Let's hear what Morpheus has to say for us:
Throughout the film, we follow the process of realization of the main character, Neo, as he is "unplugged" from this matrix to become part of this group of resistance which is outside from it, and fights against these "powers that be" of the system, of this sinister bubble which blinds its inhabitants from "the truth".
This same realization, or a very similar one, is that of the modernism poets and novelists wanted to achieve in their readers according to the big changes implied after a World War and entering in another one; to transmit these senses of cruelty and cultural apocalypse; and as we discussed in class, at the same time help readers to cope with this vertigo, these doubts and make sense of a new vision of reality with the inception of new ideas.
During this process, we can also analyze Neo's behavior when told about the Matrix control; his stream of consciousness and indecision:
"Why... Why me?"
"This is insane! Why is this happening to me?
(...) I'm nobody, I didn't do anything"
“...I’m gonna die”
"What is "the truth"?
"Is this "real"?
"I don't believe it, this ain't real!
(...)Let me out!"
[Deja vu: moments of paralysis and epiphanies. Oh yes! It's Elliot's "Prufrock" and its way towards the "overwhelming question"]
...
Another important moment of the film, has to do with the other side of the coin; one of the antagonism representations; Cypher. He was one of the member of Morpheus' resistance of the Matrix team, who turns him in to Mr. Smith (one of the guaardians of the Matrix), betraying his principles in exchange for being "wealthy" inside of this system arguing that it is the best thing that could ever happen to him. Moreover, he tries to seduce Neo with characteristic attitudes of a control system, for instance, inviting him to glass of alcohol, and also, making him reconsider: what if you would have chosen the blue pill?
Cypher's own doom is paved by a signature sentence: "Ignorance is bliss"
To my mind, Matrix is an interesting criticism to the actual system (and not so distant from the Modernist context), showing Morpheus' struggle, resistance as the liberation against human kind systematization; against what we usually gets covered and hidden. Undoubtedly, there are lots of relevant moments in this astonishing franchise which as we already know, is subjected to different interpretations and therefore, different decisions for the ones who take this content and make a connection with his own environment. Thus, how far is this film from reality? are we living in some sort of Matrix? do you think that we are actually "plugged" into the system? do you feel "like a patient etherized upon a table"?; and above all,
would you take the blue pill or the red pill?
I'm glad you have posted the scene in which Morpheus explains what the Matrix is, because people ignore how important that part is, and the relevance of the message it has.
ResponderEliminar"You have to understand most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it"
And now that I think about it, those who were free from the Matrix are a clear representation of Modernists, and every single person who stood up against the ideas of his time and context.
Daaamn! There is no spoon!
Really thought-provoking entry. I found quite fascinating the way you remarked similarities between T. S. Elliot's "The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Wachowski Brothers' "The Matrix".
ResponderEliminarAnswering your questions, I would say that we live inside of a "Matrix", a machine which creates illusions that structure our reality. So, if we take away those fictions, we will also take away our realities. As Karl Marx propose with his Dialectical Materialism, stating that matter is the basic background for each reality, being abstract or concrete.
In conclusion, I would say that I agree with Slavoj Zizek's proposition of the "Third Pill", which can be defined as a pill that would eventually makes us able to see reality within illusion, not outside from it as Morpheus propose in "The Matrix".
Finally, I'm posting this extract from Slavoj Zizek's "The Pervert's Guide to Cinema", where the concpet of "The third Pill" is explained in a more complete way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-0VMnFmnL0
It is super interesting the way in which you present us the comparison between Matrix and Prufrock. After reading what you have exposed I would like to answer your questions from my perspective:
ResponderEliminarFirst of all, I agree with Eduardo when he says we live in some sort of Matrix. Nowadays, our society is based on illusions about which country is the best or how wealthy we are, even when people show off about what they have. People are actually plugged with what the rest say they have to give importance or leave aside. In that sense, most of us belong to that world even if we pretend not to demonstrate it. However there are some exceptions that are interesting to notice.
Even though there are people who realize that they "belong" to a etherized society, some of them may choose the prison that society offers them and take the blue pill, ignoring what happens around them and being happy with that while very few people take the red pill and try to make their lives worthy.
This situation rings me a bell. It reminds me of some classes ago when we talked about Hemingway and these concepts of Aficionado and Tourist. When Morpheus offers Neo the two pills, it seems Neo has to choose whether he wants to live as a tourist who ignores the value of things and lives happy in a lie or he wants to be an aficionado who understands the real meaning of life and truth.
As Hemingway believed, life is a fight that we always lose, so we have to lose with dignity. In that sense, Neo chose to live knowing the truth and fight instead of living in an unreal world.
As you can see, not only Prufrock can be related to Matrix, but also Hemingway.
Now, refering to your last question if we would take the blue pill or the red pill, I would say that for me it is a difficult question because if I take the red pill, I would be kicked out of society but if I take the blue one, I would be an ignorant person. In that sense maybe my choice would be the third pill proposed by Zizek or use a masquerade as Prufrock.
Difficult situation for me, what about the rest of you classmates?