20 Things You Didn't Know About The Truman Show

When Truman and Meryl receive a visit his mother, they flick through an old photo album containing pictures of Truman growing up. After a couple of pages, his mother stops on a particular photograph. "Oh, my little clown" she says, obviously an affectionate nickname she once had for him. This is also written above the entry, but it has an even deeper meaning that a cute name.

The picture features a young Truman, dressed up as a clown in full make up. It's a scene we have seen before, when he was rummaging through his trunk filled with secret mementos from his time before his father died.

The clown costume acts as a perfect metaphor for Truman. His entire life, from his highest accomplishments to his lowest moments, has been put on display for the entertainment of others, much like a clown takes focus in a circus.

This picture in particular serves as another metaphor that really cuts to the core of Truman's life. Not only is he dressed as a clown, he is also behind the bars of a childproof gate, foreshadowing that he is actually a prisoner.