The Truman Show: Nihilism

783 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Human behavior in the human show

“The Truman Show” was an interesting movie that had many important aspects that relate to the philosopher of Nietzsche. In this film, God is represented by Christof, which is played by Ed Harris (“The Truman Show”). Christof overshadows the townspeople of Seahaven, Florida, which is a make believe town located in an archeological dome in Hollywood (“The Truman Show”). Before describing God further in detail, he is watching over not only the dozens of actors apart of the Truman Show but also Truman himself. Truman Burbank, played by Jim Carrey is represented as the human being in this film (“The Truman Show”). Throughout the film, there were several notable points, where the truth about Truman being apart of a live broadcast shown worldwide were known; however, the ending chapter of the movie exemplifies who …show more content…

The statement that “God is Dead” does not refer to the meaning that God has died, but comes to the conclusion that there is a decline in religion, rise in atheism, and an absence of a higher moral authority present in society (“God Is Dead”). Hence, these three factors concur that “God Is Dead” relates to nihilism. According to Soccio, nihilism “refers to the belief that the universe lacks objective meaning and purpose” (470). When referring to “God is Dead” in the Truman Show, the world in which Truman lives in, mocks this theory. Even though there is a God figure in the film, Christof does not exemplify the true characteristics of what it is to be God. Some characteristics of God, include the following: wisdom, infinitude, sovereignty, holiness, trinity, omniscience, and faithfulness (“Attributes of God”). As Christof displays some of these characteristics, he uses them in the wrong way. Christof was not God because he does NOT give free will to Truman in the movie because he grants him limitations. One of the major limitations that he

Show More
Related

  • The Truman Show vs. the Giver

    1576 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the major differences between the film and the novel is the depiction of the delusional image of reality. However, it still manages to bring forth the dystopian image of both their Utopian societies. In The Truman Show, life is a real life play in an environment that provides comfortable lifestyle and happiness at the cost of reality. The producer of The Truman Show, Christof states, “We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented”. This message is the underlying theme in the story and as such, will foreshadow Truman’s acceptance of a delusional reality in the film. Meanwhile, in the film everyone except for Truman is acting and not living an authentic life. There is no sense of “real”; no real affinity, no secrecy, and no faith, all of which Truman is blindly unawar...

    Read More

  • Parallels Between The Truman Show and Plato's Allegory of the Cave

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie, 'The Truman Show' is about a reality television show that has been created to document the life of a man who, adopted at birth by a television network, is tricked into believing that his life, his reality, is normal and the environment that he lives is real. It is set in a town called Seahaven, which is essentially a simulation of the real world similar enough to the outside world that the viewing audience can relate to it. The town is a television studio inside an enormous dome in which the weather, the sun, the sky, and all the actions of the citizens are directed by a team of special effects people. The entire show is directed and produced by the creator of the show, Christof. Truman Burbank, the star of the show, is the only one who doesn't know that he lives in a giant studio and is surrounded by an illusion of reality. The entire world watches Truman's movements twenty four hours a day, seven days a week through the use of thousands of miniature hidden cameras.

    Read More

  • Manipulation In The Truman Show

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the most interesting features about today’s media is that it connects many individuals in perplexingly short amounts of time. Through constant streaming, society has become extremely vulnerable by allowing themselves to be engrossed by the presented reality. The outcome is unsuspecting citizens that are mentally deformed by the adverse lies told to them. Gary Shteyngart exploits this reality through his successful novel, Super Sad True Love Story (2010) in which he creates a fictional world focusing on consumerism and commercialism. This fictive work creates an environment of secrecy in which the government actively displays more cover-ups and less controversial activity. Similarly, but to a much larger extent, Peter Weir’s film The Truman Show (1998) presents a city consisting of theatrical illusions surrounded by

    Read More

  • Examples Of Existentialism In The Truman Show

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine what it would be like to live in a "Perfect" world. "The Truman Show" is a movie where Truman Burbank is born and raised in a television set. His family and friends are all actors. His life is all being controlled and directed by Christof. He is being recorded and watched by millions of people 24/7. This movie is also known to give examples of existentialism such as, existence precedes essence, Truman being given a purpose by Chirstof, , fear, Truman comes to the realization and goes mad, and freedom, when Truman makes his own decisions.

    Read More

  • The Truman Show Philosophy Essay

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    Truman, the main character of “The Truman Show” exists on the set of a television show,

    Read More

  • Identity In The Truman Show

    380 Words  | 1 Pages

    In The Truman Show, Omnicam Corporation selects and adopts Truman Burbank out of six of the unwanted newborns to star in a show, directed by Christof. The Truman Show broadcasts Truman's life which he initially is not aware of. The town of Seahaven is a television set enclosed, with built in special effects and is populated by actors making it realistic. As Truman begins to clue in on the show, his life begins to unravel. Unable to escape the set of Seahaven, Truman begins to search for the answers and goes on a quest to discover the truth about his identity. The central theme of The Truman Show is identity, which is clearly shown through Truman’s character development, the movie’s setting and . Curiosity can be

    Read More

  • Welcome to the Modernist Truman Show

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Truman Show, two worlds exist: the controlled society that exists in a giant bubble, and the unpredictable "outside world" that Truman only finds out about at the end of the film. Essentially, these two worlds of the film are respectively synonymous with 'real' society and the fro...

    Read More

  • The Truman Show Analysis

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Truman displays great zeal for life like a lunatic, but he discovers that his life was not real. He then goes on, with the same, undying fanaticism to investigate the living hell that was once his happy life. In his methods, he embodies the Socratic virtues of courage and temperance as he lunges forth like a great tiger somewhere in Africa. He then finds wisdom by realizing the truth, and deciding to leave the comfortable fake-world for the uncertain real world. The cast lacks the courage and the wisdom to tell Truman the truth, the director has all three but in all the wrong ways, and the audience lacks the wisdom to know that by not watching the show they free Truman, lacks the temperance for indulging on the show every day, and lacks the courage to do something more productive with their lives in the time they spend watching the Truman Show. The audience chooses to live in that world over their own, and some grow enough obsession to delude themselves by favoring Truman’s world and living as if they are on the

    Read More

  • The Five Ethical Principles Of 'The Truman Show'

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is believed that when conducting research, all scientist should have the consent of whom they are researching on. The American Psychological Association has therefore adopted a set of five ethical guidelines that are to be followed when conducting any sort of research, whether it may be small or big. The five principles are, beneficence and nonmaleficence, fidelity and responsibility, integrity, justice, respect for people's rights and dignity. These principles are essential when it comes to conducting research or experimenting because it allows the people to know what is going on around then and what the purpose of the research is. In the short film, The Truman Show, none of these principles were followed and it caused a great deal of devastation towards the main character, Truman.

    Read More

  • The Truman Show and Behavioral Psychology: Why a Utopian World is Unattainable

    2008 Words  | 5 Pages

    For centuries, man has dreamt of constructing pristine simulated worlds , existing in a separate sphere from our imperfect reality. From the town of Pullman, a company town south of Chicago to Disney World, attempts to force Utopia have failed, falling prey to the complications of people’s personal desires. The Truman Show, directed by Peter Weir, tells us the story of The Truman Show, an elaborate reality show built around the control of one man’s life. Christof, the director, has created an entire living city for Truman, the star of his show, and the only one not in on this whole elaborate fakery. Essentially, Truman is living his life in the simulation of a flawless, archetypal American town, for the entertainment of millions of viewers around the world. Christof, along with countless others obsessed with the idea of controlling part of the world to fit their visions of an ideal reality, have deluded themselves into thinking fictional utopias can exist apart from the undeniable constraints of reality. Their fundamental flaw lies in relying on the assumptions of psychological behaviorism, and the belief that they could perfectly condition the behavior of the inhabitants follow the goals of the community.

    Read More

  • Truman's Perception Of Truth In The Truman Show Directed By Peter Weir

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    First, it depends on the very same question what is truth or what is true to you or me. Truman’s perception of the world around him in the giant dome is his truth, because that is all he has known his entire life. He has spent 29 years in that dome in which other people had a hand in making his life what they want it to be. His perception or his truth of reality is actually someone else's idea of what his life or reality should be. Everything in his life was calculated, everything was pre-planned, and arranged, so other people watching the show on T.V. become entertained by the false reality of Truman’s life. It’s not till later we see Truman question his truth of reality when he starts noticing things around his life are not what they appear to be, his reality begins to get shattered. Truman curiosity to find the truth sets in motion a series of events in which he takes a chance and gives beyond his threshold to figure out his

    Read More

  • Creation Myth In The Film 'The Truman Show'

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Truman Show” directed by Peter Weir is a movie depicting Truman Burbank, the main character, played by Jim Carrey who does not realize his every move from birth is being captured by hidden cameras as part of a 24/7 television show. Christof, the creator of the show, literally controls Truman’s world and mind which essentially has given him a false sense of reality. “The Truman Show” is a creation myth. “Creation myths are stories about the creation or re-creation of the cosmos, the world, the gods, and man.” (Dr. Gill, Canvas) It will now be explained how “The Truman Show” resembles a creation myth.

    Read More

  • The Meaning of Freedom Depicted in the Movie, The Truman Show

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Truman Show, Truman discovered the meaning of freedom and broke away from all the lies and machinations and became truly free. He made one of the toughest decisions to leave behind his old life and start a new life on his own terms. Life is full of tough choices but it is better to choose for yourself and live with the consequences than have someone else decide your life for you.

    Read More

  • Truman Show Mise En Scene Analysis

    1935 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thus, when he saw a light fall from the sky and he heard the director’s voice on the radio, Truman began to become suspicious. He remembered Lauren, an actress who had told him that it was just a TV show and so, he went to find her. He travelled across the sea, talked to Christof and then climbed a flight of stairs in the sky, escaping into the outside world. Unbeknownst to him, Truman Burbank's whole life has been the subject of a hugely popular 24-hour-per-day television show entitled “The Truman Show” (Propagandee, 2012).

    Read More

  • Criticism In The Truman Show By Peter Weir

    1656 Words  | 4 Pages

    In director Peter Weir's The Truman Show, the audience is brought into the world of Truman Burbank, where every moment, act and conversation is staged. Every aspect of Truman's world is aware of the artificiality of this 'universe', everybody, except for Truman. Truman is at the centre of a world-wide television reality show which documents his every moment, twenty-four hours a day and he has absolutely no idea.

    Read More

More about The Truman Show: Nihilism

Open Document