Comparing The Poser 'And The Truman Show'

To be accepted in society, one must abandon part of their authenticity and experience loneliness. The Poser and The Truman Show examine the themes of authenticity and loneliness. Similarly, loneliness is portrayed by both protagonists, Giovanni and Truman, and their need for genuine companionship. However, the delineation of authenticity differs as Giovanni performs the personas of others, while Truman puts up self made personas. Nevertheless, the two works still illustrate a similar concept in that personal identity is allowed as long as it submits to the norm. Both Niccol and Rubin utilize indirect and direct characterization on their protagonists to convey the loneliness and authenticity of the self, in order to render the limited acceptance of personal identity in twenty-first …show more content…
These self made fronts were formed from Christof’s influence which was based on the desires of the audience. Although these fronts were influenced, Truman had the agency to create them. He has a line that he repeats several times throughout the movie, “In case I don’t see you--good afternoon, good evening and good night” (Niccol 107-168). No one fed him this line, and yet he uses it often as if it was his catchphrase. The repetition of the word “good” indicates a falseness to his greeting as he says it all at once so he does not have to do so later, as if he does not want to. This can be further supported by the same facial expression he always makes after saying this line. This sameness depicts that this is a routinely action of Truman. Truman’s routine supports the motif of facade which disguises his authenticity. Truman has discovered what is accepted by the world around him, and limits his actions in accordance to what they accept. However, what is accepted is controlled by Christof and the audience. This power structure portrays the selfish needs of others, additionally supporting the lack of acceptance of the personal