Gattaca And Lord Of The Flies Comparison Essay
Lord of the flies written by William Golding and Gattaca produced by Andrew Niccols, 1997 are both speculative fictions as they forewarn humanity by creating a reduced but parallel reality to our own society in a way that highlights humanity’s problems, creating a microcosm of society. In each text the theme of Utopias/dystopias are used to display to mankind how what seems to be a prefect world is really the opposite. Discrimination is also highly evident in both texts as well as identity which are all used as warnings humankind.
The novel Lord of the Flies begins with a vision of a utopian society and setting but progresses into a dystopian island full of savagery and loss of civilisation and innocence. When the boys are originally marooned on a well resourced tropical island, a place with no adults where they are free from the rules and structures of civilization and society, they are excited …show more content…
and ideally believe that they can create a perfect new world for themselves.
This is particularly emphasised when Ralph states “But this is a good island. We- Jack, Simon and me- we climbed the mountain. It’s wizard. There’s food and drinks, and-” The repetition of the word ‘and’ stresses how the boys believe the island is perfect and accommodates for all their needs. The true dystopian nature of the island is quickly revealed as the book progresses through the boys becoming murderous savages with a loss of civilisation and innocence. The responders can draw parallels between the film Gattaca and Lord of the Flies as Gattaca too was originally portrayed as a Utopia. The society set up in the film is based around the idea of perfection and conformity where genetic engineering is used to create the ‘ideal’ human being. Sound, costume and lighting are used to contribute to the effect of the setting. The costumes worn by Gattaca employees are sombre uniforms symbolic of an impersonal society and the only people who are focused on in
close ups are Jeronme, Doctor Lamer and Irene as the rest of the characters within the corporation are shown to not be individuals and there faces are blurred to symbolise this. The white light in Gattaca is used to create a sense of cleanliness and artificial sterility reflecting the manufactured society. This sterile setting conceals the dark side of Gattaca, being one of discrimination towards the “inferior” of society revealing that in fact Gattaca is more of a dystopia as it isolates those of society who do not have modified genes.
Within the society of Gattaca, there is impenitent discrimination based on the assumption that genetic manipulation improves an individual. The opening scene begins with the amplified sound of fingernails falling to the floor with the use of extreme close-ups of genetic material, emphasising the importance of genes in the society. Any child born without genetic engineering are seen as inferior and prejudice is displayed to them through their limited career paths and how they are treated by the upper society. The themes of superiority as opposed to inferiority are used forewarn humanity that people can oppress capable individuals and discriminate against them for their individuality and differences. Similarly, discrimination and prejudice is particularly evident in Lord of the flies which is shown by how the “littluns” are treated. The littluns don’t even merit names and are treated as inferior burdens which is utilised when Jack states, “I hope the best prefers littleuns.” The symbolism and repeated motifs accentuates to the responders how the younger children are viewed as useless and not looked after as they are of less importance to the older boys. It demonstrates the lack of care and consideration shown towards the little children along. The older children hope that their own safety can be exchanged for that of the littluns. It is a symbol of their disregard for the younger children and the intolerance shown towards them. As the book progresses, the boys become less and less concerned about overlooking the ‘littluns’ and as their interest in looking after each other as a community deteriorates, the weaker they become and more susceptible to savagery as they begin to lose their humanity. This serves as a warning to mankind as humans overlook people of perceived less importance and tend to focus on themselves. Even Piggy who represents the rational, intellectual aspect of society and who offered the most helpful advice was discriminated against by the boys and was disregarded and shunned because of his appearances and differences. These are warnings that in society people are quick to discriminate anyone different to the mainstream, even though they may be of greater importance then initially realised.
Gattaca and Lord of the Flies both act as warnings to mankind which is exemplified through the theme of identity. The opening scene in Gattaca emphasises the restrictions on society’s expectations as shadows create a bar like pattern on Vincent’s body as he scrubs his body of excess DNA material. This film technique symbolically emphasises the sense of imprisonment that Vincent feels as an “invalid” in that society and enforces how his identity makes him feel trapped in the advanced society he lives in. Vincent states “I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the colour of your skin. We now have discrimination down to a science.” This demonstrates to the responders that though the criteria has changed, society still focuses on discrimination showing the problems and issues concerned with superiority within a society. There is a loss of individuality in Gattaca as the majority of people are all created equal and with few flaws due to their genetic makeup, it is only the rare few which are “God Childs” and they are thought to be inadequate and outcasts of society. Throughout Lord of the Flies, responders see the boys’ journey from a progressive, well-behaved civilisation with a longing to be rescued to a divided society with no desire to return to civilization. This journey parallels their loss of innocence and individuality as they give in to their savage ways. The descent of the boy’s ways into savagery is foreshadowed in the text when it states, “the pause was only long enough for them to understand the enormity of the downward stroke”. The use of figurative language in the word ‘downward’ further emphasises this point and can be used as a warning to the rest of mankind.
Lord of the Flies emphasises the effects of savagery on a democratic society and ultimately forewarns humanity of the consequences of forcing moral behaviours on civilization rather than allowing individuality. It also depicts the concept of the innate evil within all of us and the consequences of savagery. The importance of genetic material is shown in the Gattaca society’s obsession with defining people by their genetic background. The film implies that your fate is set by your genetic composition and that there is no way of breaking out of these conventions thus forewarning humanity about the dangers of discrimination against those
The novel Lord of the Flies begins with a vision of a utopian society and setting but progresses into a dystopian island full of savagery and loss of civilisation and innocence. When the boys are originally marooned on a well resourced tropical island, a place with no adults where they are free from the rules and structures of civilization and society, they are excited …show more content…
and ideally believe that they can create a perfect new world for themselves.
This is particularly emphasised when Ralph states “But this is a good island. We- Jack, Simon and me- we climbed the mountain. It’s wizard. There’s food and drinks, and-” The repetition of the word ‘and’ stresses how the boys believe the island is perfect and accommodates for all their needs. The true dystopian nature of the island is quickly revealed as the book progresses through the boys becoming murderous savages with a loss of civilisation and innocence. The responders can draw parallels between the film Gattaca and Lord of the Flies as Gattaca too was originally portrayed as a Utopia. The society set up in the film is based around the idea of perfection and conformity where genetic engineering is used to create the ‘ideal’ human being. Sound, costume and lighting are used to contribute to the effect of the setting. The costumes worn by Gattaca employees are sombre uniforms symbolic of an impersonal society and the only people who are focused on in
close ups are Jeronme, Doctor Lamer and Irene as the rest of the characters within the corporation are shown to not be individuals and there faces are blurred to symbolise this. The white light in Gattaca is used to create a sense of cleanliness and artificial sterility reflecting the manufactured society. This sterile setting conceals the dark side of Gattaca, being one of discrimination towards the “inferior” of society revealing that in fact Gattaca is more of a dystopia as it isolates those of society who do not have modified genes.
Within the society of Gattaca, there is impenitent discrimination based on the assumption that genetic manipulation improves an individual. The opening scene begins with the amplified sound of fingernails falling to the floor with the use of extreme close-ups of genetic material, emphasising the importance of genes in the society. Any child born without genetic engineering are seen as inferior and prejudice is displayed to them through their limited career paths and how they are treated by the upper society. The themes of superiority as opposed to inferiority are used forewarn humanity that people can oppress capable individuals and discriminate against them for their individuality and differences. Similarly, discrimination and prejudice is particularly evident in Lord of the flies which is shown by how the “littluns” are treated. The littluns don’t even merit names and are treated as inferior burdens which is utilised when Jack states, “I hope the best prefers littleuns.” The symbolism and repeated motifs accentuates to the responders how the younger children are viewed as useless and not looked after as they are of less importance to the older boys. It demonstrates the lack of care and consideration shown towards the little children along. The older children hope that their own safety can be exchanged for that of the littluns. It is a symbol of their disregard for the younger children and the intolerance shown towards them. As the book progresses, the boys become less and less concerned about overlooking the ‘littluns’ and as their interest in looking after each other as a community deteriorates, the weaker they become and more susceptible to savagery as they begin to lose their humanity. This serves as a warning to mankind as humans overlook people of perceived less importance and tend to focus on themselves. Even Piggy who represents the rational, intellectual aspect of society and who offered the most helpful advice was discriminated against by the boys and was disregarded and shunned because of his appearances and differences. These are warnings that in society people are quick to discriminate anyone different to the mainstream, even though they may be of greater importance then initially realised.
Gattaca and Lord of the Flies both act as warnings to mankind which is exemplified through the theme of identity. The opening scene in Gattaca emphasises the restrictions on society’s expectations as shadows create a bar like pattern on Vincent’s body as he scrubs his body of excess DNA material. This film technique symbolically emphasises the sense of imprisonment that Vincent feels as an “invalid” in that society and enforces how his identity makes him feel trapped in the advanced society he lives in. Vincent states “I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the colour of your skin. We now have discrimination down to a science.” This demonstrates to the responders that though the criteria has changed, society still focuses on discrimination showing the problems and issues concerned with superiority within a society. There is a loss of individuality in Gattaca as the majority of people are all created equal and with few flaws due to their genetic makeup, it is only the rare few which are “God Childs” and they are thought to be inadequate and outcasts of society. Throughout Lord of the Flies, responders see the boys’ journey from a progressive, well-behaved civilisation with a longing to be rescued to a divided society with no desire to return to civilization. This journey parallels their loss of innocence and individuality as they give in to their savage ways. The descent of the boy’s ways into savagery is foreshadowed in the text when it states, “the pause was only long enough for them to understand the enormity of the downward stroke”. The use of figurative language in the word ‘downward’ further emphasises this point and can be used as a warning to the rest of mankind.
Lord of the Flies emphasises the effects of savagery on a democratic society and ultimately forewarns humanity of the consequences of forcing moral behaviours on civilization rather than allowing individuality. It also depicts the concept of the innate evil within all of us and the consequences of savagery. The importance of genetic material is shown in the Gattaca society’s obsession with defining people by their genetic background. The film implies that your fate is set by your genetic composition and that there is no way of breaking out of these conventions thus forewarning humanity about the dangers of discrimination against those