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The modern Platonic vision in "The Movie
House" is a sad tragedy where people are living inside
a house, and don't know anything about the world outside.
The only "shadow" of the real world they have, are movies.
Each day everyone in the house gathers to watch movies
that have been filmed in the real world; westerns, classics,
sex movies, etc. But the house has a secret. It is full
of doors, locked doors that have not been opened before.
No one questions them, or are curious of them, since they've
always been locked. But there is also a mythological and
mystical notion of a "key". No one believes in its existence
either, but then one day a bright and curious young fellow
decides that the key might be real, and that a key can
be made.
Kiley walked over to the
door, studied it, tried to handle, and then turned to
me and said eagerly, his bright blue eyes wide and excited:/
... "Why don't we open it,
Dorey?"
... "What?"
... "I said, why don't we open
the locked door?"
...
"Kiley, Kile," I said patiently, "the door is locked."
... "I know. But we could open
it."
... "How?"
... "With a key?"
... "A what?"
... "A key, Dorey-a key!"
... "Bless your heart, Kiley,
there is no such thing as a key."
... "But there must be."
... "No, Kiley, there is not.
A locked door is a locked door, and nothing can change
that."
... "But a key could."
... "Kiley, I told you that
there is no such thing as a key. I know that the word
exists, but it is only a symbol, a metaphysical symbol.
I may not be a particularly devout man, Kiley, but I have
always been on the side of religion, and I don't think
that anyone will doubt my dedication to the religious
establishment. Nevertheless, I must state that metaphysics
is one thing and reality is something entirely different.
I tell you flatly that a key is like a miracle. We talk
of them, some even believe in them; but I have never found
anyone who has ever seen one. Do you understand?"
... Kiley nodded slowly.
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