The Truman Show

It is interesting to notice the power struggle between Truman and Ed Harris throughout "The Truman Show." Although it appears that one has the dominant powerful upper-hand on the other, I argue that it might in fact be the opposite. Ed Harris does somewhat control Truman in some ways, but what Truman does directly impacts Ed Harris' every move. As Truman begins to figure out what is exactly happening, Ed Harris is driven to the point of murder. This is not something that is done lighty, especially by someone as "powerful" as Ed Harris. In order to have complete control over another human being, or anything for that matter, one must be extremely vigilent at all times. Therefore, one must be watching over the controlled at all times. In this way, Ed Harris is controlled by Truman throughout the movie. Although Ed Harris knows what is going on and Truman does not, Ed Harris' actions are still propagated by Truman's actions. Harris becomes so obsessed that he appears, at least to me, to have an absolute absence of control over Truman, and in fact, it is the exact opposite. Truman, although unknowingly, has almost complete control over Ed Harris. The roles are reversed from what it might seem at first.