This article talks about the true importance of media and how aggressively it impacts the public. The public gets so caught up in a fake reality that they start believing it is true. The director of The Truman Show, Christof, proves this theory and creates a worldwide phenomenon that changes everything and also conflicts with many personal lives. Truman does not know how to live on his own because everyday he does the same routine, living with people who act the same exact way. There are no conflicts or change of scenery, making it hard for Truman to realize that everyone around is working against him. Truman has no way of knowing how to be any other person besides the person he was made up to me by the description Christof created for him. Buber portrays this speculation through his writing, I and Thou. There is only once consciousness and it is Truman’s, there needs to be some sort of fight through dialogue. There cannot only be life through one human being’s mind.
Marlon, played by Noah Emmerich, is Truman’s best friend in the movie. Although he maintains a close relationship with Truman, he is actually extremely disloyal and dishonest. Throughout the movie, Marlon goes along with every idea of the Truman show, whether it is morally good or bad. His dedication to the show often supersedes his faithfulness to his friend. He constantly finds himself lying to his so-called best friend, Truman, for the sake of the show. For example, Christof, the director of the show, is repeatedly in Marlon’s ear feeding him a script of what to say. In addition, Marlon, along with many other of Truman’s loved ones, leads a fake life to hide reality from him. He even convinces Truman to stay in Seahaven, despite knowing his desire to leave. Throughout the movie, Truman constantly confides in his friend about his unhappiness, but Marlon sacrifices his companion’s feelings for the good of the show. Marlon’s betrayal to his best friend depicts how much this show’s success really means to him.
This movie illustrates how reality can be perceived through several perspectives. Truman’s life was viewed from his standpoint, his loved ones’ perspectives, the show’s crews’ perspectives, and the audience’s perspective. This movie is also a good example of Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza’s theory of imagination and reason. Marlon is so infested into the movie that he sometimes forgets what is really going on. His imaginative life, living in The Truman Show, is now his own reality because it takes up all his mind power and strength. Marlon and Truman are best friends in the show but no one will ever know what Marlon’s reasoning was to put his best friend through this in the first place.
Chelsey Howarth
The Truman Show & Philosophy 