Verified Document

Truman Show: The Failure Of The American Research Paper

¶ … Truman Show: The failure of the American Dream In the 1998 film The Truman Show, the protagonist Truman Burbank leads an ideal American life. He has a loving family, a perfect job, good friends and wholesome neighbors. There is only one problem with this sunny state of affairs: it is all a lie. Truman is really the star of an ongoing reality TV program known as The Truman Show. Truman has been deluded into thinking that his perfect life is reality. However, eventually he begins to tire of this image of perfection. Truman begins to resist the constraints that have been imposed upon him. The film supports the notion that truth is preferable to a happy lie, and is a call to all viewers to question the injustices that exist within their own societies. [THESIS].

Although the film may seem fantastic, advocates of social justice like Martin Luther King Jr. would argue that there is much in American history that resonates with The Truman Show. White Americans have come to believe that their society is perfectly just, and this image is perpetuated by the media, just like The Truman Show depicts a perfect reality. But for black Americans, the reality of America is very different. King stated in his speech called "The American Dream:"America has been something of a schizophrenic personality, tragically divided against herself. On the one hand we have proudly professed the great principles of democracy, but on the other hand we have sadly practiced the very opposite of those principles" (King 1964).

Outside of the set of The Truman Show, there are widespread demonstrations demanding that Truman be freed of his illusion. A 'Free Truman' campaign...

'Reality' has already begun to intrude upon Truman's existence, given that he feels stirrings for another woman, an extra, that are very different from the feelings for the actress who is paid to love him. Ultimately Truman and his supporters believe that reality and risk is superior to a life of safety. Truman rejects the paternalism of the show's creator, who believes that by deluding Truman he has done him a favor, because Truman will never have to endure the normal stressors others face as part of the real world. This paternalism is similar to the type of attitude overbearing parents have to children. Or, it could be argued, it is even similar to that of the defense slaveholders made of slavery, when white slaveholders said they were 'protecting' their slaves. Truman has no freedom, and his captivity provides enrichment for others.
The Truman Show upholds the value of truth over happiness in a manner that runs counter to the materialism of the American Dream, which suggests that success is always earned, and a person's worth can be equated with what he owns. America, as a society that is founded upon the ideal of the pursuit of happiness, has tended to embrace the values embodied by the television program The Truman Show, versus the movie that depicts the false 'reality TV program.' Material wealth in the form of a good job and a nice home are valued above self-understanding in the America of the film.

At the beginning of the film, Truman is told by the media that the world outside his home is a dangerous place. His wife is obsessed by the products of the sponsors, because she is paid to display these items. His…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

King, Martin Luther. "The American Dream." 1965. [25 Mar 2012]

http://mlkkpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_the_american_dream

The Truman Show. Directed by Andrew Niccol, 1998.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Truman in Hypothetical Crisis As
Words: 5310 Length: 19 Document Type: Research Proposal

Kennedy recognizes the need to establish a bond with all the South American leaders, thereby isolating Chavez-Chavez politically as ineffective leader in South America. Kennedy perceived the Third World in terms of the "national military establishment," and vulnerable to the manipulations of the Soviet Union (Schwab, Orrin, 1998, 1). Kennedy had already gone around with Cuba, and did not wish to repeat his mistakes in Venezuela, but he also

Truman Capote the Life, the
Words: 2786 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

I had to go into town on Saturdays to the dentist and I joined the Sunshine Club that was organized by the Mobile Press Register." He goes on to tell about entering a work of writing on the children's page publication, which he had called "Old Mr. Busybody." The first installment of his writing appeared in a Sunday edition under his real name, which was Truman Streckfus Persons. The

American Visual Arts During the Cold War Period
Words: 12184 Length: 40 Document Type: Research Paper

Abstract Expressionist Painting Artistic and Aesthetic Value in American Modernist Art during the Cold War Era Defining American Expressionism American modernism is perhaps one of the most difficult artistic periods to define. Modernism refers to a trend that affirms the power of human beings to create, shape, and make improvements to their environment. Modernism is aided by technological advances and is considered both progressive and optimistic in its approach to defining society. American

Harry Truman
Words: 659 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman Coming from the most humble background, it was only the reputation of his hard-work and honesty that rose Harry Truman to the status of a Senator (Harry S. Truman Library & Museum n.d.), and then later on to the post of Vice President under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He became the thirty-third President of the United States (1945 -- 1953), after the sudden death of Franklin D.

Why Did the United States Went to War in Korea
Words: 2312 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

Korean War, just like most other wars in history did not occur in a vacuum. It started because of the North Korean attack on the South Koreans with the belief that they would be able to win the war and communize the whole Korean peninsula (Chang, 2010). The confidence of North Koreans in their ability to win the fight against the South was not based on hope, but on

Atomic Bomb Historians Like Gar Alperovitz and
Words: 2254 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

Atomic Bomb Historians like Gar Alperovitz and Martin Sherwin have known for many years, based on declassified U.S. government documents that Japan was going to surrender in 1945 even if the atomic bombs were no dropped and that no invasion would ever have been necessary. Their only condition was that the United States "guaranteed the safety of the Emperor Hirohito," and in the end the Truman administration agreed to this rather

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now