The Human ConditionDeath does not surrender to science or rationality; therefore, some people resort to irrational behavior when faced with the fact that they may soon die. The fear of death, or more precisely the anxiety it arouses, can provoke various reactions. A number of people may seek support and comfort from loved ones while others may run away. These differences in behavior, fight or flight, are the result of a natural human response to fear. Fear affects many people daily, through fear of failure, fear of rejection or fear of death. This fear can lead some people to work harder, conquer their fear and overcome it; however, this anxiety that accompanies fear can cause others to give in to it. Fear is a very powerful emotion that has the ability to make some people prisoners of their own bodies. Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” tells the story of prisoners chained in a cave unable to move. People in society who are chained by fear are a lot like the prisoners in Plato's cave. Additionally, the prisoners are forced to see the shadows that appear on the cave wall in front of them. Because of the chains, prisoners cannot move their heads to see behind them; therefore, the prisoners believe that the shadows in the cave are a reality. This story helps recognize that many people can accept these chains by giving in to fear, thus never achieving true enlightenment. These “prisoners of fear” may fail to reach their true potential due to fear of failure; therefore, fear will keep a vast majority of people chained to thankless and unfulfilling lives. Through the characters Carter Chambers and Edward Cole, Rob Reiner suggests the different ways in which fear can act as a chain in his film The Bucket List,...... middle of paper ...... rather than a fear of failure. Fear of intimacy involves people's refusal to open up and reveal themselves; as a result, many people fail to experience all that life has to offer and never fully discover their purpose. Fear of commitment is very different from fear of intimacy; two people can be married or friends for years and never know each other emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually (quote). These fears of intimacy in Carters life acted as chains that prevented Carter from maintaining a successful marriage with any of his four wives and/or a thriving relationship with his daughter. When Carter and Edward prepare to jump out of a plane, near the middle of the film, Carter states that he failed in his four marriages because he loved being married but loved being single..