The Life of Truman Burbank, The Creator of Truman Show

“We accept the reality of the world with which we’re presented. It’s as simple as that. ” a quote said by the creator of The Truman Show, Christof. Imagine one’s life that is simple and routined with friendly neighbours, friends, and a lovely wife that do the same thing every day. However, it seems too good to be true for one to have a perfect life without any troubles.

That is the life of Truman Burbank, who was born and raised on a set of a reality TV show without any knowledge of it. He is unaware of the hundreds of cameras that are placed throughout the town that he is ‘trapped’ in. It is immoral to broadcast someone’s life without any privacy and their consent that their life is on TV which is being viewed by thousands of people all day. It is unethical to use Truman solely for Christof’s company and business; he has been exploited every day of his life just to get views. Additionally, it is deceitful to control Truman’s life and effectively play as ‘god’ to keep him trapped in Seahaven Island.

This essay will explain why the Truman Show is unethical based on these points mentioned earlier. One of the major reasons why the Truman Show is unethical is the fact that Truman is given no privacy and the lack of informed consent. Usually, on reality TV shows, actors have given their consent to film certain aspects of their everyday life. Whereas in the Truman show, Truman was unaware of the fact that he is being watched on TV all day, every day. An example from the film that proves the lack of privacy is Truman’s house. His own house has secret cameras hidden in places that watch his every move, like the attic; where he goes to spend some time alone. Even when he thinks he’s alone, he has more eyes on him than most have in their entire lifetime. This is a complete invasion of privacy that he did not have any knowledge to give consent in the first place.

The creator (Christof) and producers directly exploited and used Truman just to get high TV ratings and to grow Christof’s business. Every time Truman thought something is not right, Christof would use his team of actors to make sure Truman stays put, even though that’s not what he deserves. For instance, a scene from the film that demonstrates Truman’s exploitation is when he is stopped by the officers due to a nuclear plant leak. The officer knows who Truman was, despite never asking for his name and when Truman realizes that something is wrong, he tries to run through the forest but is caught by the so-called ‘officers’. This point clearly proves that the director can go any limit to use Truman to keep the show going and entertaining for the audience.

Another example is when they bring back Truman’s dad to increase the views. Every aspect of Truman’s life is monitored and manipulated; Christof plays with Truman’s life. Moreover, he did not even bother to ask Truman about his opinion regarding his participation in the TV show. They just used his life for profit and views. Another immoral act that Christof and his team committed is controlling Truman’s life and his actions. Christof uses methods and other accessible means to prevent Truman from exploring the world and finding out the truth of his reality. There were many ways Christof used to keep Truman from escaping, like for example instilling the fear of water (aquaphobia).

In the film, it is seen that when Truman was a young boy, his TV father drowned in the sea and that ‘accident’ left Truman with a traumatic memory of the beach. The producers also print and broadcast messages of the dangers of travelling just to keep Truman in Seahaven for the rest of his life. Thus, it is seen that Christof had complete control over Truman’s rights and decisions and restricted him to the reality. Furthermore, Christof also takes away the people (actors) who Truman was close to, such as Sylvia. Truman fell in love with Sylvia, but Christof wanted him to fall in love with Meryl. Again, Christof took control over Truman’s opinions and actions as if he was the ‘god’ of Truman. He was not granted the right to express himself in a free manner, thus, making it an unpleasant place for Truman to live in.

In conclusion, the Truman Show was very unethical in various ways. Truman had no privacy at all and his consent and opinions did not matter to anyone, he was used and exploited like he was some puppet, and lastly, he was unaware of the fact that his life was fake and controlled by Christof who tried to play as his ‘god’. Even though the world that Christof created for Truman was ‘perfect’, it was still wrong and unfair for Truman. A utopia can only exist when there is also free will, which unfortunately Truman was never fully granted with.