually begins to realize that even his leap forward towards civilization and away from himself is not enough to cover his "delicate swing", to control his facial contortions, to give him the "fluidity he desires" or the speed. its “unnatural slowness” (202). He discovers that this great advance over the drooling beast of his past is merely a "leap that leaves the bruise of [his] heels in [his] hips" and "even this leap is no more than a sign of [his] difference." ” (208). Rather than focus on all the progress he has made in his life, this “great spirit” is consumed by the knowledge that he is and can never be fully embraced by society. He feels as if his efforts have not achieved The" (209).