Truman Show Modernism

The concept of watching the ideal society of Seahaven entices viewers because it feeds into their idea of paradise. Bill Nichols speaks to this idealistic concept as he says, “Ideology uses the fabrication of images and the processes of representation to persuade us that how things are is how things ought to be” (Bill Nichols). By crafting a kind of utopia within the city, Christof evokes as much curiosity and desire as possible from the show’s viewers. As the characters wear certain things and act in certain ways, people are led to believe that that is an ideal way of life. They are offered a “Truman Catalogue” and other products to give them an even more personalized experience with the show (The Truman Show). Over time, their lives are so

The entire premise of the show is Truman’s journey to question and eventually escape the controlled world in which he lives. In reality, the controlled world that we inhabit is controlled not by one man named Christof, but rather social norms and ideology. Meaning is collective in this sense. This can be illustrated by two examples, the first being the painting by René Magritte of a picture of a pipe with the words underneath that say, “This is not a pipe.” The picture unsettles viewers because it clearly shows the signifier of a pipe and it is what everyone has been told is a pipe yet the text underneath counters these sentiments. The second example is a book titled Frindle in which one boy invents the word “frindle” to describe a pencil. At first, he is seen as crazy and his new word has no meaning but as the book progresses and others buy into it, frindle becomes pencil. This same idea parallels the show—everyone needs to buy into the show in order for it to be successful. Cristof tells his viewing audience that the reason why Truman has never figured out the premise of the show is because, “We accept the reality which with we are presented.” Truman begins to realize the truth about his life when he becomes aware of the simulacra informing his daily life: the “radio” narrates his whereabouts; the “elevator” has no backing on it because it is a control room; and the “rain” follows him on the