The Truman Show was Right
We accept the reality of the world we are presented
“The Truman Show” is one of those weird little movies that’s hard to forget.
Jim Carrey is Truman Burbank, a numbingly average Joe who doesn’t realize that his entire life is a reality TV show.
A cast of actors fills the roles of those closest to him while his hometown is a meticulously crafted set, and a team of writers and producers control everything including the weather. It’s one part “Matrix,” another part “Falling Down,” and all parts dark, caustic commentary on our society.
“The best way to Keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he’s in prison.” - Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Truman Show has aged like fine wine. Like Plato’s “The Cave” in Book Seven of “The Republic” it only becomes more relevant with time.
How sure are you that you don’t live in a Truman Show-like society?
If you've seen the movie, Truman starts noticing things that are "off" about the people and situations in his life, and he starts examining everything even more critically, even the most mundane things.
But let's face it, no one really thinks an entire town is watching and manipulating our every move like Truman's world. Right? ...Right?! NSA type of monitoring I can understand, but cameras and actors all over the place seem a little far-fetched.
So why does the symbolism of "The Truman Show" resonate?
It's because it has a term: Gnosticism.
Gnosticism is the fundamental belief that the world of ideas, creativity, and spirituality is inherently superior to that of the material world and that the purpose of life is to break free from the physical world.
“The Matrix,” “Truman Show,” and the “Da Vinci Code”—you're always attempting to enlighten yourself, to get out of the cave.
But truth is a pathless land. It's rarely easy.
It's what Kierkegaard referred to as the second level of existence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard#Stage_two:_ethical
what Alchemists call: Nigredo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigredo
or what Christians could call: Theosis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis_(Eastern_Christian_theology)
Truman wants to find the true nature of reality no matter how depressing it is.
Ordinary people don't expect the mainstream media, the products they buy, or the medicines they take to be a method of manipulating and controlling them - but they are, and it’s what the modern fight feels like.
Was it worth Truman breaking out of The Matrix?
This is the deepest question “The Truman Show” asks.
Truman fights tooth and nail to break out of his manufactured reality. It’s hell. He has to face what psychologist Carl Jung would call his “Shadow:”
He has to get over his fear of water, even though he’s watched his father drown.
He has to leave his comfortable life behind, even though it seems like everything and everyone is trying to keep him there.
He has to confront Christof (Ed Harris), the all-powerful, all-seeing God of his world. Ed Harris must like roles like this because he plays the same guy in “Snowpiercer”
Here is something crucial the Gnostics get wrong: the “breaking out” dynamic. Breaking out of the system doesn't mean you're free. It means you're in the desert where dozens of other principalities and systems exist.
It’s like, okay, so you’re “free.”
What’s next? What principality dictates your life? Money? Love? Goodness?
What Truman finds when he opens that door at the end is not Ed Harris. He escapes the monotonous life of a reality TV star and is now thrust into a wild, uncertain world. You don’t get to leave society behind. You break out of the system to reintegrate with it as a changed person—and, ostensibly, better that system.
The final scene
The final scene is the viewers, at home, witnessing the epic journey of a slave breaking free of his chains and becoming his own man. And what do they do? They change the channel to see what else is on. It’s fucking brilliant.
At its most surface level it’s commentary on people’s attention span and our need for constant entertainment. But it’s also a subtle reminder that the answer to a deeper, more meaningful life doesn't matter to everyone.
Do you want to be happy or do you want a meaningful life?
It isn’t self-evident that you get the first by pursuing the second.
Who knows. Maybe Earth is a reality TV show for aliens? “Asians, bears, ducks, Jews, deer, and Hispanics all trying to live side by side on one planet.” It's great!
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It’s amazing how many thoughts and ideas in my head you’ve arranged into a coherent article! You’re absolutely right that when you break out of the system, “you’re in the desert where other principalities and systems exist” - and this is where I believe the case for the necessity of God lies.
Essentially Truman Show is about the quest for Self Sovereignty and the choices we make that lead us to deeper self-knowledge. The opposite being, "blissful ignorance." Most will choose the latter. But it's still a choice. The former brings with it the burden of responsibility but as we bitcoiners say "once seen, it can never be unseen. " Unlike similar analogous narratives like 1984 for instance, Truman Show is hopeful. And hope, is the weapon of choice on every heroes journey.