Gattaca and 1984

Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol, shows a story of a society where life is controlled by genetics, rather than education or experiences. Based on your DNA, society determines where you belong, and your future. This allows no room for people to gain experiences and to grow, as they are confined to a specific lifestyle. It is evident however in the film that Vincent tries to violate societies’ structure, by playing the role of a navigator, using his blood samples and urine. George Orwell, the author of 1984, shows a similar concept, where life is controlled by the Party and where the main character, Winston, tries to defy the Party. Although it is obvious that both works have a dystopian society, the societies within it struggle to achieve a utopian society instead. Through its intense depiction of struggles to fit in and altering way of life to be accepted in society, Gattaca has enhanced the understanding of the impact that surveillance has in 1984 and how it has limited the people to prosper in life within society.

Due to the dystopian society, the totalitarian government is enforcing surveillance, which plays a negative impact on the characters and the plot within both texts. Throughout the novel 1984, it is noticeable that government surveillance throughout the city plays a deep role in the growth of the characters, whereby the party is constantly exerting its power of its people. Surveillance had an underlying impact on the love connection between the main characters Winston and Julia. When engaging in a love affair, it is vital to spend time with one another and to show affection. The surveillance that the Party has enforced upon the society hindered their love connection and the ability to pursue a serious relationship, as “perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood”. Similarly, Gattaca is dominated by the pursuit of genetic perfection where people are engineered to be born with little or no disabilities and discrimination is ‘down to science’. The government constantly conducts blood and urine samples to ensure their identity, exerting their dominance and power, which creates a system of valids, and in-valids, which degenerates the society.

Both Gattaca and 1984 use propaganda to control the citizens in the society information modification and only certain information's been provided also persuades the population to agree with the higher-ups. Citizens in Gattaca and 1984 live in a dehumanized state. In both Gattaca and 1984 propaganda is used to control citizens of society. In Gattaca DNA modification in babies is the norm. Some children in Gattaca are born the natural way, however these children are discriminated against leaving them to miss opportunities, whereby they are further known as “in-valids”. Even though these non-modified being can still function and thrive propaganda and large corporations only accept the DNA modified humans. Propaganda controls society within 1984, as they have the daily two-minute hate which brainwashes the people into believing what Big Brother believes, “War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is Strength”. The Ministry of truth modifies history and all documents which isn't so much propaganda but it does control how people think giving a false perception of Utopia. Gattaca and 1984 may seem to be utopias but in reality, there not.