How Does Vincent Have Identity In Gattaca

Imagine living in a world where the government decides the role of a person’s life based on their genes. In Andrew Niccol’s film, Gattaca, a society categorizes people based on their genetic makeup. The main character Vincent, is an outcast, but dreams of going to Saturn’s moon Titan. The only way Vincent can get there is by covering up his true identity. Vincent partners with Jerome Eugene, a crippled man with a perfect genetic makeup, to cover his identity. Vincent manages to pass himself off as a Valid until one of Vincent’s Invalid eyelashes is found at the scene where the Mission Director is murdered. Vincent avoids many suspicious encounters and receives the opportunity to travel to Titan. In Andrew Niccol’s film, Gattaca, Jerome and

Vincent escape their castes in society because they want to be set free.
Jerome and Vincent feel people in their society are treated unfairly.

Although Vincent wants to participate on the journey to Titan, he will never receive the opportunity because Vincent is an Invalid. Invalids are treated poorly and are given menial jobs. Vincent works as an Invalid and cleans offices in the Aerospace Corporation. At the beginning of the movie, Director Josef sees Vincent staring up into space. The director laughs and tells Vincent to get back to work. This angers Vincent because he does not want to continue to live his life with restrictions; he wants to pursue his dreams and make the best out of the life he is given. As a result, Vincent decides to turn himself into a Valid. Vincent partners with Jerome, a person with perfect DNA, to help cover up his identity. For example, Vincent glues a fake fingertip with a sac of Jerome’s blood in it to his own fingertip to allow Vincent into the Aerospace Corporation. Another example of how Vincent becomes a Valid is by exfoliating himself often to ensure that he removes any loose hair or skin before any evidence of the Invalid Vincent can be found. Jerome in contrast, is of course, a Valid. Jerome is a very competitive and talented swimmer. At a very important competition, Jerome falls short of first place and feels that he has let himself down. As a result of his loss, Jerome tries to commit suicide by jumping in front of a car, but instead becomes paralyzed. Throughout the movie, Jerome is very helpful to Vincent and helps Vincent accomplish his dream of traveling to Titan. After many suicide attempts throughout the movie, Jerome decides to enclose himself in a chamber and ignites a fire. The silver medal Jerome has around his neck from the competition turns gold. The change of the metal's color may indicate that Jerome has finally achieved perfection. Throughout his whole life, Jerome lives up to his potential and never gives an excuse when he fails. The anger Jerome has towards his failure,

overcompensates any other potential he can see in himself and therefore decides to take his own life. The world in this movie has high expectations for its people and puts an immense amount of pressure on the community. A person who does not live up to the expectations is no longer seen as an important person in society. Consequently, the process of making a person feel less than human degrades the person and causes the person to believe they have no purpose in life.
This movie has a striking storyline and strong impact on the viewers. The movie is almost terrifying in the sense that a world much like the one in the movie will indeed take place in the next ten years. Overall, the very detailed beginning of Vincent gluing the fake fingertip to his own finger and attaching the bag filled with urine to his leg is very intriguing. One lesson that can be observed throughout the movie is that no matter how much a person is designed to perfection, failure will still occur. Jerome, a person scientists created to perfection, fails to succeed despite having every advantage and opportunity possible. In contrast, the imperfect character, Vincent, surpasses his challenges and succeeds in the life he was not projected to live. In the novel, Brave New World, everyone is designed to be happy and love what they are destined to do in their life. However, some outcasts feel differently about the way the government treats its people. In both the movie, Gattaca, and the novel, Brave New World, the government’s pressure and dehumanization of a person causes the main characters to commit suicide. Clearly, in Niccol’s film, Jerome and Vincent escape their castes in society.