Gattaca and Never Let Me Go Comparison - Society’s View of Differences Becomes Apparent Right from Childhood

Society’s view of differences becomes apparent right from childhood.

In both the film Gattaca and the novel Never Let Me Go, the respective writers Nicol and Ishiguro discuss how society's innate biases can be present from one's childhood, and show how the consequences of this develop into a systematic oppression for the main characters of both texts. Both Nicol and Ishiguro comment upon how society views and subsequently ostracises those who are different from what is considered normal, albeit while presenting this idea in two distinct ways. While Never Let Me Go discusses the process of accepting the consequences from society due to one's differences, Gattaca encourages the idea that people should not accept the fate they have been given, and should strive for what they want irrespective of what anyone else thinks.

In Gattaca, society's views of those who are different; those who are "God-Children", is evident from the moment the main character, Vincent is born. Vincent's narration of his birth makes it apparent that those who are born naturally are viewed as lesser beings in society, and this is exemplified as Vincent's father denies him of being his namesake, while his younger, genetically modified brother, Anton, is "…worthy of [his] father's name…." The contrast between Vincent's and Anton's childhoods represents the consequences of how being different can result in being perceived as less worthy or important than others. While Anton has the predisposed prerequisites for anything he wants in life, Vincent is continually shunned from major opportunities he otherwise deserves, but due to his "…real resume [being] in [his] cells", he is unable to acquire. This identification of how engrained prejudice is in society is further highlighted when Vincent's own father states how "…the only way that [Vincent will] see the inside of a spaceship is if [he is] cleaning it." Vincent's rejection from society highlights the fact that human civilisation"…now has discrimination down to a science" and the dystopian nature of the film serves to highlight the worst aspects of our own