The Old Man in the Cave
Encyclopedia
"The Old Man in the Cave" is a half-hour episode of the original version
of The Twilight Zone
. It is set in a post-apocalyptic
1974, ten years after a nuclear holocaust
in the United States
. The episode is a cautionary tale about humanity's greed and the danger of questioning one's faith in forces greater than oneself.
has devastated the US, the townspeople have discovered a supply of canned food. However, they are waiting for Mr. Goldsmith to return with a message from the mysterious and unseen "old man in the cave" who will tell them whether the food is contaminated with radiation
. Some of the townsfolk want to take their chances and eat the food, but they refrain from doing so after seeing the disastrous harvest yielded when they failed to take the old man's advice about which farming areas were contaminated. When Mr. Goldsmith, the town's leader, returns, he informs them that the old man has declared the food contaminated and that it should be destroyed.
Shortly thereafter, a group of soldiers enter the town, led by Major French, and clash with Goldsmith as they try to establish their authority. The soldiers may or may not be representatives of the US government; Goldsmith claims that wandering packs of self-styled military men have previously intruded on the town and tried to establish authority -- all unsuccessfully. French, meanwhile, reveals that there are maybe 500 people left alive between Buffalo, New York
and Atlanta, Georgia
, and also talks of small, isolated primitive societies on the shores of Lake Erie
and in "what used to be" Chicago
. His job, he clams, is to "organize" the region, presumably so that society can be rebuilt. However, Goldsmith believes that French and his men simply want to strip the town of its food.
A clash of wills ensues. Frustrated by Goldsmith's quiet but steadfast refusal to bend, French tries to dispel the townspeople's strange beliefs about the seemingly infallible old man in the cave and take control of the area. After being bullied and threatened with his life, Goldsmith finally opens the cave door and it is ultimately revealed that in reality, the townsfolk have been listening to a computer the whole time. In a fit of rage at being deceived, the people of the town destroy the computer and eat the canned goods it claimed were contaminated. However, as Mr. Goldsmith had insisted, the "old man" was correct; without an authority figure to tell them which foods are safe, the entire human population of the town (including the soldiers) die horribly — except for the lone survivor, Mr. Goldsmith.
world presented in the episode, humanity has destroyed itself, but does so again through "greed, desire and faithlessness". It is thus a warning not to ignore faith, which often serves an important purpose in society. The events in the episode show that myths and beliefs are often based on fact or necessity, as is the case with the "old man" who, despite being a computer, was ultimately keeping his "followers" alive. According to Valerie Barr of Hofstra University
, it also "turns the usual notion of overreliance on technology on its head" by suggesting an interdependence with machines when it is revealed that a man-made computer has been keeping the townspeople alive. A suggested learning plan accompanying this episode for the SyFy Channel
's participation in Cable in the Classroom
provides a platform for exploring ideas about war, faith, and the question of whether humans control computers or vice-versa.
Film critic Andrew Sarris
noted in his review of "Time Enough at Last
" that, at the time The Twilight Zone was produced, depicting an atom bomb explosion or its aftermath on network television would likely have been prohibited if it had been "couched in a more realistic format". Hence, in both this episode and "The Shelter
", Serling makes a point of noting that the story is intended to be fictional, particularly given both are set in the United States
.
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
. It is set in a post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
1974, ten years after a nuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust refers to the possibility of the near complete annihilation of human civilization by nuclear warfare. Under such a scenario, all or most of the Earth is made uninhabitable by nuclear weapons in future world wars....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The episode is a cautionary tale about humanity's greed and the danger of questioning one's faith in forces greater than oneself.
Synopsis
In a sparsely populated town, ten years after a nuclear warNuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
has devastated the US, the townspeople have discovered a supply of canned food. However, they are waiting for Mr. Goldsmith to return with a message from the mysterious and unseen "old man in the cave" who will tell them whether the food is contaminated with radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
. Some of the townsfolk want to take their chances and eat the food, but they refrain from doing so after seeing the disastrous harvest yielded when they failed to take the old man's advice about which farming areas were contaminated. When Mr. Goldsmith, the town's leader, returns, he informs them that the old man has declared the food contaminated and that it should be destroyed.
Shortly thereafter, a group of soldiers enter the town, led by Major French, and clash with Goldsmith as they try to establish their authority. The soldiers may or may not be representatives of the US government; Goldsmith claims that wandering packs of self-styled military men have previously intruded on the town and tried to establish authority -- all unsuccessfully. French, meanwhile, reveals that there are maybe 500 people left alive between Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and also talks of small, isolated primitive societies on the shores of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
and in "what used to be" Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. His job, he clams, is to "organize" the region, presumably so that society can be rebuilt. However, Goldsmith believes that French and his men simply want to strip the town of its food.
A clash of wills ensues. Frustrated by Goldsmith's quiet but steadfast refusal to bend, French tries to dispel the townspeople's strange beliefs about the seemingly infallible old man in the cave and take control of the area. After being bullied and threatened with his life, Goldsmith finally opens the cave door and it is ultimately revealed that in reality, the townsfolk have been listening to a computer the whole time. In a fit of rage at being deceived, the people of the town destroy the computer and eat the canned goods it claimed were contaminated. However, as Mr. Goldsmith had insisted, the "old man" was correct; without an authority figure to tell them which foods are safe, the entire human population of the town (including the soldiers) die horribly — except for the lone survivor, Mr. Goldsmith.
Episode notes
In the post-apocalypticApocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
world presented in the episode, humanity has destroyed itself, but does so again through "greed, desire and faithlessness". It is thus a warning not to ignore faith, which often serves an important purpose in society. The events in the episode show that myths and beliefs are often based on fact or necessity, as is the case with the "old man" who, despite being a computer, was ultimately keeping his "followers" alive. According to Valerie Barr of Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
, it also "turns the usual notion of overreliance on technology on its head" by suggesting an interdependence with machines when it is revealed that a man-made computer has been keeping the townspeople alive. A suggested learning plan accompanying this episode for the SyFy Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
's participation in Cable in the Classroom
Cable in the Classroom
Cable in the Classroom is an American organization that assists the cable television industry in providing educational content to schools. The organization was founded in 1989...
provides a platform for exploring ideas about war, faith, and the question of whether humans control computers or vice-versa.
Film critic Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris is an American film critic and a leading proponent of the auteur theory of criticism.-Career:Sarris is generally credited with popularizing the auteur theory in the U.S...
noted in his review of "Time Enough at Last
Time Enough at Last
"Time Enough at Last" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It was adapted from a short story by Lyn Venable , which had been published in the January 1953 edition of the science fiction magazine If: Worlds of Science Fiction...
" that, at the time The Twilight Zone was produced, depicting an atom bomb explosion or its aftermath on network television would likely have been prohibited if it had been "couched in a more realistic format". Hence, in both this episode and "The Shelter
The Shelter (The Twilight Zone)
"The Shelter" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:It is a typical evening in a typical suburban community. At the residence of physician Bill Stockton, he enjoys a birthday party being thrown for him by his wife Grace and their son Paul...
", Serling makes a point of noting that the story is intended to be fictional, particularly given both are set in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.