Author: Dew
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Overall, self-knowledge or "knowing who you are" requires time, reflection, objectivity, examination, and openness.


Personally, I feel that Trinity is the The Matrix's most complex and multi-layered character. Throughout the movie she displayed many characteristics of a woman who knows and accepts who she is, as well as her place in the world. However, she was missing one key quality that would make her self-acknowledgment complete--candor. It wasn't until the climax of the movie (Neo's death) that she finally allowed herself to look inside her heart and be honest with herself and Neo.


Using Tom Morris's "Framework for Excellence" as a starting point, I have created a "Know Thyself" list comprising of Trinity's outstanding "C"haracter qualities. Through her example and her words of wisdom, may she help put you on your path to self-discovery and self-acceptance.







Confidence
(Inner positive attitude and strength; faith in one's self)
"I identify with Trinity because she and I both have a lot of faith, and believe in anything and everything, and have absolute faith in life and good and the power of the heart and soul. It's sort of her quiet strength that comes from her belief."--Carrie Ann Moss (June 1999, Sci-Fi Universe)


"To be honest, it took me twice reading it [the script] to fully get it. And I liked that so much, because it had so many layers of meaning in the film. My first initial feeling when I read the film, was that Trinity, my character, represented faith. And that, to me, was what I, my heart and my soul, as an artist, completely clung to. I understood her at that level. I just kept thinking about faith, when I thought of Trinity. I'm talking [about] the very beginning stages when I was just auditioning for it, the six or seven times I auditioned to get the part. The words "faith" and "believe" just kept sort of coming to me."--Carrie Ann Moss (during TNT's Roughcut Question and Answer session with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss on April 12, 1999)







Concentration
(Focus on your goals without losing your identity)
"And my character--here's this woman who is so incredibly strong and has a purpose that is so intense, yet she is still a woman, feminine."--Carrie Ann Moss (Issue 34 of "Xpose Magazine")







Compassion
(Care about others and the world around you)
"I am so in awe of the part because Trinity is kiss-ass while at the same time having a beautiful heart."--Carrie Ann Moss (Issue 34 of "Xpose Magazine")

"I brought you here to warn you."--Trinity to Neo







Contemplation
(Discover your purpose, direction in life)
"Trinity is a warrior, and part of a very strong team of people who are out to do something good for the world. She's fighting for something she believes in. She wants to wake up the people to the fact that the world is asleep. It's life or death; her life is on the line every time. She fights in a man's world, but she can hold her own."--Carrie Ann Moss (June 1999, "Sci-Fi Universe")







Cultivation
(Find your talents and develop them)
"What's interesting about her is that she's not only strong but she's also very feminine. Which is a lot like myself. It's who I am. I didn't have to play her tough or prove I was tough and she is not cold or bitchy. And that's good because the key for me is that I didn't want to or need to play a tough chick. Why should I? I mean I'm running around walls and kicking ass."--Carrie Ann Moss (June 1999, "Sci-Fi Universe)







Capitalization
(Using of all components of yourself in balance and harmony)
"Unlike a lot of action-movie heroines, [Trinity] is very nurturing even though she has to fight like a warrior. Having a balance between the two opposing natures is one of the major things that makes her so special."--Carrie Ann Moss (Issue 34 of "Xpose Magazine")







Creativity
(Ability to inspire and teach others; having an open mind)
"The Matrix can not tell you who you are."--Trinity to Neo

"The answer is out there, Neo. It's looking for you. And it wil find you, if you want it to."--Trinity to Neo







Curiosity
(Embracing new experiences and challenges)
"I know, because I was once looking for the same thing."--Trinity to Neo

Morpheus: "You have to focus, Trinity. There's a phone at Wells and Lake. You can make it."
Trinity: "All right."









Candor
(Honesty/Sincerity with others and self; ability to communicate deepest emotions and thoughts despite fear or reprisal)
This was Trinity's toughest goal and lesson to master.Throughout the movie, she hedged on personal questions and avoided careful examination of her deepest feelings.

Cypher: You like watching him, don't you?
Trinity: Don't be ridiculous.

Neo: What did she tell you?
Trinity: She told me....[didn't answer]

Trinity: "Neo, I want to tell you something. But I'm afraid of what it could mean if I do. Everything the Oracle has told me has come true. Everything but this..." [doesn't tell him]

Finally at the end of the movie, she was able to swallow her fear and confess her true feelings: "Neo, I'm no afraid anymore. The Oracle told me that I would fall in love, and that man, the man that I loved would be the One. So you see, you can't be dead. You can't be, because I love you. You hear me? I love you."





Sources include: "Random House Webster's College Dictionary--1997 Edition," "Philosophy For Dummies" by Tom Morris, PH.D and the various sources listed beside the quotes above.


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