The Matrix: Meaning & Interpretations
There are a lot of interesting aspects of The Matrix that provoke discussion, arguments, and debates over what the filmmakers meant by a particular scene, character, or piece of dialogue. Some of the hidden meaning is easy to find - other stuff is buried so deeply or only briefly referred to that a lot of the fun is digging around to see what you can find.
This is undoubtedly the best scene in the movie.
[Scene: The Oracle's apartment building]
Neo: So is this the same Oracle that made the prophecy?Morpheus: Yes. She's very old. She's been with us since the beginning.Neo: The beginning...?Morpheus: Of the Resistance.Neo: And she knows what, everything?Morpheus: She would say she knows enough.Neo: And she's never wrong.Morpheus: Try not to think of it in terms of right and wrong. She is a guide, Neo. She can help you to find the path.
This is our first hint that The Oracle isn't really interested in telling the future. She may be interested in knowing it, but she's not some fortune teller who's going to rhyme off all the things that will happen to you, or all the things you're going to do. She's going to guide you; she's going to help you find the path. This is a critical context for the scene that follows. The Oracle is guiding Neo with every word she says.
Neo: She helped you?Morpheus: Yes.Neo: What did she tell you?Morpheus: That I would find the one.... I told you I can only show you the door. You have to walk through it. [Scene: The Oracle's apartment]Priestess: Hello, Neo. You're right on time.... Make yourself at home, Morpheus. Neo, come with me.... These are the other potentials, you can wait here.
The potentials are other candidates waiting to meet with The Oracle. Notice they're all children - except for Neo. This goes back to Morpheus' comment soon after waking Neo: "We never free a mind once it's reached a certain age. It's dangerous, the mind has trouble letting go."
Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth.Neo: What truth?Spoon boy: There is no spoon.Neo: There is no spoon?Spoon boy: Then you'll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
"There is no spoon." One of the most common catchphrases that has entered the lexicon as a result of The Matrix. There is no spoon - the spoon exists only in the Matrix, which really means it doesn't exist as a physical object. This is an important lesson for Neo, to help him realize that manipulating the Matrix isn't about focusing on an object and trying to change it. The object doesn't exist, so he can't change it, he has to change himself. Metaphorically, it's all in his head - he has to look inside to exact any control, to bring about even the smallest change.
This is our first hint that The Oracle isn't really interested in telling the future. She may be interested in knowing it, but she's not some fortune teller who's going to rhyme off all the things that will happen to you, or all the things you're going to do. She's going to guide you; she's going to help you find the path. This is a critical context for the scene that follows. The Oracle is guiding Neo with every word she says.
Neo: She helped you?Morpheus: Yes.Neo: What did she tell you?Morpheus: That I would find the one.... I told you I can only show you the door. You have to walk through it. [Scene: The Oracle's apartment]Priestess: Hello, Neo. You're right on time.... Make yourself at home, Morpheus. Neo, come with me.... These are the other potentials, you can wait here.
The potentials are other candidates waiting to meet with The Oracle. Notice they're all children - except for Neo. This goes back to Morpheus' comment soon after waking Neo: "We never free a mind once it's reached a certain age. It's dangerous, the mind has trouble letting go."
Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth.Neo: What truth?Spoon boy: There is no spoon.Neo: There is no spoon?Spoon boy: Then you'll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
"There is no spoon." One of the most common catchphrases that has entered the lexicon as a result of The Matrix. There is no spoon - the spoon exists only in the Matrix, which really means it doesn't exist as a physical object. This is an important lesson for Neo, to help him realize that manipulating the Matrix isn't about focusing on an object and trying to change it. The object doesn't exist, so he can't change it, he has to change himself. Metaphorically, it's all in his head - he has to look inside to exact any control, to bring about even the smallest change.
Cut a few scenes then again we have:
The Oracle: I'd ask you to sit down, but you're not going to anyway. And don't worry about the vase.Neo: What vase?[Neo knocks a vase to the floor]The Oracle: That vase.Neo: I'm sorry.The Oracle: I said don't worry about it. I'll get one of my kids to fix it.Neo: How did you know?The Oracle: What's really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything.
The noodle-baker. Clearly she can tell the future when she wants to. She can be specific. But the real key here is her last statement. Would he have broken it if she hadn't said anything? Here The Oracle is already guiding Neo. She planted something in his mind and he immediately responded. He immediately brought about a result she predicted/wanted. Was this a test to see if he was open to suggestion? Or was it simply a display of her pre-cognitive power? Either way it is the first concrete example of The Oracle guiding Neo's actions
The noodle-baker. Clearly she can tell the future when she wants to. She can be specific. But the real key here is her last statement. Would he have broken it if she hadn't said anything? Here The Oracle is already guiding Neo. She planted something in his mind and he immediately responded. He immediately brought about a result she predicted/wanted. Was this a test to see if he was open to suggestion? Or was it simply a display of her pre-cognitive power? Either way it is the first concrete example of The Oracle guiding Neo's actions
The Oracle: You know why Morpheus brought you to see me?Neo: I think so.The Oracle: So, what do you think? Do you think you're The One?Neo: I don't know.The Oracle: You know what that means? It's Latin. Means `Know thyself'. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Being The One is just like being in love. No one can tell you you're in love, you just know it. Through and through. Balls to bones."Know thyself". That's really what The Oracle is all about. She opens the door but Neo has to choose to believe it for himself. He has to look inside, he has to know there's no spoon, and he has to know he's The One. And it's only through making the choice, once he finds the reason to do so, that he becomes The One. But he isn't ready yet...the next part of their conversation makes that abundantly clear. But she's planted the seed.
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