Thomas Nagel argues that life is absurd not because of its brevity, insignificance, or lack of cosmic meaning, but because of a conflict within us. On the one hand, we live our lives with seriousness and commitment. On the other, humans possess the ability to step back and consider the justification behind our actions, goals, and values. For Nagel, the tension between the degree of seriousness when perceiving our lives and the awareness of the doubt behind its importance is what creates a sense of absurdity. Moreover, Nagel insists the absurd is part of the human experience and the best response is to acknowledge it with irony (p. 724).
The Truman Show illustrates Nagel’s concept of the absurd by placing its protagonist, Truman, in a staged world that he initially takes completely seriously. Truman’s reality is filled with purpose, routine, and emotional investment until he begins to suspect its artificiality. As Truman’s self-awareness grows, he aligns with Nagel’s “transcendent consciousness” (p. 726), stepping back from his life to question its meaning. The absurdity arises from this tension. At least for the immediate future, Truman must continue living within his constructed world even as he questions it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWU5pQqa_qI
As Truman notices day-to-day patterns, his serious approach to life diminishes and he begins to step back and reconsider the life he has always accepted. The audience, aware of the world’s construction, may see Truman’s unraveling as both funny and unsettling as he tests the limits of his reality. In this particular scene, Truman’s genuine emotions push against the artificiality and absurdity of his current experience, causing him to laugh in a nervous and unstable manner, deepening the existential comedy of the film.
Drawing on the dynamic between Truman’s sincere engagement with his environment and the audience’s awareness of the situation, The Truman Show creates a sense of dramatic irony and comedy. Considering Nagel’s idea that we live seriously even when we can step back and see life as arbitrary (p. 718), all of Truman’s experiences and decisions take place in a world we know is staged. The film locates its comedy in the collision between human seriousness and a detached, skeptical perspective: between the attempts to maintain the world’s artificiality, Truman’s growing suspicions, and the audience’s overarching knowledge. Truman ultimately is able to walk away from the confines of his false reality—an act reminiscent of Nagel’s comments on making a change in the face of absurdity.