English
Literary Analysis - Brave New World and Gattaca
The very idea of a society in which blind happiness clouds the minds of its people seems much less comfortable than what the true definition of a Utopia suggests. Utopia is the state of achieving the perfect world. Unfortunately, after a number of literary or artistic attempts to define this world of ultimate bliss, 'perfection' seems to be nothing more than an illusion. It always turns out that harsh sacrifices must be made to achieve this universal happiness. Nevertheless, our world society seems to be adamantly geared towards achieving some form of this perfection, and who is to say what the cost of that world would be? Two artistic attempts in defining this utopian society are made by Aldous Huxley, author of the novel Brand New World, and Andrew Niccol, director of the movie Gattaca. Their narratives’ characters, John and Vincent respectively, stand out in societies of conformism. They foreshadow the only two paths that deviants to a “utopian” society (that will prove to be a lie) would be forced to take in these futuristic worlds. Through these stories, the artistic world is trying to warn us of the things that truly matter but are being taken for granted that might be lost in the utopian world that is being brought forth by the present world society; and through these two heroes, John and Vincent, the stories are showing us the only paths that would be left for those who would dare care to bring back these important things, philosophies, or beliefs.
It is impossible to deny the benefits of living in a perfect world - enjoying a carefree life in a fog of eternal happiness. Truly, ignorance is bliss; those who know nothing of the truth of what is missing are able to live carefree in their own shiny bubbles. In the Brave New World, knowledge is eliminated in exchange for perpetual ecstasy and “social stability.” Babies are genetically engineered and are conditioned to belong to one of five castes that make up the ideal society. Creativity, thus, the arts and sciences are banned and do not flourish. There is no religion, and sex is a mere physical activity made for the sole pleasure of the moment. In Gattaca, genetic engineering made it possible to procreate genetically “perfect” offsprings. This same technology also allowed people with inferior genetic make-up to be identified, forming a great discrimination between the two groups. Thus, in this era, one’s identity determines their skills, level of success, and value in life. Both stories include the concept of genetic engineering in their Dystopias by exemplifying that every individual is given an “inescapable social destiny” purely for the community’s benefit.
Firstly, the authors are trying to warn us that the present society will one day adopt these “utopian” norms and practices. These fictional worlds are not just ideas coming from the authors’ imaginations, but rather a prediction of our civilization’s future. These illustrations of the future show peaceful worlds that have made human beings conform to a very restricted pattern of human life, that result to the loss of individuality and to a tragic extent, humanity. However, to come to a point where all seven billion personalities in our world where individuality still flourishes are eliminated, anomalies are bound to happen. These “exceptions” forced to live in an emotionless and synthetic society are the heroes of our stories.
In Gattaca, the main character, Vincent, found a loophole in the 'flawless' system of his world by perfectly impersonating a genetically superior individual. At the climactic turn of events, he beats Anton, an elite, at “Chicken,” wherefore he proved that “there is no gene for fate.” In other words, it is impossible to scientifically measure a person's true capabilities. Correspondingly, in A Brave New World, having learned the “forbidden knowledge” (through the ancient works of Shakespeare no less) that was erased from his society's traditions, John stood out as a proper individual who could truly think like a human, unconditioned and passionate. Consequently, this created a sense of isolation that led him to rebel against the social norms of the World State. His failed love-story with Lenina further emphasized the intolerable artificiality of this falsely utopian world, which contrasts with the environment where he was brought up.
Both characters share similar cases of self-conflict, as they were unhappy with themselves for being denied the "perfection" or elitism that guaranteed happiness and surrounded the people around them. The way in which they tackled these issues, however, contrasts completely; Vincent proved to have more inner strength by striving to achieve his lifetime goal of becoming an astronaut despite the burden of living a lie, whereas John killed himself out of frustration and loss of hope due to the isolation that tormented him. In a way, Vincent accepted and blended into his society, while John rejected and tried transforming it. In essence, these characters’ narratives illumine the only two paths available to people who find themselves caring for things that the world says is unreachable for them.
Secondly, these stories confront us with the ultimate question of what really matters in life. If we are to create a utopian world, what would it be like? What would people value, and what do we have now that would not exist anymore?
These narratives show externally very pretty worlds – high-technology, people dressing smartly, mechanisms that make up the world systems running efficiently, elegant manners (though not necessarily behaved), peaceful societies - the peak of so-called human civilization. However, both stories restrict a person’s potential by his genetics and “conditioning”, and in A Brave New World, the utopian society also lacked the arts, religion, science, even the concept of a family, and therefore love, compassion, affection, and other traits a world with a lot more options has– arguably the very essence of humanity. The question that needs to be confronted is now, are these utopian worlds worth it?
Whatever is being done in the world today, every human being is gearing towards a better world. It is a vision of better things that keeps people wake up in the morning and go about their day. It is the thought of bliss in any amount that keeps people going for some more. And in the larger scale, it is the idea of a utopian world that keeps humanity hoping. What is this utopian world like? Gattaca and A Brave New World gave warning of the petty things people value today against the things that matter that are taken for granted. These stories, through futuristic satire, force confrontation with what humanity truly consists of, and what could be the price of having to win it over, like our heroes, John and Vincent, attempted to do.
Works Cited
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper Perenial, 1969.
Gattaca. Dir. Andrew M. Niccol. Columbia-Tristar Video, 1999.
