Gene and Vincent

958 Words4 Pages
”This story is about the fight of the under dog.” How are the themes of prejudice and courage developed in the film GATTACA? Gattaca directed by Andrew Niccol, is set in a future where science, and not religion, has taken over society. A new form of discrimination has arisen, called genoism, discrimination according to one’s genetic purity. The story follows a man named Vincent Freeman who was born as a god child this means he was genetically inferior to people born with the aid of technology. Vincent faces extreme genetic discrimination and prejudice, making it harder for his life long dream of being an astronaut. But we soon find that with courage and determination Vincent can rise up and live his dream despite being…show more content…
If Vincent were to be exposed as an invalid he would lose his position and would be subject to fines. Just like the rest of his life Vincent would be a victim of genetic discrimination. While all this chaos is happening at Gattaca, we find out that the detective in charge is Vincent’s brother Anton. Anton tries to convince Vincent to go with him before he is found out by the other detectives. It soon becomes clear that Anton is doing this more out of insecurity and is more concerned with how Vincent has managed to get the better of him, despite his supposed genetic superiority. Vincent and Anton settle their dispute the way they did when they were kids, by seeing who could swim further out into the ocean. As it happens Vincent rises up and beats Anton and saves him from drowning. This is simply because he refused to save any strength for the swim back; he is willing to risk everything to succeed. This is a perfect example of a fight of the underdog; Vincent used all his strength and beat his brother despite his genetic disadvantages. In conclusion, the film shows many themes of prejudice and discrimination towards Vincent, simply because of his genetic make-up, but this film is about the fight of the underdog and how Vincent rose up and reached his goal despite being put down his whole life and being “inferior” to his brother, friends and co-workers. As Vincent says in the film “there is no gene for fate” simply

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