Underlying this theme is the question, what would we do if we were in the same situation as Truman? Would we be able to deal with it as effectively as he does? In essence, when he realizes that something is not right in his perfect world, his response is not really to flee, but to discover, and there is a big difference between the two. He wants to find out the truth, but also find out what lies beyond the massive soundstage that has been his home for his entire life. The audience has to feel that if the same thing happened to them, would they react in the same way? If your reality came crashing down around you, and everything you believed true for your entire life was false, could you cope? That is what makes this film so fascinating and memorable. It is entertaining, but on a much deeper level, it makes the viewer think about subjects that are not often discussed, and it makes them think just how they would handle the same situation in their own lives. Of course, the film could have been very different. In an alternate ending, Truman might never have discovered the truth about his life. He could have remained as naive as ever and never questioned the reality around him, insinuating that he would continue in his "happy" life forever. That may not be as satisfying as his discovering the truth, but it might be closer to the character's real beliefs and composition. The story shows Truman coming to his realization gradually, through a series of events, but in "reality," would Truman have questioned those events, since he had not questioned anything for 30 years prior? Another alternate ending could have been Cristof returning Truman to the show in some sort of negotiation, in effect, holding Truman prisoner in his own reality, which would have made a very interesting, if unsatisfying, conclusion. Truly, the only way the viewer would want the story to end is for Truman to uncover the truth, that is the whole point of the film. The skeptic, however, would probably see that ending as too "happy," and would probably want to see Truman...
The point remains. The ending makes the viewer question if they would have reacted the same way, and that is another aspect of this film that makes it fascinating and a bit disturbing at the same time.
Truman has no idea what unscripted life is like, or that there is a world beyond the world of the television program, or that the woman playing his wife is an actress who does not love him. Of course, Truman is understandably upset when this deception is revealed and the film chronicles his attempt to break free of his televised prison -- but the genuineness of 'real life,' in
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C. with interest 4 1/2 per cent. To further arouse compassion, he includes the personal detail about his parents: "I owe $3,500 to my parents and the interest on that loan which I pay regularly, because it's the part of the savings they made through the years they were working so hard, I pay regularly 4 per cent interest." . He calls himself "a man of modest means" adding that Abraham Lincoln said:
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