When you know what a man wants, you know who he is and how to move him. People who are being manipulated don’t know that the controller has already answered every decision or question that they might encounter throughout the period of manipulation. It might seem as though the manipulated are controlling their own fate but, if everything goes as planned, the creator has full control of every situation within the plot of his/her plan. The Truman Show is a perfect example for the theme manipulation, because throughout the film the controller, Christof has decided everything for Truman, from the clothes he wears to the food he eats. If Truman is straying from the path outlined by Christof, the actors will force him back on to the desired trail set by using various techniques including fear, jealously and anger. In the film, director Peter Weir explores the idea of continuous manipulation throughout a person’s life for their protection by causing a traumatic event at a young age to keep a person secure, forcing love on a young adult for their happiness using fear to help guide a mature adult into making the right decision.

Witnessing the death of a family member can be extremely traumatizing, especially if it occurs when one is at a young age. Children who exposed to sights of death at a young age never truly recover and are continuously haunted by the visions engraved in the brains. Early in the film we learn of Truman’s fear of water, but only later on, in a flashback, we discover that it is connected to the memory of the staged drowning of his father. The decision to enact the death of Truman’s father, by Christof, can be seen from two different perspectives by the viewers of the show.  The majority would consider it to be a selfish way for Christof to ensure that the show continues for many more decades and a way to crush Truman’s dream of leaving the island and exploring the world. However it is more accurately interpreted from a good father’s point of view, as a way of protecting their son from the horrors of the outside world. He can be seen as a parent who just wants the best for his son. It may be a little drastic but he was hoping this would keep him on the island forever, so it would need to be a strong restraint that could never be forgotten. By controlling the situation, so that his dad is killed, Christof has inevitably set a barrier on the places that Truman is willing to travel to, the next step in complete protection of a person is to find someone who is will to move mountains for them. Through arranged marriage Christof is able to hand-pick the perfect wife for Truman, someone who will both protect and advise him.

Arranged marriage is a tool used by parents to find the perfect spouse for their child who both completes them and keeps them happy throughout their life. Christof makes Truman fall in love with people that he feels are a good match for him, after watching him for his entire life. Truman ends up loving several different people throughout the film because they each have certain qualities that Christof feels will lead his son down the desired path. In his teen years he naturally fell in love with Silvia, but was then forced to marry Meryl when Silvia was kicked of the show for trying to warn Truman. Later on, at the end, when Meryl leaves the show Christof immediately adds in another character, Vivian, who Truman is supposed to fall in love with. Most would think that he adds characters for Truman to fall in love with just to boost the show’s ratings, but in reality he is just trying to be a good father. He had given Truman the ‘perfect’ American wife in Meryl who is a white lady with blonde hair, and when she left him Christof tried to give him another chance at love.  If the show had continued then, Christof would have the script written to make Vivian seem more attractive to Truman and in the end they would have gotten married. This is just another form of arranged marriage, except Truman is just unsure of who is arranging his marriages and love affairs. Love is a difficult thing to control, especially when it is forced upon someone. But fear is a much easier tool to use when controlling people, especially the naïve.

People can easily be manipulated using fear due to their instincts, which lead them away at the first sign of danger. At the end of the movie, Christof  says “I know you better than you know yourself.” and “Truman, there’s no more truth out there than in the world I created for you — the same lies and deceit. But in my world you have nothing to fear” It can be easily be assumed that he is just trying to create a little doubt in Truman’s mind and try to coax him back into the show. But relating back to the way he lovingly touches Truman when he is sleeping it is more accurate to assume that Christof truly cares about his adopted son. He is just trying to protect his son from the horrors of the outside world that he may have experienced throughout his life. Christof also plays Zeus in the scene where Truman is sailing away from Sea Haven, it looks as though he is over doing it, but when push comes to shove he knows his limits. He is trying to force him back to the island, but when he sees how determined Truman is, Christof stops trying control his destiny. This show might just be a tool to receive the necessary funding to provide his son with the perfect life and help him achieve success with his realistic goals and dreams.

Throughout the movie The Truman Show, director Peter Weir, investigates the idea of manipulating a person throughout their life and monitors any behavioral changes by making Truman witness the death of a loved one to keep him on the island, making Truman fall in love with people he felt was perfect for him, and using fear to lead a person to make a decision that will benefit them in the long run. The entire movie can be represent the two ways manipulation can be used. Either from a political point of you, which is a person trying to make the biggest possible profit, or from a humanitarian point of view as a father trying to give his son the best possible life, without letting him get hurt. Using the Truman Show, Peter Weir explores the idea about how manipulation can be used for both good and bad, depending on the controller’s interests and beliefs.

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