There are several camps out there that have opinions as to what the Oracle’s real intentions are. From her talk with Neo in The Matrix Reloaded, we know that she says she is a program. But is her purpose to help the machines or the humans? Or does she have her own goals in this crazy thing we call the matrix.
In her pleasant, little Oracle way, she charms the hell out Neo and the viewers as she gives him some candy and explains very vaguely what Neo must do to save Zion. Many questions arise from what the Oracle says and does. Some people have suggested that the piece of candy was another red pill. I like to ask the more obvious questions like what does she mean by, “You’ve made a believer out me”?
Enough with the questions; here is the complete transcript.
The Oracle: Well, come on. I ain’t gonna bite ya. Come around here, and let me have a look at ya. My goodness, look at you! You turned out all right, didn’t you? How do you feel?
Neo: I, uh…
The Oracle: I know you’re not sleeping. We’ll get to that. Why don’t you come and have a sit this time?
Neo: Maybe I’ll stand.
The Oracle: Well, suit yourself.
Neo sits down.
Neo: I felt like sitting.
The Oracle: I know. So. Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way.
Neo: You’re not human, are you?
The Oracle: Well it’s tough to get any more obvious than that.
Neo: If I had to guess, I’d say you’re a program from the machine world. So is he.
The Oracle: So far, so good.
Neo: But if that’s true, that can mean you are a part of this system, another kind of control.
The Oracle: Keep going.
Neo: I suppose the most obvious question is, how can I trust you?
The Oracle: Bingo! It is a pickle, no doubt about it. The bad news is there’s no way if you can really know whether I’m here to help you or not. So it’s really up to you. You just have to make up your own damn mind to either accept what I’m going to tell you, or reject it. Candy?
Neo: D’you already know if I’m going to take it?
The Oracle: Wouldn’t be much of an Oracle if I didn’t.
Neo: But if you already know, how can I make a choice?
The Oracle: Because you didn’t come here to make the choice, you’ve already made it. You’re here to try to understand why you made it. I thought you’d have figured that out by now.
Neo: Why are you here?
The Oracle: Same reason. I love candy.
Neo: But why help us?
The Oracle: We’re all here to do what we’re all here to do. I’m interested in one thing, Neo, the future. And believe me, I know – the only way to get there is together.
Neo: Are there other programs like you?
The Oracle: Oh, well, not like me. But… Look, see those birds? At some point a program was written to govern them. A program was written to watch over the trees, and the wind, the sunrise, and sunset. There are programs running all over the place. The ones doing their job, doing what they were meant to do, are invisible. You’d never even know they were here. But the other ones, well, we hear about them all the time.
Neo: I’ve never heard of them.
The Oracle: Of course you have. Every time you’ve heard someone say they saw a ghost, or an angel. Every story you’ve ever heard about vampires, werewolves, or aliens is the system assimilating some program that’s doing something they’re not supposed to be doing.
Neo: Programs hacking programs. Why?
The Oracle: They have their reasons, but usually a program chooses exile when it faces deletion.
Neo: And why would a program be deleted?
The Oracle: Maybe it breaks down. Maybe a better program is created to replace it – happens all the time, and when it does, a program can either choose to hide here, or return to The Source.
Neo: The machine mainframe?
The Oracle: Yes. Where you must go. Where the path of The One ends. You’ve seen it, in your dreams, haven’t you? The door made of light?
Neo nods
The Oracle: What happens when you go through the door?
Neo: I see Trinity, and something happens, something bad. She starts to fall, and then I wake up.
The Oracle: Do you see her die?
Neo: No.
The Oracle: You have the sight now, Neo. You are looking at the world without time.
Neo: Then why can’t I see what happens to her?
The Oracle: We can never see past the choices we don’t understand.
Neo: Are you saying I have to choose whether Trinity lives or dies?
The Oracle: No. You’ve already made the choice, now you have to understand it.
Neo: No, I can’t do that. I won’t.
The Oracle: You have to.
Neo: Why?
The Oracle: Because you’re The One.
Neo: What if I can’t? What happens if I fail?
The Oracle: Then Zion will fall. Our time is up. Listen to me, Neo. You can save Zion if you reach The Source, but to do that you will need the Keymaker.
Neo: The Keymaker?
The Oracle: Yes, he disappeared some time ago. We did not know what happened to him until now. He’s being held prisoner by a very dangerous program, one of the oldest of us. He is called the Merovingian, and he will not let him go willingly.
Neo: What does he want?
The Oracle: What do all men with power want? More power.
The Oracle: Be there, at that exact time, and you will have a chance.
Seraph: We must go.
The Oracle: Seems like every time we meet I’ve got nothing but bad news. I’m sorry about that, I surely am. But for what it’s worth, you’ve made a believer out of me. Good luck, kiddo.
End scene.
Further Reading
More Matrix transcripts and analysis
Philosophers Explore The Matrix (2005) edited by Christopher Grau
Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and the Religion in the Matrix (2003) edited by Glenn Yeffeth
The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (2002) by William Irwin
More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded (2005) by William Irwin
Journey to the Source (2004) by Pradheep Chhalliyil