Theme in Being There and The Truman ShowAdvancement is one of the most positive and joyful words we use. Yet, ironically, progress can lead to harm, and this is quite common. As technology rapidly advances, we lose our identity and distance ourselves from our own nature. Television is the perfect example of these misguided advances. The more time we spend looking at it, the more we get lost. Literature – since it deals with the human race and its activities – examines this. Two texts, “Being There” and “The Truman Show,” call attention to this issue, make it their theme, and both do a superb job of expressing it, with some differences of course. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Two entirely different perspectives are presented on the effects of television on us. While “Being There” shows the situation of those affected, “The Truman Show” focuses on both sides: the victims and the influential. We watch and see the creators of a TV show, why and how they manipulate people and tear them away from their own lives and reality. We see the viewers and how distant they are from their own lives. And we read about how terrible the outcome will be if people get too involved in this process. In Truman Show, the protagonist – Truman – is unknowingly the star of a world-famous show, seen by millions. His entire life is staged and nothing he knows, does, or even loves is real in any way. The entire town he lives in, his wife, his friends and even the most important events of his life are all staged. He didn't start to realize it until he was 29 and things started to go wrong. (ESL) Whenever he questions reality, the crew has difficulty stopping him from questioning. For example, when he wants to explore the rest of the world, discover new places and countries; the newspaper reads “WHO NEEDS EUROPE?” ". When he wants to buy a plane ticket, he is shown posters showing air disasters. The audience loves the show. They watch it all the time and the show is – in a way – more real than their own lives. They even buy clothes or household items with Truman's picture on them. Unlike the TV shows we have in real life, The Truman Show goes on forever, there are no commercial breaks or time between episodes; it is broadcast 24/7. Yet people try to watch as much as they can and even plan and live their lives accordingly. They sleep when Truman sleeps, they cry when Truman cries, they are happy when he is happy, etc. Even though we are not shown all the details of their lifestyle, we can easily guess that these people are not very successful in life and spend less time thinking about their own lives than Truman's. hand, is directly influenced, rather than being influential. Everything he knows about life comes from television, it's his real reality. He doesn't even think to question it, just like we don't question what we are shown on TV. As Peter Finch wonderfully says in the movie “Network,” “Television is not the truth. It's a goddamn amusement park. (...) But people stay there day after day, night after night and start to think that the tube is reality. (Finch) It's easy to see that Chance and the fans of The Truman Show are exactly like the people portrayed.