He stood in some pain and was dazed and confused by the bright light of the fire. He would struggle to adapt to his new vision of the environment. He would quickly realize that the shadows he saw on the walls were not the real objects. Plato suggests that if the prisoner was led to the entrance of the cave he would have to struggle up the steep, jagged rocks to get out of the cave. This journey out of the prisoner's cave is the new philosopher's journey to enlightenment. Just like the freed prisoner, the new philosopher struggles to accommodate his new worldview. It's a painful process to think in new ways. This is clearly represented in the ascent out of the cave up the steep, jagged rock