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Social Barriers In The Truman Show

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The Truman Show is a 1998 film directed by Peter Weir, and using countless hidden messages, warns the modern society against the power of the media and reality television. The movie stars Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, who is unknowingly broadcasted on a live, 24/7 television show. Having been chosen out of six unwanted pregnancies, Truman was adopted and raised in Seahaven, an artificial island enclosed in a large dome, but does not know this. To keep his show successful, the director and creator of Seahaven, Christof, manufactures various physical, emotional and social barriers that confine Truman. The barriers are representations of the manipulation the media in our world implements for personal gain. In the movie, Christof uses many physical …show more content…

As previously mentioned, Truman is incredibly attached to the people close to him, which prevents him from leaving Seahaven. “...and the last thing I’d ever do is lie to you,” Marlon, Truman’s childhood friend, says to him when they talk shortly after Meryl’s breakdown. Marlon, whose lines are being fed by Christof, assures Truman there is no reason to be suspicious, and if there is anything that is going on, he is not a part of it. Marlon tells Truman that he has travelled everywhere but Seahaven is the perfect place to be and there should be no reason to want to leave. Meanwhile, Meryl takes a different approach and tries to talk Truman out of every place he considers going. In many instances, she tends to act more like a mother than a wife with her constant scolding. "What? We're just going to walk away from our financial obligations?” Meryl says, to remind Truman that moving away is a complicated process. Seahaven is a secure and comfortable place; an illusionary paradise, which Christof uses in an attempt to confine Truman. However, Christof is not the only person to blame - the actors that play Truman’s family and friends carry out Christof’s manipulation to gain their own money and fame. This is like many people in the real world, who do things for personal gain without thinking about the

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