Metaphors In The Truman Show

God is everywhere, as the saying goes. And if this statement is true in means he is ingrained in your, my, and his head and within our culture whether we choose to believe or not. More directly speaking God is found in commercials, television shows, and, more obviously, in movies. Throughout films such as, It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), The Truman Show (1998), Crash (2004), and Chocolat (2000) there are metaphors and themes which are God-like or center around Christian beliefs. As these ideas are revealed, the examined metaphors will be compared to the philosophical ideas and research of Andrew M. Greeley in Religion as Poetry.

It’s a Wonderful Life is a film that takes place in the small town of Bedford Falls. George Bailey, the main

character, is constantly asked to give up his dreams, money, and time to keep his father’s business, Building and Loan Association, afloat. The business helps the townspeople take out loans to build good homes for themselves, which diminishes the business of Mr. Potter, the man who continuously tries to end Building and Loan. Although God is not a direct character represented in the movie there are many references from the Christian religion, specifically the guardian angels, Clarence and his superior Joseph. In the film, God is known of and Joseph, the angel, references George’s life as, “God’s greatest gift”, but you do not hear or see God in the film. The audience can assume that the transition that makes George’s existence disappear, the extreme gust of wind, after Clarence talks to up above is the work of God. God aids Clarence in his quest to show George how much his life is truly worth. Because God takes such concern in George’s life, God is depicted as caring. Greeley states in his research, “theologians believed that angels had bodies”, and God did not, “because only God was pure spirit” (pg. 54). This explains God’s lack of interaction with George himself. God is explained through a form of traditional religion, but in The Truman Show God is shown metaphorically through a character.

The Truman Show is a film about a 24 hour television show which revolves around one man, Truman Burbank.

Truman has grown up in the show since a baby and the life he knows, the people he deals with, and place he has grown up in, is all an elaborate cast and set chosen and designed by Christof. Christof is the creator, writer, and director of The Truman Show and therefore controller of Truman’s life but Truman is beginning to wonder what is real and what is fake after set malfunctions give him evidence to be suspicious. Christof is analogous to God because he is “the creator”. Christof is also viewed as an enemy which trapped Truman into living a life that he was forced to live. Because Christof is viewed as over-controlling and “wrong” it depicts God to be a puppet master which takes away people’s will. As Truman finally fought against Christof’s will he was almost killed by a storm Christof created in order to keep Truman where he wanted him. Greeley states, “religious stories will be predictive of other stories” and in the Bible sinful cities like Gomorrah were destroyed after disobeying God’s law (pg. 52). God as a ‘puppet-master’ by creating an intricate plan is similarly shown in Crash but in Crash the people intertwined learn about themselves contradictory of Christof’s selfish motives such as

money.

Crash is a film which connects a multitude of characters to one another by simple and complicated interactions in the state of California.

It focuses on different races that come from different backgrounds and how a racist mindset and racial stereotypes affect people. Power, race, murder, and ultimately God are the themes of the movie. God, in this movie, works in a divine manner to create interactions which ultimately connect every character together whether the character’s are aware or not. Throughout the film, although not seen and heard, God tests each person with a struggle which, may bring sadness, but ultimately humbles the character. For example Farhad, the persian shop owner, fires a gun at Daniel, after blaming Daniel for the destruction of his store, just as Daniel’s daughter Lara jumps in front to save her father. Farhad and Daniel believe Lara is dead but she is fine. Farhad is no longer distraught about the damage and claims to his daughter Dorri that Lara is his angel unaware Dorri only put blanks in the gun. Farhad gives his daughter the gun, and Farhad learns the lesson that guns and violence are not the answer. At the end of the movie the audience is able to see how each character has learned about themselves in comparison God acts to teach people how to be happier but instead of achieving this through character’s encounters, like in Crash, he acts as a sweet

delicacy.

Chocolat is film that is set in the small suppressed village, Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, in France. A single-mother, Vianne Rocher, and her daughter, Anouk, arrive in the town and open up a La Chocolaterie during the beginning of Lent. The chocolate that they sell possess abilities to help the people of the town due to its ancient healing powers. Vianne and the chocolate make both enemies and friends as they attempt to bring life to the tranquil town full of secrets and unlocked desires. God in this film can be symbolized as both the North wind calling Vianne to spread the chocolate to villages in need, like God calling upon the prophets to spread his word, and he can be symbolized as the chocolate itself. From either viewpoint God directly contradicts religion. During Lent, Catholics abstain from sweets and delicacies. Because the church holds most of the power in town many people refrain from la chocolaterie but because they need God (the chocolate) to find passion (the couple who always buys the chocolate beans), to find love (the man with the dog and the widow) , and to find courage (Josephine leaving her husband) they cannot resist.
In conclusion, the metaphor of God is presented in many films just as it was the films presented throughout the paper. Greeley’s research supports that the ideas of God are not limited to believers but the theme of God can be found in films not directed in a religious manner. Many of the views of God represented in these films are interesting but biased aside I enjoyed the example in Chocolat more than the contesting films. Chocolat displayed God in a manner outside of strict religion and depicted God to be a figure or a force that only seeked for the happiness of the people. A God that wants his people to be happy is a God I could believe in. A God that I hope is not only a metaphor in a film but a God found everywhere.