The story of Vincent shows in Gattaca that there is possibility of beating the genetic engineering system. Vincent is one of the last naturally born babies born into a sterile, genetically enhanced world, where life expectancy and disease likelihood are ascertained at birth. Myopic and due to die at 30, he has no chance of a career in a society that now discriminates against your genes, instead of your gender, race or religion. Vincent an invalid, dreams of working within Gattaca and making it into space. He combines with Jerome who was disabled in an accident to take his identity and live his life to enter the Gattaca Corporation.
Vincent is selected for his lifelong desire, a manned mission to Titan.
But did Vincent really beat genetic engineering or did he barely just lie and fake it to become what he wanted to be once he was born, an astronaut to go into space. Vincent is a god child, naturally born like his fellow friends Irene the doctor and the cleaner. Vincent was just a borrowed ladder, he manipulated his way to space to overcome the stereotype of being invalid and not genetically engineered to be perfect.
I believe that he really did beat genetic engineering to up vale himself to become what he wanted to become, but neither his parents nor his brother Anton would ever think he would go up into space. His farther knowing that once Vincent was born he didn’t want him to have his name since he was an imperfect child, however the mother holding the baby says I know you will be something!’.
He gained help from people for example the doctor which knew about the handiwork he was doing with Jerome to try to cheat the system but did not ever reveal him to the police which where suspecting Vincent of the death of the space director close to the launch of into space. He gained help from the cleaner which took his cup of water, which was his previous boss when he was a cleaner at Gattaca.
Constantly passing gene tests by diligently using samples of Jerome’s hair, skin, blood and urine, his now perfect world is thrown into increasing desperation, his dream within reach. The mission director is killed and he carelessly loses an eyelash at the scene, which puts Vincent/Jerome at the scene. Certain that they know the murderer’s ID, but unable to track down the former Vincent, the police start to close in, with extra searches, and new gene tests. With the once in a lifetime launch only days away, Vincent must avoid arousing suspicion, while passing the tests, evading the police, and not knowing whom he can trust.
But as the film come to an end you could see Vincent’s valid perfect world was coming to a discrete stop by his brother trying to convict him of the fraud at Gattaca. Vincent unwilling tells Anton that it is to far now and that he has beaten the system to let him fly to space. All of Vincent’s and Jerome’s effort and hardship been put into this launch, and he would never let his own brother which was a genetically engineered male stop his path to his life long dream. Jerome shows how elitist the valid are and how they look down on those below, but he also shows how they are only human and have the same feelings, fears. Vincent is the character we associate with being excluded from society because of his genes, he is the vision of persistence that we all want to be. Vincent knowing always that Jerome’s help is crucial to him for when he says One mans loss is another man’s gain’ when he walks towards the apartment.
But in this story in really shows how one man with so much help, persistence and high self-esteem can succeed in beating genetic engineering within a society that discriminates against your gene, but wins as the underdog and goes up to space. .
