Why Caves and Trans Allegories Will Get You Through 'The Matrix' Saga

What makes The Matrix saga fascinating is the symbolism of caves and trans allegories

Semoy Booker

January 25, 2022

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is a Womb

As many Matrix fans have noticed, the Matrix imprisonment of its hosts to trick them into thinking the virtual reality simulation is real is inspired by Plato’s allegory of the cave. While the Matrix is a cave that keeps people in the dark from knowing their real world is overrun by machines; there’s a deeper meaning behind the Matrix. For example, in Latin “Matrix” means womb. Wombs are like vulvas that symbolize caves, and ironically, Neo left one cave to enter another one: the city of Zion which is connected through caves and tunnels.

Neo in the first Matrix film wakes up covered in fluid from a human pod trans allegories — Neo wakes up from the human pod

And, People have Orgies in these Caves

Those who have seen The Matrix (1999), but never bothered to watch the rest of the sequels because of the inductive reason that sequels aren’t as good as the originals- or it might not have the trans allegory in the first film, are missing out on a very sexy scene in Reloaded (2003). It’s late, the music is loud, people are dancing (seductively), and bodies are getting wet, what better to have a trans allegory than a sexual liberation party in a cave?

Scene from Matrix: Reloaded of everyone dancing in a dim light cave trans allegories — The rave in The Matrix: Reloaded

Of Course, We Have a Rain Fight Scene in the Final Trilogy

Is it, purification? A new beginning? Is this the moment when two best friends discover they’ve longed for each other all this … oh, wait, this is two guys fighting in the rain. Don’t be disappointed, Agent Smith’s queer fixation on Neo doesn’t end in Revolutions but continues in Resurrections… spoilers. Why is Agent Smith’s obsession with Neo a queer fixation? In this scene, Agent Smith doesn’t want to destroy Neo, but wants him to be a part of him (his ability to assimilate people to look like him). This is also, another trans allegory of Neo reaching his fullest power, after being assimilated, leaving one body to another.

Neo and Agent Smith surronded by the other agents fighting in the rain trans allegories — Neo and Agent Smith fighting in The Matrix: Revolutions

And, We’re Back like that Backstreet Song, that’s why it’s called ‘Resurrections’

Bugs from resurrections, gif of her arm with white rabbit, short blue hair and Neo. She is trans allegory — Jessica Henwick as Bugs

As the title of the film suggests, some characters that, we thought, were long gone are brought back to life. Not only does Neo have a new force-shield power (as if flying weren’t enough) we have a new character that has caught viewers’ eyes, Bugs. Bugs played by Jessica Henwick has a unique look of blue hair and sunglasses, not to mention when fighting she’s the least one being beaten down (hardly any scratches on her). As far as trans allegories, the name Bugs many people suspect comes from Bugs Bunny, who is considered to be a gender-fluid character. And in case you were wondering, Neo “still knows kung fu”.