Anika Reza

Carleton University

Rob Holton

ENGL 3002

10 December, 2007

Reality and the Real in the Matrix: A Lacanian Perspective

Jacques Lacan makes a distinction between the Real and reality. The Real is "something

faced with which all words cease and all categories fail, the object of anxiety par excellence"

(Walsh) therefore the Real is something which cannot be symbolized nor spoken of. Reality on

the other hand is constructed by way of linguistic and ideological structures, which organize our

conscious and our unconscious lives, therefore reality is the fantasy world we convince ourselves

is the world around us (Felluga “the Structure of the Psyche”). The world we live in is based on

rules and order, which distances us from the Real. This same distance is found in the movie The

Matrix where the virtual universe called matrix represents reality, which creates a distance from

the Real represented by the Real World. Lacan describes the Real as something that cannot be

categorized or verbalized just as Morpheus in The Matrix tells Neo that no one could describe the

matrix, it had to be experienced. The virtual universe called the matrix in the movie exemplifies

the Symbolic Order in that it constructs the reality we perceive through social structures such as

language and laws that describes and represents a collective belief and understanding. Since the

Real cannot be described or represented, and reality is described and represented in the Symbolic

Order, there is always a lack in the Symbolic Order in relation to the Real of our experiences.

This lack is a gap, which is a gap in our conception and understanding of the Real. A gap

Morpheus calls “a splinter in your mind” (The Matrix). It is this very gap in the Symbolic Order
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that propels Neo into seeking the Real and his eventual discovery of what the matrix is. Even so

the power of the Symbolic Order is apparent when some individuals who have been ‘freed’ from

the matrix and have experienced the Real choose to return to the matrix. The Symbolic Order

structures our psyche therefore it is based on the structure that we have developed our

understanding of the world and our sense of self. The loss of the Symbolic Order would be

traumatic, as it would mean the loss of our reality. Hence the resistance of the minds of the

people who are still within the matrix from becoming ‘free’. Therefore though the Real exists

beyond the Symbolic Order, and if it were possible to awaken people from the Symbolic Order

to the Real, it is unlikely a great many individuals would be willing to discard their reality for the

Real.

The Symbolic Order is made up of the rules and regulations of society and refers to the

human psyche’s ability to use words and language. Once the child accepts the rules of language

and the signifier of the Name-of-the-Father he/she can then interact fully with others since the

Symbolic Order is where societies hold their signifiers in common. Just as the Symbolic Order

mediates the relationship between individuals through language the matrix mediates the

relationship between individuals through the creation of the virtual universe and everything

within it. This includes everything from the sound the humans produce, the image of themselves

they perceive to the objects in the virtual world to which they refer to. The Name-of-the-Father

introduces the law that creates an order inside the psyche of subject. It also regulates desire and

gives identity to the subject. The Name-of-the-Father serves the same purpose within the matrix

as it does in our world and it is only by breaking this acceptance of the Name-of-the-Father, and

thus the Symbolic Order, that an individual is able to perceive the Real in the movie. Humans

within the matrix do not choose their own reality since they are presented with just one and this

matrix reality has its own sets of laws and rules ranging from those that concern gravity to those

that concern society, much like our world. Unlike our world though sentient programs, such as

Agent Smith, exists in the matrix and they are not bound by these rules. They have a
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consciousness beyond the Symbolic Order and have access to the Real therefore the laws that

govern the Symbolic Order do not apply to them. Morpheus tells Neo in the training segment of

the movie that some of these rules can be bent while others can be broken. In order for Neo to be

able to break or bend rules like Agent Smith he would have to first “free his mind”. To do so he

must reject the Name-of-the-Father of the matrix reality and not limit his actions according to the

rules in the Symbolic Order. This is done by “controlling one’s own destiny with a mind that

transcends the power relations that surround it” (Melzer 167) and this is what Neo eventually

achieves. By freeing the mind from the binds constructed by the matrix and connecting it to his

real body in the Real World Neo is able to break away from laws the matrix imposed. However

the Symbolic Order is powerful as it is something that has shaped Neo’s psyche since the time he

entered into language. In the scene where Morpheus effortlessly walks through a sea of people in

the simulated matrix we watch Neo struggle to not bump into people as he attempts to keep up.

Neo’s clumsiness shows that his psyche is still bound by the Symbolic Order as he moves and

acts as though the laws that govern the matrix, the Symbolic Order, still applies to him.

Morpheus on the other hand has freed his psyche from the Symbolic Order and the reality

created by the matrix therefore he is able to walk effortlessly against the tide of people. Neo’s

own eventual breaking away from reality and the Symbolic Order is seen in the scene where he

combats Agent Smith. Neo is able to move faster than humanly possible and his strength and

capabilities are beyond those that would be possible within the reality of the matrix. Thus Neo

breaks away from the rules found within the Symbolic Order that would have limited him to

human capabilities but his struggles and efforts reveal the extent to which our psyche is

structured and bound by the Symbolic Order.

The Real, unlike the Symbolic Order, is “everything that exists unbeknownst to the

subject” (Lander 20) and is which is impossible to symbolize and exists beyond the Symbolic

Order. In The Matrix the Real is represented by the Real World, which exists beyond the matrix

but is impossible to understand. Those in the movie who are eventually chosen to be ‘woken’
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from the matrix are those that instinctively know that there is something beyond the matrix.

Morpheus tells Neo “you’re here because you know something, what you know, you can’t

explain but you feel it” (The Matrix) and this feeling is what sets Neo apart. While others are

fully immersed into the Symbolic Order, which is the matrix, Neo retains enough instinct to

know there is something beyond it. Though the Real is unknowable Lacan later says there is a

partial way to access the Real. In Seminar 22, titled “RSI”, Lacan describes the Imaginary Order,

Symbolic and the Order of the Real as a Borromean knot. Lacan described these three orders as

circles that overlap each other and are thus knotted and if even one of the knots is cut all the rest

will be set free as well. As the three orders overlap this overlapping represents the fact that these

orders do not exist independently from each other but that their connection keeps the three orders

operative (Lander 21-22). Due to this overlapping the Real may occasionally break through the

Symbolic Order and disrupt it. This disruption occurs when an individual has an experience of a

matrix phenomena which cannot be understood through the individual’s prevailing Symbolic

Order; those occurrences which lie beyond the sense perception, expectations, assumptions, or

conceptual frames through which the individual understands reality (Atkinson). Neo experiences

this in the very beginning of the movie when writing seems to appear almost magically on his

computer screen telling him to “follow the white rabbit”. Neo is further disoriented when in one

scene Morpheus gives him directions on how to avoid Agent Smith and Morpheus appears to

know everything that is going on though he wasn’t physically present there. Neo’s Symbolic

Order tells him it is impossible for Morpheus to know which cubicle is safe to hide in and which

office will lead to a successful escape. Yet Morpheus does know since the Symbolic Order does

not bind the experience of the Real of escaping. Though the psyche will need to give the Real a

form through which it will be able to understand it Morpheus has long since broken away from

the Symbolic Order therefore he is able to do things and see things that are beyond the matrix,

beyond the Symbolic Order. Thus the Real occasionally disrupts the Symbolic Order and if one
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is conscious enough, such as Neo, one will be able to somewhat grasp the Real. And in the

movie this tentative grasp is enough to eventually free the individual from the matrix.

Though the movie focuses primarily on the Real and the Symbolic Order, the movie does

touch upon the Imaginary Order and more specifically the mirror stage. In the mirror stage, as

described by Lacan, a child (mis)recognizes themselves in the mirror believing that it is they that

are there while it is just the reflection. The reflection appears whole which is in contrast to the

child’s inner “turbulent chaotic perceptions, feelings, and needs” which creates a "primordial

Discord". This is the first time the child is exposed to the difference between the image of the

body and the reality1 of the body (Falluga “Psychosexual Development”). Thus the child is at

once jealous of the reflection, it is perfect while the child is not, and delighted; the child will

work to achieve that perfection. The reflection is the Ideal-I, a simplified, whole form of the self

the child will attempt to achieve the rest of its life. The moment of perception of the difference

between the image of the body and the inner emotions the child experiences a loss of the Real

and entrance into reality. In The Matrix there is a twist to the concept of the mirror stage when

Neo sees his reflection in the mirror after taking the red pill of knowledge. The broken mirror

distorts Neo’s reflection and his face is not visible due to a missing piece. This works to signify

that the mirror, instead of reflecting a deceptive whole looking self, reflects the image of the

subject with all the lacks that exists. Therefore instead of viewing an image that is in opposition

to how he feels Neo sees the Real reflected back at him. In the next scene the mirror somehow

repairs itself and Neo is able to see a complete reflection of himself. This symbolizes that within

the matrix Neo had been an incomplete self since there was a disconnect from the Real but the

act of taking the red pill and his subsequent ‘awakening’ from the Symbolic Order will see him

reconnected with the Real therefore he will be whole once more. Thus the mirror accurately

reflected his former incomplete self just as it accurately reflected his later complete self. At this

point Neo may have broken away from the Imaginary Order and ‘awakened’ in the Real World

but the Imaginary Order’s influence remained. This is apparent in the scene where Neo enters a
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simulation of the matrix in order to train and learn more about it. In the Real World Neo has no

hair and has plugs in multiple places on his body that were originally connected to the Machine.

In the virtual universe of the matrix on the other hand Neo has a full head of hair and no plugs on

his body. Morpheus explains that in the matrix the self he sees is actually his "residual self-

image" (The Matrix). Morpheus states that residual self-image is "the mental projection of your

digital self" within a given virtual reality. Therefore Neo is projecting a self-image which

corresponds with his ego developed in the mirror stage. The "residual self-image" does not

correspond with the Real as the Real is not accessible in the matrix. Lacan “affirms that the Real

has ex-sistence outside the subject’s reality” (Lander 19) and reality is represented by the matrix.

Even so the "residual self-image" in the matrix bares almost a perfect resemblance to the Real

Neo in the Real World minus a few details. Therefore the humans inside the matrix must then

possess a degree of self-awareness and identity unique to their bodies in the Real World

(Cunningham). This harkens back to Lacan’s idea that the Real is always present though we

cannot conceptualize it but it may break through the Symbolic Order in moments of absent

mindedness or even in dreams. This connection is represented in the movie The Matrix by

showing that though the humans inside the matrix cannot describe or understand the matrix or

what is beyond it they have an awareness of it as their image in the matrix corresponds with their

physical attributes in the Real World.

Neo is one of the few that is able to break away from reality and the Symbolic Order and

discover the Real World. This is made clear by the fact that only a small number of individuals

are able to do so. Compared to the billions of people wired into the matrix there are only a

handful on the ship the Nebuchadnezzar and a few hundred more in the city of Zion. As Neo

watches what looks like career men and women walk by in the simulated matrix Morpheus says,

“You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them

are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it” (The

Matrix). Morpheus’ comment reveals the fact that most individuals concept of the ‘real’ is based
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on the Symbolic Order and so to take that away would be to take their reality away which would

be severely traumatic (Felluga “the Structure of the Psyche”). Each individual who has the

potential of breaking away from the Symbolic Order is given a choice between the red pill and

the blue. The red pill would free their mind from the matrix and reunite it with their body while

the blue pill would allow them to go back to the matrix and believe that all that they had come to

know was just a dream. Neo chooses to take the red pill as had Trinity, Cypher and the rest of the

crew aboard Nebuchadnezzar. Cypher however comes to regret this decision and in his regret we

perceive the reason why reality was created; to protect us from the Real. Cypher once told Neo:

“…I’ve been thinking it ever since I got here. Why, oh, why didn’t I take the blue pill” (The

Matrix). Just as the characters in The Matrix get to choose between the red or the blue pills

individuals go through a similar stage in ‘real life’ when a child chooses to either enter into

language or not. Reality represents the Real in a format and fashion that is more palatable and

Cypher soon realizes that he prefers the constructed matrix to the Real World. He even declares,

“If I had to choose between this and the matrix, I’d choose the matrix” which shows the power

and lure of reality and the extent to which our minds are shaped and formed by the Symbolic

Order. Even after understanding exactly what the Symbolic Order is and viewing its workings

and mechanism, individuals may still choose to be enslaved by its laws rather than be ‘free’ in

the Real.

This lure may be better understood in terms of desire. According to Lacan human’s desire

is not an object but the Desire of the other. Meaning that human beings want to be wanted and

needed above all else since this puts a recognition on their human value. Desire is instated in

humans when they experience satisfaction and later lose the object of satisfaction. “The lack of

the object gives rise to the presence of desire” and so there can be no desire without a lack

(Lander 3). Dino Felluga of Purdue University states that our fantasies will always fail before the

Real which ensures that we continue to desire as a lack is created by the failure. Desire in the

symbolic order may actually be a way for humans to avoid coming into full contact with the Real
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since the Real is traumatic. Therefore ultimately the goal and purpose in desire is to reproduce

itself and not in obtaining the object of desire (“the Structure of the Psyche”). In The Matrix

Agent Smith tells Morpheus that “the first matrix was designed to be a perfect human world

where none suffered, where everyone would be happy”, he goes on to say that “It was a disaster.

No one would accept the program, entire crops of [the] humans [serving as batteries] were lost”

(The Matrix). This reveals that the human mind rejected the perfect world of the matrix since

desire was cancelled out as all need was met. Lacan states that anxiety shows when there is a

presence of an excess of the object since such presence hinders the appearance of the signifier of

the lack. Without lack desire disappears (Lander 26). Therefore the matrix’s perfect world failed

to imprison the minds of the humans because the perfect world lacked desire as there was a lack

of lack. Agent Smith continues on to say “I believe that, as a species, human beings define their

reality through suffering and misery. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive

cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the matrix was re-designed to this: the peak

of your civilization" (The Matrix). The peak of civilization Agent Smith refers to is the year

1999 with all of its conflicts and class, race and gender struggles intact. It is ironic that it is this

virtual world, complete with the original faults and shortcomings that is most successful in

keeping the human mind bound to the Symbolic Order so that they do not try to contemplate the

Real.

The concept of the reality and the Real in The Matrix works to show the power the

Symbolic Order, represented by the matrix, has over individuals. It is through the Symbolic

Order that people communicate, formulate thought and develop a sense of self in relation to

others. Though the Symbolic Order is quite vital it also has its shortcomings. The Symbolic

Order does not include the Real as the Real cannot be symbolized and so it cannot be known.

Thus the Symbolic Order encompasses virtually everything except the Real and it is here that we

find a gap between the signifier and signified as the Real is unsignifiable. It is through this gap

the Real occasionally disrupts the Symbolic Order as it creates phenomena that cannot be
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understood, explained or conceptualized though the Symbolic Order. It is these disruptions

which catches Neo’s attention and which eventually leads him to seek the answer to the question

“what is the matrix”? The movie The Matrix ends by showing a computer screen with hundreds

of numbers cursing by and a box right in the middle of the screen that says “system failure”.

There is a voice over and we hear Neo saying:

“I know you’re afraid, afraid of us, afraid of change…[I am going

to] show these people what you don’t want them to see; a world

without [the matrix]. A world without rules and controls, without

borders and boundaries, a world where anything is possible” (The

Matrix).

Neo thus announces his mission to free the humans in the matrix from the Symbolic Order and

its rules and regulation and bring them into the Real. What Neo may soon realize is that it is not

reality that is the enemy but the Real. The Real is too abstract and chaotic for an individual to

grasp and live with. It is the very structure that the Symbolic Order provides which enables

individuals to process thought and ideas. To take away reality would be to take away the tools

which enabled individuals to create a sense of identity and the coherence of the world around

them. Thus though Neo may believe all humans will be thankful for the liberation from the

Symbolic Order of the matrix it may be wise to remember Cypher’s words: “If I had to choose

between this and the matrix, I’d choose the matrix”.

1 For the lack of a better word I use the word ‘reality’ here but I do not mean it in the sense of the
reality which is in contrast to the Real but ‘reality’ which represents the Real

Work Cited

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Evaluating Profiles of Teacher Competences and Supervising Students on Their Teaching

Practice." Partnership Server. 11 Dec. 2002. Manchester Metropolitan University. 05 Dec. 2007

<http://www.partnership.mmu.ac.uk/cme/Chreods/Issue_8/Dennis_A/Dennis_A.html>.

Cunningham, Douglas A. "Stalling Zion: Hegemony Through Racial Conflict in the Matrix." Rhizomes

7 (2003). 2 Dec. 2007 <http://www.rhizomes.net/issue7/cunning.htm>.

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Theory. 28 Nov. 2003. Perdue University. 28 Nov. 2007

<http://www.purdue.edu/guidetotheory/psychoanalysis/lacandevelop.html>.

Felluga, Dino. "Modules on Lacan: on the Structure of the Psyche." Introductory Guide to Critical

Theory. 28 Nov. 2003. Purdue University. 28 Nov. 2007

<http://www.purdue.edu/guidetotheory/psychoanalysis/lacanstructure.html>.

Lander, Romulo. Subjective Experience and the Logic of the Other. Ed. Judith Filc. New York: Other

P, 2006.

The Matrix. Dir. Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, and

Hugo Weaving. DVD. Warner Brothers, 1999.

Melzer, Patricia. Alien Construction: Science Fiction and Feminist Thought. 1st ed. Austin: University

of Texas P, 2006.
Walsh, Michael. "Reality, the Real, and the Margaret-Thatcher- Signifier in Two British Films of the

1980s." American Imago os 52 (1995). Muse. Carleton University Library, Ottawa. 10 Dec.

2007 <http://muse.jhu.edu.proxy.library.carleton.ca/journals/american_imago/v05

2/52.2walsh.html>.