Symbolism In The Truman Show

As an unwanted baby at birth, Truman Burbank was adopted by Omnicom Media Corporation and delivered into the artificial world of Sea Haven, where perfectly fictitious community with actors, sets, and props. His friends, family, coworkers, and even his wife were actors and over five thousand cameras have been focused on Truman and broadcasted to worldly audience of billions. Until he recognized that everything was predestined for him and put all pieces in a bigger picture, the illusion blinded his eyes. There were several exposed and hidden symbolisms that had emerged in this movie. First, the name of the Truman Burbank describes Truth for man and Bur, which meant prickly and bank, described money and power, so this contradictory two words made Truman as a paradoxical main character who has a possibility to be a good or bad. Also, the name of the show’s producer, Christof, is very similar to Christ. Truman Show also alludes to Christof’s identity and desire as God. Moreover, he coordinates the Truman Show from his booth up in the moon since the moon is a metaphor the home of the creator of mankind in mythology so that he secretly aspired to be a creator of the world and got applause from people. The viewers are looking into the looking glass, TV, but he watches everything from another dimension, from “above.” In Christianity, Satan’s sin was overly pride and desire to rebel against God and Satan put himself in the place of God as he said “I will ascend above the heights of