George Orwell's book 1984, is a dystopian novel depicting a world where the government, or 'big brother' has complete control over the way citizens live their lives. The majority of the population blindly follow, but any dissenters are quickly eliminated. The Truman show, is a 1998 motion picture starring Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, an ordinary man living and working in a town called Seahaven. But what he doesn't realize is that his entire life is televised as a form of entertainment for the rest of the world.
Winston Smith, the protagonist in 1984, and Truman Burbank, the protagonist in 'The Truman Show" are both victims of an oppressive lifestyle, and the two stories are both about the main character breaking and trying to escape from their current lives. Truman is trying to escape the domed town of Seahaven, while Winston is trying to escape the oppressive Big Brother. Both are also aided by female characters who encourage and assist them. For Winston is it Julia, a cunning, brave government worker who uses her sexuality as a form of rebellion. And for Truman it is Silvia, his high school sweetheart who mysteriously disappeared, and is encouraging him to break out of Seahaven from outside the dome.
In The Truman Show, Truman is afraid of water because his father died in a boating accident years ago. This is representative of his fear to escape and learn the truth. In 1984 it is a little more obvious that Winston is afraid to learn the truth due to a likelihood that he would be tortured and killed if he tried to discover the truth. In both cases however, both protagonists to learn the truth about their situations, Truman eventually escapes, while Winston unfortunately does get tortured and eventually killed.
