Neo is presented with plenty of choices, and we're not talking about simple choices like deciding between honey-walnut cream cheese (blegh) and salmon-dill cream cheese (yes please).
Neo's choices not only forwards the plot of The Matrix (thank goodness he picked the red pill, watching a software programmer at work sounds like a yawn fest), they also bring up some big question about things like agency, autonomy, free will, and determinism. While every choice he makes seems pivotal, it's also difficult to imagine a world where he made a single choice differently. This could simply be a matter of retrospect, but it could also hint at the kind of inevitability Agent Smith is so fond of.
Questions about Choices
- Why do you think every choice Neo make seems to have two options?
- Why doesn't Neo ever consider other options?
- It's nice to think that our power to choose—to make real decisions—is what separates humans from animals or computers. But are the decisions made through programming or instinct really any different from how we think?
Chew on This
Neo isn't the only one who makes choices. Other characters like Morpheus and Trinity and Cypher make a lot of choices throughout the film. Everyone's decisions affect everyone else so, in a way, no one has complete control over their own lives.
The Oracle's ability to know Neo's choices doesn't mean he never chooses. His choices are very real despite the outcome being predetermined.