Ideology and Reality in the Movie, The Matrix Essay -- Movie Film Essa

Ideology and Reality in the Movie, The Matrix The matrix, as presented in the eponymous film, operates as an Althusserian Ideological severalise implement (ISA). The Matrix1 presents a acceptedism in which the state as a machine of repression is made literal where robots rule the push down (Althusser 68). It is true that they rule by force (sentinels and agents) and these constitute the Repressive State Apparatus, but their primary force of subjugation is the matrix, their ISA. The film traces the path of superstar man, Neo, in his painful progress from the ideology of the matrix to the sure domain, or the ideology of the real.2 The matrix, unlike the ideology of the real, is explicitly defined on Althusserian lines as an ISA. Althusser identifies ISAs as a certain number of realities which present themselves to the adjacent observer (Althusser 73). Just as the machine of the state is taken literally, ideology as reality is taken literally. Any treatment of the ISA must take on both a brief discussion of the State and Althussers use of the end point ideology. For him, the State has no meaning except as a hunt of State power and as such, the State is the repressive State instrument (71-72). The State Apparatus (SA) is in turn comprised of the Repressive State Apparatus and the Ideological State Apparatus. The RSA will be discussed in further compass point later, but to understand how the matrix serves as an ISA, a brief discussion of ideology is called for. Althusser defines the ISA as those private institutions that operate by ideology kinda of physical repression. Ideology, as a term, has two aspects for Althusser. The first is that ideology represents the fanciful relationship of individuals to their ... ... amount of time that passed between The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded.2 To be concrete about the difference between the matrix and the real world, I will refer to one as the matrix and the early(a) as the ideology of the re al. The quotes are necessary as the ideology of the real is still a fictional ideology. Furthermore, it must be remembered that Althusser saw ideology as inescapable and a necessary feature of society ( on that point is no practice except by and in an ideology) (Althusser 93). Therefore, referring to the world outside of the matrix as the real world is insufficient and inaccurate. The ideology of the real (as Morpheus says, welcome to the real) serves to enforce the notion of Neo not as rejecting ideology in favor of reality, but rather travel from the ideology of the machines (the matrix) to that of Morpheus (the ideology of the real).