Truman: “Who are you?”

Christof: “I am the Creator…of a television show that gives hope and joy and inspiration to millions.

Truman: “Then who am I?”

Christof: “You’re the star.”

This pivotal conversation between Truman and Christof, demonstrates the power of rhetoric which enables a tyrant or in this case a “director” to assume full control over a person through a series of persuasive lies. Cristoff responds to Truman’s questions with alluring deceit, suggesting that people depend on The Truman Show for “hope and joy and inspiration” making it seem as though Christof and the creation of the show have positively enhanced the world, when in actuality, the show has effectively robbed the freedom, privacy and life of a man for the sole purpose of entertainment and high tv ratings. Cristoff also incorrectly labels Truman as a “star”, a word that normally implies positive connotations, instead of what he truly is: a hopeless victim of oppression and falsehoods. All Truman is searching for is the truth and is once again provided with misleading answers used to deter him from reality.

Charlotte Gelfand