Gattaca and Sociology - 2286 Words

SOC 101/110 Gattaca â€Å"Gattaca† is a movie about a man named Vincent who is born into a â€Å"new† society that uses genetics as the make-up for what social class you are given and will remain in, no matter what you do. Vincent is a â€Å"godchild†. He is born the â€Å"natural way†, without any genetic altering and his future is set for him as soon as he is conceived. His place in society is at the bottom of the social class and with all his â€Å"birth defects†, he seems to be placed even lower. He has poor eyesight and heart problems among many other things and is only given a life expectancy of around thirty years of age. He is denied the basics of life such as medical care and education. When his brother, Aton, is born through genetic†¦show more content†¦This is what Vincent does. He finds a man named Jerome who has been injured in an accident and is now paralyzed. He takes over Jerome’s life. By using hair, skin, blood, urine and other DNA, V incent becomes Jerome and secures a job at Gattaca. His desire to go into space can now be a reality but only if he can keep up the facade. Micro socialization is more of the relationship that Jerome and Vincent have. At first, Jerome treats Vincent with a mere indifference. He does not take his new â€Å"job† seriously and his constantly drinking or doing drugs in order to take his own pain away at having lost out of his own life. After a while, Jerome and Vincent become brotherly types who take care of each other. In the final parts of the movie, Jerome shows Vincent that he has stored enough DNA for â€Å"two lifetimes† and that when Vincent returns from space it will all be waiting for him. Jerome then commits suicide by burning himself in the furnace to avoid any traces of â€Å"Jerome’s † DNA being found while Jerome is gone in outer space. The social structure within Gattaca is simple. You are either a Valid or an Invalid. There is no in between. Invalids do no associate with Valids and so on. If you are a Valid, you have power, prestige and property. You can obtain a good job, secure a future with a perfect mate, have perfect children and do all the â€Å"right† things. If you are an Invalid you are destined to poverty and no power along withShow MoreRelatedSociology: Gattaca Movie Paper1638 Words   |  7 PagesRuben Arrieta Professor McGinnis Sociology 101 11 November 2010 Gattaca Gattaca is a movie that contains a very interesting society. As in all societies, discrimination exists and it is primarily between two groups. The valids, as they are called here, are the dominant group who oppress the group known as the invalids, which is the group consisting of the less privileged individuals. However, in this society, privileged and less privileged does not refer to the individuals in terms of wealthRead MoreWhats Eating Gilbert Grape- Review and Critique2227 Words   |  9 PagesThe representation of disability in Gattaca. Australian Screen Education, 31, 111-114. Harnett, A. (2000). Escaping evil avenger and the supercrip; Images of disability in popular television. Irish Communications Review, 8, 21-29. Hayes Black (2003). Troubling Signs: Disability, Hollywood Movies and the Construction of a Discourse of Pity Livingston, K. (2004). Viewing Popular Films about Mental Illness through a Sociological Lens. Teaching Sociology, 32(1), 119-128. Malony, S. (2002).