Anchors Aweigh

The second chapter of Waking Life introduces the boat-car driver and the stranger. 

Determinism 

The second passenger determines, at random, where the main character will exit the boat-car. This act brings into question free will, and whether each individual is capable of making their own decisions. Socrates subtly touches on this topic when he fabricates the 'myth of metals'. The myth describes a specific hierarchy in which the golds are leaders, "but the god, in fashioning the of you who are competent to rule, mixed god in at their birth" (415a), and are described by the term "guardians". These individuals do not execute their power in a manner that is expected by members of the 21st century, aside from laying down laws and maintaining peace, "Let them look out for the fairest place in the city for a military camp, from which they could most control those within, if anyone were not willing to obey the laws, and ward off those from without, if an enemy like a wolf should attack the flock" (415d), they "control those within". This  control is meant to preserve the happiness of the city, "They alone are masters of the occasion to govern it well and make it happy" (421a), yet to a great extent it limits the freedoms of the citizens through censorship, "It's appropriate for founders to know the models according to which the poets must tell their tales" (379a). The power of determinism that is placed upon the guardians extends to many parts of life in the city, from education to censorship, extending as far as deciding which people are allowed to live, "Will you set down a law in the city providing as well for an art of medicine such as we described along with an art of judging, which will care for those of your citizens who have good natures in body and soul; while those who haven't, they'll let die the ones whose bodies are such, and those whose souls are incurable, they themselves will kill?" (410a). And since it is decided who may live and who will die it is essential that who will be born will also be dictated, "There is a need for the best men to have intercourse as often as possible with the best women, and the revers for the most ordinary men with the most ordinary women" (459e).

To Socrates this determinism is essential in the "City in Speech" in order that the city function as well as possible. But observing the idea of the city from an external perspective it can be said that the inherent lack of freedom is unreasonable, that no person would give up their right to free will. This view is explicitly stated in Waking Life by several of the characters, yet it is also noted by Socrates when he describes how the city would come into being, "All those in the city who happen to be older than ten they will send out to the country; and taking over their children, they will rear them - far away from those dispositions they now have from their parents - in their own manners and laws that are such as we described before" (541a). This insight presented by both texts speaks to the notion that the city is impossible, not only due to circumstances but that no one would comply, let alone allow their freedoms to be taken in such a manner. 

Death and Reality

Chapter 5 of the film opens with a couple laying in bed. They begin to discuss the perception of reality, "how you often feel like you're observing your life from the perspective of an old woman about to die". Although short, this interaction begets the question of reality. In Book VII the idea of 'the cave' is introduced, "See human beings as though they were in an underground cave-like dwelling with its entrance, a ling one, open to the light across the whole width of the cave" (514a). The cave itself is a representation of an individuals perceived reality, "they are fixed, seeing only in front of them unable because of the bonds to turn their heads all the way around" (514a).

"So then six to twelve minutes of brain activity, I mean, that could be your whole life. I mean, you are that woman looking back over everything" (Waking Life) this quote brings into question the known. Socrates begins by specifying that the dwellers of the cave have been there, chained since birth, "They are in it from childhood" (514a) meaning that these human beings know only what is in the cave, "For in the first place, do you suppose such men would have seen anything of themselves and one another other than the shadows cast by the fire on the side of the cave facing them?" (515a). Although, "Such men would hold that the truth is nothing other than the shadows of artificial things" (515c), these beings know of their existence and know that their world is the cave, their perception of reality is not necessarily accurate, having been confined to one place or a singular way of life these people have no comparison and no way to know what is truly real. 

The discussion between the two characters in this chapter verbally addresses doubt. The act of questioning then discussing mimics the dialogue in The Republic, revealing that Waking Life, utilizes the socratic method in order to understand that which is impossible to grasp, again mimicking Socrate's quest for knowledge. 

Rotoscope.

Waking Life is a live action film that has been manually altered one frame at a time in a process known as rotoscoping. The process involves artists painting over the original images. Richard Linklater had some thirty artists involved in the process, each artist in turn added their own unique style to the film. This juxtaposition of varied styles, colors and movement creates the intentional affect of being in a dream.

The dream effect.

Much like the Wachowski sibling's trilogy, The Matrix, and Lewis Carol's, Alice Through the Looking Glass, the question of dreams and the definition of waking (real) life is brought into question. In the same way Book VII of The Republic brings into question the distinction between the real and the cave and how to discern one from the other. But unlike the previously mentioned literary works, Waking Life, physically attempts to express the dream/the cave vividly in a surreal way that reflects the nature of the cave which, "holds that the truth is nothing other than the shadows of artificial things" (515c), is nothing but a misconception of truth, ultimately an illusion preventing the discovery of truth.  This extensive contrast resembles the difference between what is within the cave and what is outside its confines, "Take a man who is released and suddenly compelled to stand up, to turn his neck around, to walk and look up towards the light; and who, moreover, in doing all this is in pain and because he is dazzled, is unable to make out those things whose shadow he saw before" (515d). The physical contrast emphasizes the stark difference between the "artificial" and the truth. As Socrates describes using Homers words, "'To be on the soil, a serf to another man, to a portionless man,' and to undergo anything whatsoever rather than to opine those things and live that way?" (516d), that humans who have savored life outside the cave, who have come to know truth, would rather suffer than return to the cave. 

The Philosopher

The main character, played by Wily Wiggins, is filmed having multiple encounters with a variety of individuals. To some degree he is representative of Socrates in the sense that he is searching for knowledge, he observes and attempts to understand. Though he may not be a philosopher in the sense that Socrates was, he imitates Socrates. To some degree, this character who remains unnamed, both facilitates and enable the majority of discussions, allowing the film to explore a fundamental question. Although the question is different, the pursuit for knowledge is identical.

This parallel is the first indicator of the close relationship between Richard Linklater's film and The Republic.