Is the Truman Show a true man show?

Summary

 Since birth, Truman Burbank is the star of a live show but he has no idea that 5000 cameras are filming his entire life 24/7. In fact, the place where he lives, Seahaven Island, is a giant television studio monitored by Christof, the producer.

He starts questioning his life when a camera light falls in front of his house. From this point, Truman notices many strange things going on. For instance, his father who drowned years ago, appears in front of him as a hobo. When he share his worries with his mother, his friend Marlon and his wife Meryl, all of them quickly dismiss him, saying he is just paranoid. From this point, his goal is to get out of Seahaven by every mean. The production team succeeds in preventing him from escaping but one night, Truman disappears. Christof decides to “turn the sun on” to find his as soon as possible. He is ready to kill Truman if needed to keep him from the real world so when the production team finds him on a boat in the middle of the “ocean”, he creates a storm. It doesn’t weaken Truman’s determination. But the latter’s trip comes to an end when he reaches the walls of the studio. He discovers that the sky is as fake as his life. Christof then introduces himself – as a voice only – and tries one last time to persuade Truman to stay away from the dangerous outside world but he refuses.

He greets his “world” along with his viewers before stepping off the set. His viewers applaud him and change the channel.

In the movie, this quote is his catchphrase.

Truman, a product of determinism?

If Truman is a contraction of “true” and “man”, we can ask ourselves if Truman really does exist. After all, his whole life is fake, everything is decided, constructed by Christof, his destiny has already been traced. Christof  defines himself as the Creator, and indeed, when he introduced himself to Truman, he appears as a voice from above, like a God.

“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.”

Not only is Truman a product made by Christof, but he also doesn’t belong to himself. He is the “star” of million viewers.

And what would be the meaning of this kind of life?

But then again, Christof explains it himself: “while the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there's nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isn't always Shakespeare, but it's genuine. It's a life.” While living in a fake world, Truman’s every reaction are genuine. Besides, in the end, it is impossible for the production team to control him and Truman confirms it.

“Christof: I know you better than you know yourself.

Truman: You never had a camera in my head!”

An apology of freedom

The movie is almost an allegory of the cave. Truman lives in a fake world but slowly becomes conscious of the fakeness of his surroundings. He discovers that another world exists past the walls of the studio and he wants to discover all of this by himself. Even though he knows that the outside world is dangerous, he prefers to be able to choose for himself, to decide his every action and take responsibility for himself. He wants to be a being-for-itself, if we have a sartrian analyze of this movie.

Humans are being-for-themselves by definition because “existence precedes essence”. Humans are not definable because they are not finite. They are much more than all the adjectives one can use to describe someone. Truman wants to be a human who is not only the star of a show but also a human who can make choices for himself, who can constantly define and redefine himself. Since humans must by definition make choices, humans are “condemned to be free”. Humans cannot rely on others or on God.

By wanting Truman to be a marionette which does not have his own will, which he can control as much as he wants, and even kill if he wants to, Christof reduces him to a being-in-itself. In other words, he reduces him to an object that is not conscious, neither active nor passive.

“Network Executive: For God's sake, Chris! The whole world is watching. We can't let him die in front of a live audience!

Christof: He was born in front of a live audience.”

In the end, by wanting to be a kind of God in Truman’s life, Christof denies himself and turns out to be a “business man”, to quote Kierkegaard’s expression. His life has no meaning without the Truman show. Even when the show was still playing, we can see that people don’t really care about the show. Television, rather than the show, is what is important to people.

“Garage Attendant: [the Truman Show has ceased transmission] What else is on?

Garage Attendant: Yeah, let's see what else is on.

Garage Attendant: Where's the TV guide?”

Truman is a hero who conquered his freedom while Christof’s actions are criticized. It seems that the only life worth living is the real life, one that is genuine. At the same time, the movie denounces the futility of watching the television, something that is not real nor meaningful.

“Truman: Was nothing real?

Christof: You were real. That's what made you so good to watch...”