GATTACA Essay

Mckenna Brink

Mr. Aiello

Biology

14 January 2015

                                                                    Essay

The quote I chose to explain from the movie was, “Jerome was engineered with everything needed to get into Gattaca… except the desire to do so”-Vincent. This quote is relevant to the film because Jerome Eugene was the perfect candidate for Gattaca, he had the intelligence, the brain and he was perfectly healthy before the accident. Even his middle name “Eugene” meant perfect genes. He had everything except the passion and heart. Vincent would kill to be Jerome because Vincent’s dream is to go to space and he doesn’t qualify at all.

One recurring symbol in the film was the ladder symbolizing as a DNA helix. For example: Vincent is a “borrowed ladder” or the spiralling staircase at Jeromes house that no one lives above. This scenario symbolizes genes that Vincent doesn’t have. Above the staircase is where people with healthy hearts are and Vincent doesn’t go up there because he feels like he doesn’t belong. Finally at the end of the movie when he goes up the stairs and reveals to Irene that he is actually Vincent is a big scene because no one knows but him and Jerome. It shows that he trusts her and really likes her.

One theme in the movie is Perfection vs. Happiness. In the film there isn’t happiness or fun because if you are too worried about being perfect you’ll miss out on all the good things in life. In the movie Vincent had to always worry about about being so perfect and not being caught hat he was never truly happy. At the end when he told Irene who he really was and finally got to go to space he could finally enjoy it all. I think the film lacks happiness because he wasn’t being himself and you can only be happy when yourself.

The question I chose to answer about my ethics was number 3: Gattaca, Vincent’s parents visited a doctor to select the best traits for his future brother. Some of the traits mentioned in Gattaca included intelligence, height and any possibility of inheritable diseases. If you decide to have a child in the future and are given the opportunity to select special traits, would you do so? I think this question is very controversial. In my opinion I would say no. I want my child to come out just the way they are. Even if they have some problems thats okay because they will always have something to get better at. If my parents had picked out all my traits and qualities I would feel like a robot. But I can also see how parents would want to pick out their kids’ traits to make sure they don't get diseases. Thats the only thing I would pick to make sure happens to them, I just want them to be healthy and happy.