Reality: the Matrix and Truman

Reality is always manipulated by the authorities throughout the world. This is no different in two particular movies, “The Truman Show” and “The Matrix”. So how do we know what reality is? How can we tell the difference between reality and a ‘Fake’ world? “Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” (Morpheus, The Matrix). In both film texts there are a number of authorities who manipulate the reality of the world in order to maintain their control over the world.

The authorities in The Truman show include: Christof (Being the most important), The producers, Meryl and Marlon, Other cast members and the viewing Audience (Least Important). “We accept the reality of the world in which we are presented” (Christof). In other words if we believe the false world to be real, we will slowly begin to forget what reality is and accept that false world created. The authorities manipulated what Truman’s life was like and the people who were allowed into his. They did this to have a long lasting television program. There were a number of time throughout the film when manipulation occurs. For example when Truman was in the travel agency wanting to book a holiday to Fiji and the advisor tells him that there are no flights out of Seahaven (The name of the town in which Truman lives) for the next month. Another, when Truman picks up the newspaper and on the front page the headline reads “Seahaven, The safest and best location in the world”. This reinforces the constant message to him not to travel, that Seahaven is the best place for him to be. Although there are many other ways that Trumans life is manipulated to keep him in the dome in which he was trapped for a good part of his life they are done to manipulate him. Even though right at the end of the movie, he walks out of the dome and becomes the authority of his life.

This is much the same in The Matrix, Thomas Anderson or Neo (The One) is manipulated into belieiving a false reality by the Artificial Inteligence ( The main authority), (A.I), then there comes the Agents who try to keep people from realizing the truth about the false world to help the A.I keep on living. Then along comes Morpheus who says to Neo “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in wonderland and I show you how deep this rabbit hole goes”. Neo takes the red pill and soon realizes what reality is. The Oracle had told Neo that he would be faced with a situation, to save his own life or to save Morpheus. Neo changes reality and saves Morpheus as well as himself and defeat the agents and walking out of the matrix being able to stop bullets. All he had to do was listen to Morpheus when he said “Let it all go Neo. Fear, doubt and disbelief. Free your mind”

Why is reality manipulated in both of the above film texts? It is manipulated for a different reason in each film. Truman’s reality is manipulated to create a television program that people (The viewing audience) are hooked on and don’t want to stop watching because it is so good. Christof’s final words to Truman right before he walks out of the dome and to the real world “I know you better then you know yourself. You’re afraid, that’s why you can’t leave, it’s okay Truman, I understand. I have been watching you your whole life, I was watching when you were born, I was watching when you took your first step, I watched you on your first day of school, the episode when you lost your first tooth. You can’t leave Truman you belong here, with me” In which Truman replies “In case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight”

Reality in The Matrix is manipulated to create an energy source for the A.I that is why everyone in the matrix doesn’t know it but in reality they are hooked up to a mind control machine that keeps them in a deep sleep until they realize that the world they live in is actually fake. As Agent Smith says “Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through suffering and misery. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this: the peak of your civilization.”

Therefore reality is manipulated to create something completely different within both film texts even if they do end in a similar way. Meaning the main character that is being manipulated takes control of their life and changes the course of reality. With the help of a few people along the way, it becomes easier and reality turns out to be the complete opposite of what they have being lead to believe. If both Truman and Neo just sat in a chair and thought about what reality really could be and didn’t do anything about it, the authorities against them finding out the truth would have one the battle and Truman and Neo would still be sitting in that chair not knowing the difference. Instead they got up out of the chair and found out what reality really is.