The Truman Show - Movie Review Example

Truman’s Show

Introduction

Life can be meaningless if people don’t have a purpose to live for. Socrates, in his statement, that the unexamined world is not worth living is a true example of this belief. Socrates chose to die than to be exiled. He had been given a purpose which he couldn’t be able to accomplish if he was exiled from Elenchus(Altorf 26). Truman, on the other hand, had a purpose for life but the captivity by Christof made him not achieve his purpose, but upon escaping and rowing a boat, he was able to beat his fear for water.

A life in captivity is not living as you have to remain confined against your will. Truman is not happy being locked in a room where he lives a fake life. His life is miserable as he loses his father, but the producer still keeps him locked in one location. Sylvia tells Truman that his life is fake. Socrates was not willing to be confined away from Elenchus where his purpose lay, so he chose to continue to examine the statement by Pythia about Socrates being the wisest person in his afterlife (Altorf 24).

Truman was also not ready to continue living in a fake world where he was watched and not happy. He chose to improvise a way to escape from his room and row away. He breaks free from the captivity that had bound him (Knox 15). In the scene where Truman’s father reappears and is dragged away from the scene is an eye-opener for Truman as he clears sees that his father was not dead. Truman had been made to believe that all he was real and happening but that changes after he realizes that nothing was trues.

Truman, just like Socrates, wanted to explore more about life and not just remain exiled or locked up as nothing would be achieved when someone was locked up. Socrates saw that he would waste his life without having a purpose and would eventually die without finding the meaning of the statement by Pythia. Truman wants to marry Sylvia, and he ends up trying to escape to go to Fiji, where he believed Sylvia had moved to. Sylvia, in the movie, starts a campaign of free Truman (Altorf 25).

Truman’s ordeals in the movie depict the immoral act of the director Mr Christof by locking Truman in the room. The producers of the show are wrong for discouraging Truman from leaving the town or even travelling as they try to confine him in Seahaven. The producer's act of instilling fear into Truman to make him not seek to explore the world is not moral or even noble as they even make him aquaphobic(Knox).

Trying to lock someone in a place without their will or being any justified reason for doing so is wrong. According to the contractarianism theory, the social contract doesn't allow the confinement of someone against their will (Metz 58). Truman is locked up in his room and barred from leaving despite him having the right to freedom to live anywhere in the country. Truman is a victim of the wrong acts of Christof who is bound to making Truman’s life unbearable for him. The moral theory doesn’t allow for confinement of free citizens or members of the society if they haven’t done anything wrong. Socrates knew that these people who were trying to exile him didn’t know what his purpose meant to him. For someone to choose to die rather than be exiled, they must be committed to examining their purpose.

The Right based theory describes that some actions may be wrong or right, depending on how they affect the moral rights of individuals (Metz 49). People are entitled to live their lives freely and be able to choose what steps to take in their lives. Truman was not granted his wishes as he was just controlled around like a puppet being denied his real life and only being given an artificial life which didn't have danger. Socrates wants to explore life more and make meaning out of it. The authorities didn’t want him to continue his research as he was a nuisance to them; they failed to understand that he too was a member of the society and wouldn’t be exiled. Socrates choice of being killed rather than live a meaningless life where he wouldn’t explore and learn more.

Socrates was a philosopher and a religious person who believed in the afterlife; therefore, he was willing to die and continue his search for a purpose in a world where he would not be exiled or confined. Truman relates well with Socrates as he too was willing to die than to remain confined by Christof. He struggled back to his feet when Christof tried to sink him using a manmade storm. Truman proves that the life of confinement was not meaningful, as all you had to do was sit there and let someone control how you live your life (Metz 49).

Truman’s show has scenes which don’t seem to be true as Truman’s father is dead but yet he reenters the stage a thing which makes the show seem to be falsified even making Truman suspicious of the reality of his life. The show’s director tries to decide whom Truman falls in love with even though it is not possible to make someone marry someone they do not love. Christof tries to make Truman marry Meryl, whom he isn't interested in, the marriage between them fails as Truman is seen making a picture of Sylvia whom he loves. It is not right to remove someone from the show because they have found love with the person they aren’t intended to fall in love with. It is not moral to choose a wife for someone as they are willing to choose someone who makes them happy as long as their choice doesn’t harm others (Bender).

The Truman show is a good replica of the statement by Socrates a life with restrictions is not a life someone would choose to live. No one likes being enslaved by another as it defies someone’s purpose of living. Socrates explained this theory when he was being tried and given two options to choose from. He chose death as it would hasten the finding of his purpose as in exile, he would be far away from finding his purpose. Death at times may hasten the pathway of concluding the purpose of our lives. Socrates choice was a well-thought choice as he would be able to avoid being imprisoned and struggling to find the meaning of Pythias statement (Altorf 12).

Life in confinement may get unbearable as the person may desire to find another place to move to. All his life Truman was confined in a room in sea haven where he was supposed to spend all his life. Socrates was from Elenchus but exiling him would make him desire to come back after some time, but that wasn't possible. Truman was made to desire to move around like everyone else and explore the world outside his sea haven home. He desires to go to Fiji to look for Sylvia, whom he had been informed had relocated there. He recreates Sylvia’s picture from magazines a thing which makes him want to attain the freedom to tour the world with Sylvia the love of his life. Sylvia makes him realize that his life was just fake, and he needed to seek more if he had to live a better and comfortable life which would be found outside the show (Knox 12).

Christof’s perspective of Truman was that he needed to be controlled and to do as he was told for his life to be bearable. Christof was of the perspective that Truman would be in danger if he ever left Seahaven as he would drown. He spends his life trying to control Truman and even makes decisions on his behalf. Truman proves to him that he was not meant to be fooled and confined as he was clever than anyone else. This is seen in the scene where Truman makes a representation of him in the corridor sleeping and records himself snoring and runs away(Knox 1). He can walk out of the restricted area and is free at last to explore life beyond Seahaven. The film Truman show is a good representation of how an unexamined life is not worthy of being lived. Truman, like Socrates, makes a decision that changes their lives. The two gentlemen were exposed to the reality of life, and they sought to make their lives better.

Conclusion

Truman was not happy being confined by Christof in the show. This made him seek ways of escaping from this slavery which he had known all his life. Christoff makes a mistake by informing Truman of Sylvia relocating to Fiji as it makes him crave to be free and explore Fiji and the rest of the world. Socrates too wasn’t willing to be exiled as it would be meaningless for him to live without a purpose. The moral theories and epistemic theories describe what is right and what is wrong and what is true and what is false. It was wrong to confine Truman and restrict his movement outside of Seahaven, and consequently, it was wrong to make Truman Aqua phobic to confine him. The life of Truman was fake, and therefore he sought to find a meaningful life which he had a purpose of living and freedom to explore the world.

The Right based theory describes that some actions may be wrong or right, depending on how they affect the moral rights of individuals (Metz 49). People are entitled to live their lives freely and be able to choose what steps to take in their lives. Truman was not granted his wishes as he was just controlled around like a puppet being denied his real life and only being given an artificial life which didn't have danger. Socrates wants to explore life more and make meaning out of it. The authorities didn’t want him to continue his research as he was a nuisance to them; they failed to understand that he too was a member of the society and wouldn’t be exiled. Socrates choice of being killed rather than live a meaningless life where he wouldn’t explore and learn more.

Socrates was a philosopher and a religious person who believed in the afterlife; therefore, he was willing to die and continue his search for a purpose in a world where he would not be exiled or confined. Truman relates well with Socrates as he too was willing to die than to remain confined by Christof. He struggled back to his feet when Christof tried to sink him using a manmade storm. Truman proves that the life of confinement was not meaningful, as all you had to do was sit there and let someone control how you live your life (Metz 49).

Truman’s show has scenes which don’t seem to be true as Truman’s father is dead but yet he reenters the stage a thing which makes the show seem to be falsified even making Truman suspicious of the reality of his life. The show’s director tries to decide whom Truman falls in love with even though it is not possible to make someone marry someone they do not love. Christof tries to make Truman marry Meryl, whom he isn't interested in, the marriage between them fails as Truman is seen making a picture of Sylvia whom he loves. It is not right to remove someone from the show because they have found love with the person they aren’t intended to fall in love with. It is not moral to choose a wife for someone as they are willing to choose someone who makes them happy as long as their choice doesn’t harm others (Bender).

The Truman show is a good replica of the statement by Socrates a life with restrictions is not a life someone would choose to live. No one likes being enslaved by another as it defies someone’s purpose of living. Socrates explained this theory when he was being tried and given two options to choose from. He chose death as it would hasten the finding of his purpose as in exile, he would be far away from finding his purpose. Death at times may hasten the pathway of concluding the purpose of our lives. Socrates choice was a well-thought choice as he would be able to avoid being imprisoned and struggling to find the meaning of Pythias statement (Altorf 12).

Life in confinement may get unbearable as the person may desire to find another place to move to. All his life Truman was confined in a room in sea haven where he was supposed to spend all his life. Socrates was from Elenchus but exiling him would make him desire to come back after some time, but that wasn't possible. Truman was made to desire to move around like everyone else and explore the world outside his sea haven home. He desires to go to Fiji to look for Sylvia, whom he had been informed had relocated there. He recreates Sylvia’s picture from magazines a thing which makes him want to attain the freedom to tour the world with Sylvia the love of his life. Read More