Do Blog Entry 13: Describe a scene or incident in the Truman Show that you think particularly important for an understanding of it.

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Hi all:

Pick a scene or incident from The Truman Show.

Describe the scene or incident, and then say why you think it is important for our understanding of the meaning of TS.

See you...

Nick

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As Truman's father walked from the dock towards his son, I knew that something funky was going on in his head. First of all I would not think that if your father has been missing for the past twenty plus years, he would be rising from the sea and finding his way from the dock. Second of all, the fog started to come in out of no where. It was really dramatic and the whole setting seemed so... Well to state the obvious, fake, however a the time Truman was not able to pick this out. He was more distracted by the fact that his father has come back. Of course those little details would be ignored since he was very emotionally shocked by his fathers return. This scene also symbolizes how our emotions could be manipulated and reformed. Truman is an example on how the truth can be twisted and bent into what ever others want it to be. He was only allowed to believe from what others have taught him, sadly in this case all he learned was a lie. However, Truman never gave up as he slowly revealed the truths.

An important scene to me is the flashback scene when Truman is in college. During this scene, Truman sees and meets Sylvia for the first time. He gets the courage to ask her on a date instead of going to party with his "friends". Sylvia rushes Truman to the beach and tries to convince him that his life is a lie. She is stopped by Christof when he sends her so called father to go get her from the beach. During the struggle to get Sylvia away from Truman, she reveals that her real name is Lauren and he is the star of a T.V show. Truman is told that she is being taken to Fiji and is left with her red sweater with a pin that reads "How's it going to end?".

I feel this scene is important because it explains a lot about the movie and it is the first time that Truman gets an idea that he is living a life of lies. Although he may not realize it, from that point on, he spends his life searching for a way out of Seahaven. He wants to go to Fiji, which represents Sylvia and the farthest possible place from where he is now. This scene also explains why Truman buys the fashion magazine everymorning and why he spends so much tim in his basement. The scene provides a safe haven for Truman to go for when he wants to escape from his "reality". Without this scene Truman would not be able to make the connection between all the strange events that have been happening in his life and he would not be able to ultimately escape from his made up world.

One of the most important scenes in the movie, is the scene in which Truman expresses to Marlon his desire to go to Fiji. He shows Marlon the globe, puts his finger on the globe and points on the Fiji Islands saying, "FIJI. You can't get any further away before you start coming back". I think this scene is important because it is one of the first examples of Truman showing his desire to explore and leave, while actually having a definite destination. We later learn he wants to go to Fiji to find Sylvia. But, this idea of going to Fiji is more symbolic than simply going to find Sylvia. It symbolizes his desire to go far away as possible, he does not want to simply just go away, he wants to go as far as he can. In a sense this also explains a little bit about Trumans character as someone who wants to push limits, to discover, and in terms of the movie; discover the truth. His desire to go far as way as possible, reflects his personality to push things to their breaking point. For example when he does all of his zany antics to try and figure out what is going on around him like slapping the guys butt on the ladder, driving in circles, and watching people in his car. Trumans desire to go the farthest place possible is a symbol of his own desires and beliefs that he is going to do whatever it takes to find the truth. Truman wanting to go to Fiji is evidence of his desire to find the truth and his willingness to go any length to reach it. The Fiji scene lets us know what kind of character Truman is, as it shows how far he is willing to go to find the truth.

I believe one of the most pivotal turning points in the movie is the scene right after Truman has his flashback from the time he met and had Sylvia taken away from him. He is going on his daily routine of going to work when all of a sudden his car radio sporadically begins to flip channels unveiling a hidden radio station that is monitoring every movement that he is making. From there on out he starts picking up hints from his own town where he had grown up and lived in for almost the past 30 years. He notices things like that there is nothing behind the second elevator, to where he is able to stop the cars in a god like manner. He then soon starts putting together pieces and begins to formulate an idea that there isn't something right about the way his world is and us suspicious to what is really going on. Subtle differences are soon becoming more noticeable to Truman and as he tries to escape something is always there to block him from leaving. He has to think of and use tactical methods in order for him to catch the cameras off guard which would in turn allow him to sail out to see and find out what is really going on. He soon begins his journey to find the truth and find a way to get back to Sylvia, no matter what the circumstances.

I think that the scene when meryl comes home and finds Truman sitting in his car waiting for the man with flowers, the girl on a red bike and the beetle with the broken fender is really important. Truman begins to realize a pattern that is occurring everyday and it makes him anxious. This signifies Trumans suspicions because this is when he truly senses something wrong. Then when he takes off on an angry rage to get out of the town illustrates a breaking point for Truman. It shows that Truman is at the end of his rope in the search for the truth. Although it may seem that he is becoming crazy and he probably believes that himself, the reality is he's just become desperate to find out what is happening to his life. It demonstrates how he has entered a state of frenzy in attempt to find the truth.

I thought that a particular important event in the Truman Show that helps the viewer’s understanding of it would be the last scene where Truman is about to leave the dome and Christof speaks to him. “Truman, there's no more truth out there than in the world I created for you -- the same lies and deceit. But in my world you have nothing to fear.” I believe that this scene is important because it’s the whole point of finding truth within the world. Truman has to choose to stay within a bubble that he lived manipulated by a creator or to discover an unknown world outside of the dome. Christof tries to persuade Truman to make him feel as if there is nothing better outside and to stay in a seemingly “perfect” town that will keep him content, but Truman decides to take his chances and explore a whole new world.

One of the scenes that really stood our for me in The Truman Show was when Truman insists that his wife, Meryl, get in the car with him and he decides that they're going to leave Seahaven. He literally and symbolically crossed a bridge when he drove past the water and out into what he thought was the open world. He wasn't aware that crossing the bridge of water wouldn't take him anywhere and he would eventually just be forced back into town but from this point forward he metaphorically crossed the bridge that symbolized his fear. Even though he was nervous and obviously haunted by the fact that there wasn't any way he was going to avoid transportation across water he outgrew the part of his persona that refrained from any activity near the water. I feel that this scene is what gave Truman the courage to escape from his basement and carry on his plan of escape. Without this scene it wouldn't have made sense for him to suddenly sail into the ocean without having a breakthrough first. Ultimately, without first having driven across the bridge with Meryl it is possible that Truman might have remained in Seahaven without the courage to up and leave.

I believe one of the most important scenes in the movie would be when Truman was trying to escape Seahaven during the storm. Christof had said that if Truman really wanted to leave he would and no one was actually stopping him. However, being the master manipulator and hypocrite that he is, Christof did everything in his power to stop Truman, even if he meant killing him. The surprising thing is that Truman was and is a lot stronger than Christof or anyone else expected. He had the will power to keep fighting and continue on his journey. Truman was willing to put his life on the line in order to save himself comes to show that maybe he really is a true star. He has come to realize that he doesn’t want live in a box even if the world that was created for him is perfect. The person that Truman is, is exactly the reason why he is such a hit on the show. He knew what he wanted in his life and instead of sitting back and enjoying what has already been made for him, he decided to take a risk and explore the true world for himself. When Christof explained to Truman that the world that was created for him is meant for him, he belongs in Seahaven where there was no fear, lies, or deceit, but Truman still refused. Finally, he ends the extreme reality TV by leaving and never looking back.

The scene that stood out for me in the TS show was the ending. Many questions and scenarios arise just when Truman hits the end of the dome and realizes that there is in fact a way out of the prison he was living in. He found the exit door. Where would it lead him? To a born again life, would it lead him to death, or to the love of his life? There also comes into the play the possibility of religion. "Christof" the director of the TS show "shows" himself to Truman as omnipotent and is literally speaking from the sun. This shows him as a God like figure obtaining fate and power over Truman's life. The fact that Truman can finally decide what to do with his life is game changing. He could decide from either this fictional world or take a leap of faith a explore the "real world". If he did make it to the world outside of the dome, would it be better or even worse. All of the attention and crazy he'd get would be overwhelming. The last scenes wrap up the film and demonstrate the power of free will and individualism.

I think an important scene from the film is the flashback to when Truman’s father “died” in the boating accident. Christof staged a storm to sweep Truman’s “father” away which as a result traumatized Truman so much that he didn’t want to set foot onto a boat again. This is the most effective experience in Truman’s life because it made him afraid to be anywhere but Seahaven, which was essential to the success of the show. It’s unfortunate that he went his whole life feeling guilt and fear due to someone’s fake death who had spent years exploiting him, along with the rest of the town. This scene is also significant because it lead him to believe that his father was still alive, which meant that he understood that there are other possibilities other than what he has been brainwashed to believe.

One of the scenes that I thought was significant to the plot was when Truman's best friend tries to comfort him after seeing how Truman was proclaiming that everyone in the town was in on something. This is the scene where we see Christof speaking into his best friend's ear and telling him what to say to Truman word by word. The audience really develops pathos for Truman because he appears to be sincerely comforted by his friends words. Although it appears that Truman was convinced by his friends words and that everything was normal, the next day Truman tries to escape once more as he heads out to sea. This shows how Truman has become convinced that there is something off about Seahaven and is even able to look beyond his best friend's convincing words. These scenes reveal how deeply Truman wants to find out the truth and his persistence toward finding out the truth.

When Truman was driving around in circles with Meryl in the car, he knew that his whole life is not what he seemed it to be. I thought that this scene was important because, this is like the turning point in the movie. The radio telling where he is going, the staff behind the elevator, and his dad being homeless was all just a build up to his final conclusion. When he was driving around in circles and met traffic for no reason at all, he knew he was right about his life being something different. he leaves the traffic and goes back to where the traffic was and it was gone. Truman did whatever he could to find out what was going on, but got caught by the staff members. The events that happened after (like his dad appearing out of nowhere) were events that he was fully suspicious about, rather than being curious. That scene signified his peak of confusion.

The scene where Truman is telling his best friend Marlon about his suspicions is definitely a turning point because Truman becomes very aware of his surroundings. It’s the first time he shares his feelings about the abnormalities that he has noticed in their town. Truman is confident that he is not merely imagining things or reading into occurrences too much and he tries convincing Marlon that something is up but Marlon simply brushes it off, and tells Truman that nothing is wrong. Marlon’s insistence that their town is perfect and that Truman has it made with a “desk job” obviously doesn’t work because Truman goes on to tell him that he’s planning on leaving. After that scene with Marlon, a scene with Meryl, Marlon, and his mother is showed where they are reminiscing over old pictures and talking about how great their lives are. It seems as though the producers of the show try to stem Truman’s beliefs, even though it ends up backfiring since he notices his wife crossing her fingers in their wedding picture, and notices a fake Mount Rushmore.

I believe the scene in the end with Christof and Truman speaking is one of the most important. If interpreting a religious theme in the movie, this is the biggest scene for it. At the end, Christof (Who's name contains the word Christ) has a final talk with Truman; explaining that he has given him everything he needs and he is safer there. Truman who has lived his life in lies decides he would rather go with the unknown and ventures out to the real world. It can be interpreted that he is escaping religion and being enlightened through this scene. He no longer chose lies but the truth and Christof cannot stop him any longer.

I think one of the most important scenes in understanding the movie was when Truman was talking to his best friend, Marlon, on the broken bridge. In that scene, Truman is telling Marlon all of his thoughts and hopes and dreams to somewhere he inherently trusts because they have been best friends since childhood. However, what we see is Christof reading Marlon all of his lines. This breaks all of the codes of friendship and shows how fake the Truman Show truly is. It is a turning point in the movie that reveals everything the audience has suspected, a false reality. The broken bridge represents Seahaven's cut off from the "real world".

I think a great pivotal point in the movie is when Christof is cueing Marlon with everything e is supposed to say. This is at the point in the movie where Truman has just made an attempt at escape by kidnapping Meryl and driving away, and this escape gets really tense. Truman and Marlon go to the end of the bridge, their "spot", and have a very deep conversation. Marlon tells Truman many really sentimental, meaningful things about their friendship. However, the screen then flashes to the control room, where we see Christof. Christof is telling Marlon, word for word, what to say. We learn that this intimate moment is a lie because of Marlon's dishonest words. This scene makes the viewer come to the realization of exactly how much of Truman's life is designed and staged while Truman is in the dark about it. All of Truman's relationships are created and not genuine. This has very heavy implications for Truman's life, and makes it ever more important that he escapes.

When Truman wants to leave Seaheaven he tries to drive to away but is constantly blocked by mass amounts of traffic, and then a "nuclear meltdown". Christof is able to control every aspect of Truman's world in hopes to convince him to stay. Truman begins to become suspicious at this point because he starts to realize the world he lives in is a little off. Once one of the police officers mistakenly say his name , a man Truman never met in his life, Truman realizes that something is not right. He begins to isolate himself from everyone he previously knew, unsure of who he could trust or not. The people who was in his life the most could not be trusted anymore. Truman decides there are people watching him and he fools the cameras, hops on a boat and sails off to explore. At this part of the movie, Truman is not as innnocent as he used to be. If the actors never made a mistake or if people did not try to sneak on the show unannounced, then Truman may have never been able to tell if the reality he lived in was the "real" world. His lost of innocence made him want to search for the truth. He become obsessed with leaving because he knew the place he was living in was a lie. So much that he was willing to overcome his fear of the sea and die if it came down to it. Like Truman, we may be living a lie controlled by the media. We may not be in a television show, but the amount of influence the media has on our society is huge. If we have been sheltered from the rest of the world, only being shown what is on the media, we would have to take that information as being true. The media is so powerful it convinces people to think and act a certain way through bias and emotional appeal. Truman, until the age of 30, has accepted the reality in which he was presented.

My favorite scene in the movie is when Cristof is being interviewed near the end of the movie. He talks about how we accept the reality we're living in, without questioning it. He goes on to explain that's why Truman never found out about the truth until now. I really like this scene because it is very applicable to our society. People accept the society they live in and don't question it. Truman represents a truth-seeker, questioning the reality surrounding him. Many people choose to remain oblivious because ignorance is bliss. Many people don't want to know the truth, so they conform to the norms of society. In Truman's case, he realized something was wrong and sought out to seek the truth. He conquered his greatest fear to understand what was going on with his world.

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This page contains a single entry by Nick Tingle published on December 29, 2012 12:13 PM.

Blog Entry 12: Plot Summary of TS was the previous entry in this blog.

Do blog entry 14: Write 2 paragraphs towards paper 3 (The Truman Show) is the next entry in this blog.

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