Truman Show and 1984

The Truman Show and 1984 have similar themes shown in dystopian literature. While watching the Truman Show, i noticed that the community Truman lived in wasn't exactly a dystopia, it was somewhat of a eutopia for him. He had a nice house, a good wife, and everything always seemed to go his way. This contrasts with 1984, where as the world Winston lives in a total dystopia. The government is very controlling over the citizens, and Winston is rebellious against this system .In the book, the government has a very strict rule over the people. There are telescreens everywhere that watch over the people, ensuring that they don't participate in rebellious activities. But, Winston finds a way to avoid being seen by the telescreens and is able to write in his journal (which is illegal). He also rebels by falling in love with a girl, and they continue to meet without the government knowing. But, they eventually find out about Winston's secret.

Another theme shown in both the movie and book is government control. In The Truman Show, there isn't a set "government," but a "creator" that controls everything that happens to Truman. He has total control over how people act, what they say, and even the weather. Truman doesn't realize his whole life is planned out until the end of the movie, when he realizes his whole life was one big experiment. The symbol of government control is also used in 1984. The government has complete control over the citizens, monitoring their every move and imposing certain rules on them. ("War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength")