Ideologies of The Matrix

The Matrix is a movie about a cyber-hacker (Neo) who is shown how the human population is being subdued by the government so that their bodies can be used as an open energy source. After Neo has seen the truth of the world around him, and fully realized his capabilities, he is able to do whatever he pleases, even manipulate time.He is no longer held back by the reality around him, and is able to do things he never imagined. The Matrix describes two separate ideologies, one where humans are completely controlled by the government, and one where there are no limitations on what a human can do.

At the beginning of the movie, Neo lives in a world where the government has complete control, and one of the opening scenes shows that there are almost no restrictions on the government in what they can do. Neo, along with everyone else in the world, are in a society whose ideology borders on absolutism. Neo is a cyber-hacker, so he is specifically trying to get around the digital limitations the government has put on the people. His everyday job is subversive to the government’s regime. The subjects have no freedom to their lives, and must follow obediently what the government has said that they should do. They do not know that the world they live in is not reality, but instead a simulation made by the government to keep the population subdued. There is no autonomy in the people or their choices.

One of the main protagonists in The Matrix, Morpheus, is considered the most dangerous man in the world. He notices Neo’s hacking skills, and decides to show him the truth behind the world he lives in. He ‘wakes up’ Neo, and helps him gain control of his real body. He then teaches Neo how to master different things, like controlling things with his mind and different forms of martial arts. Neo does not learn any of this information, Morpheus simply downloads it directly into Neo’s brain. Once he has gone through all of his ‘training’, Neo is able to do things that he never imagined possible in his simulated body. He is a martial arts master, and able to even beat Morpheus in a fight. 

There are no limitations to Neo’s abilities, either mental or physical. He does not have to abide by ordinary laws of physics or what is natural, and isn’t controlled by anyone, not even the government. He has complete autonomy, and becomes an unstoppable force. At the end of the movie, one of the major twists is that the audience is shown that Neo has figured out how to manipulate time, and stop bullets in mid-air. The message that The Matrix is attempting to send this that if humans were to have complete autonomy, even though it would not work societally, it would allow people to achieve things far beyond their expectations. When humans are subjected to government control, they are fearful and weak, but when they have control over their own actions they are unstoppable.