The Truman Show

The Truman Show shows us just how influential and powerful the media network may come to be. Not only is Truman at the center of a dystopian society, but those viewing his show are glued to the television, addicted to its constant stimulation. It seems that now in both "The Truman Show" and the actual film itself, media is taking over the role of God. It has started to 'orchestrate' the lives of its subjects. The media dictates how people act, think, dress, eat, buy, etc. We are beginning to lose control of the independence that makes us autonomous individuals. With the spread and discovery of scientific knowledge, it is thought that we are able to act more independently and face decisions more knowledgeably. What is not taken into account, however, is the counter influence of media which may help to spread knowledge but is also able to influence people's perceptions. Slowly, our entire community may lose individual autonomy and just be the subjects and products of a supreme power (which would be the private corporation(s) running our television industry).

In a way, however, this may seem like the perfect world. Even though you never make your own decisions, in a situation like Truman's, the world revolves around you. I believe this film is commenting on the selfishness of our society and our obsession with 'things' and personal gain. Everything in Truman's life goes smoothly and perfectly, he need not make any difficult decisions, and he never gets hurt. At what cost though? Truman has absolutely no control over his life and when he is forced to question reality, he is not equipped with any questioning and reasoning skills that everyone else is able to develop over the course of their lives in the "real world".

What I think is most interesting is the fact that at the end of the movie, everyone is happy for Truman when he escapes the television set. This seems hypocritical because here we have an entire population watching Truman and using his life as entertainment, but at the end of the day, they don't agree with how he has been treated this whole time. This is a reflection of our society which is so consumed with our own personal entertainment, that we do not even consider the means it takes to obtain and produce this entertainment.

It is only when Truman starts to uncover the truth (or lie) about his life that the actors begin to show remorse. While none break character around Truman, the audience (both us and those watching "The Truman Show") can recognize and detect genuine concern and feelings for Truman. There is a significant difference between how Truman and Hannah interact and how Truman and Sylvia interact. It is the same as how you can tell the difference between good and bad acting, but it does make the audience question what is real and what is not in the same way Truman must decide which "reality" is the right one.