Matrix Essay
Paradoxical Hero
In the movie The Matrix, the main character, Neo or Mr. Anderson, is liberated from his role as a slave to sentient machines by Morpheus, Neo’s supporter and leader, who later tells him the truth that, “the Matrix is everywhere”, functioning like an ideology. Morpheus tells Neo that, The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you 're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system, and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it. (Matrix)
Morpheus goes on to satisfy Neo’s doubts by reminding him of the feelings he had within the Matrix that, “there 's something wrong with the world, […] like a splinter in [the] mind, driving [one] mad”. Neo, is distraught to the notion that the world he knew is a fabricated lie or “Camera Obscura,” mirroring a past world created by sentient machines in order to use his body heat for energy, in the post apocalyptic world of the late 22nd Century (Marx168). After Neo accepts the reality of his situation Morpheus then tells him that he is the “one”, or the individual who has the ability to defeat the machines and free humanity. Neo prematurely denies this title yet slowly acknowledges the concept of the Matrix and his connection to it but becomes painfully aware that, “there is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path"(Matrix). Neo later accepts the role of the “one” and begins to display the qualities of a hero, with respect to his ability to alter the Matrix, but in his promise to save humanity some problems arise when one realizes the magnitude of the duty that is upon him. Though the character of Neo may not be seen as a heroic figure, because of his
In the movie The Matrix, the main character, Neo or Mr. Anderson, is liberated from his role as a slave to sentient machines by Morpheus, Neo’s supporter and leader, who later tells him the truth that, “the Matrix is everywhere”, functioning like an ideology. Morpheus tells Neo that, The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you 're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system, and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it. (Matrix)
Morpheus goes on to satisfy Neo’s doubts by reminding him of the feelings he had within the Matrix that, “there 's something wrong with the world, […] like a splinter in [the] mind, driving [one] mad”. Neo, is distraught to the notion that the world he knew is a fabricated lie or “Camera Obscura,” mirroring a past world created by sentient machines in order to use his body heat for energy, in the post apocalyptic world of the late 22nd Century (Marx168). After Neo accepts the reality of his situation Morpheus then tells him that he is the “one”, or the individual who has the ability to defeat the machines and free humanity. Neo prematurely denies this title yet slowly acknowledges the concept of the Matrix and his connection to it but becomes painfully aware that, “there is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path"(Matrix). Neo later accepts the role of the “one” and begins to display the qualities of a hero, with respect to his ability to alter the Matrix, but in his promise to save humanity some problems arise when one realizes the magnitude of the duty that is upon him. Though the character of Neo may not be seen as a heroic figure, because of his
Cited: * Althusser, Louis. Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses. ed. Anthony Easthope & Kate McGowan.1970. pg53. Print. * Marx, Karl. "The German Ideology." Karl Marx: Selected Writings. Ed. David McLellan. Oxford: Oxford University, 1977. pag168,178. Print. * The Matrix. Dir. Larry and Andy Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. Warner Bros., 1999. Web. 22 September 2012.