The Truman Show Essay

Superior Essays
Society and freedom are contradictory. Societal forces are detrimental to the human spirit. The novel, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the film, The Truman Show by Peter Weir, and the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, all are related to the contradicting themes of society and freedom. The more one is influenced by the society, the less freedom he has.
Being free in a society that is savage has negative consequences. Freedom that one does not earn is not true freedom. When the boys of the novel Lord of the Flies arrive at the island, they are alone. There is no adult present, meaning that there is no authority. There are no societal norms; there are no rules. The boys think that there is no
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An absence of freedom confines the individual’s independence. In The Truman Show, the television show exhibits Truman Burbank as the most realistic person in the media; it cannot be true because his freedom is in a controlled environment. Christof says to Sylvia, “I have given Truman a chance to live a normal life” (The Truman Show). Christof assumes that Truman’s life is normal. It depends on what normal is. Truman is beloved and taken care of. He even has a wife. The thing that he does not have is freedom. He is not allowed to leave the island. It would cost the lives of all the people that depend on him and their ways of life. Challenging freedom in a repressive society is arduous. Truman has been challenging his freedom in many ways. He has been trying to get out of Seahaven ever since his true love, Sylvia, told him to go to Fiji to find her. Though, Christof has made sure that Truman cannot get out of Seahaven. When Truman was sailing peacefully through the water, Christof made artificial, deadly storms, to make him turn back to the shore. Christof was ready for Truman to die and says, “He was born in front of a live audience” (The Truman Show). Truman perseveres through the storm, because he is willing to die for his freedom, no matter what force comes blocking his way. Liberation is the ability to make decisions without the controlling interference of others. Truman is no

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