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Existentialism In The Truman Show

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The struggle a someone can go through to test if they have control over their life, or to find out if their destiny has been decided can be shown throughout literature and film. In The Truman Show existentialism plays a big role into how this program is created. The Production of this film is simulated by tiny cameras placed secretly around a small town inside a dome. These cameras are used to follow around a man named Truman Burbank, and record his life. Essentially creating a popular T.V. show that is on 24/7. Since Truman in oblivious to the existence of his reality, he is experiencing existentialism. In The Truman show, director Peter Weir, expresses existentialism by showing us how Truman Burbank experiences isolation, the urge of craving …show more content…

He become bored with the life he is living and wants to give himself more purpose than he has. The first thing we find out right away is that Truman wants to leave the island he lives on to go visit fiji. This proves that Truman wants to go outside of his bubble and experience the world, which of course the directors can’t allow. We find out that he wants to leave so he can reunite with his true love, Sylvia. He believes that doing so will give his life more meaning. But that producers make all flights booked and block all trains from leaving. In doing so Truman has no way of escaping his world. Another way we see Truman seeking meaning is after Truman sees his dad several years after he has died. He is completely thrown off and immediately starts searching for the truth. He goes to talk to his closest friend Marlon and his mother to talk about what he has just seen. Truman is trying to find out the truth about what happened to his father that day many years ago and to try and find peace with his past. After a long talk both of the most important people in his life tell him he is crazy and is only using his imagination. This leaves Truman feeling completely confused and still in awe for meaning. He is overwhelmed with the feeling that his whole life is a lie and wants the

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