preview

Similarities Between The Truman Show And Animal Farm

Good Essays

The three themes of utopia, the good life, and power and control are common ideas explored throughout two seemingly different texts, the movie The Truman Show by Peter Weir, and the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell. Whilst the settings and characters are quite different, their views on these three themes are strikingly similar.

Utopia is the idea of a perfect society, where everything and everyone is harmonious. Countless times in history people have strived to reach this impossible goal, and countless times they have failed. Peter Weir in his movie, and George Orwell in his allegorical novel, explore this idea of a failed utopia. Weir, the director of The Truman Show, a movie about a reality TV show by the same name, shows the TV show’s director Christof’s attempt to achieve an idyllic utopian society by controlling Truman and the world he lives in. He explains his purpose for a utopian society, saying, “I have given Truman the chance to lead a normal life. The world, the place you live in, is the sick place. Seahaven is the way the world should be.” Christof’s ideal world, portrayed for main character Truman, is a stereotypical one: white picket fences, perfect wife, perfect job, etc. It is the ideal, happy, society, where all events are controlled by director Christof. Eventually, Truman becomes restless, and works out he lives in a controlled world. He rebels against the perfect controlled life, his idea of utopia being different to Christof’s, Turman preferring the

Get Access