GATTACA: Perfection Vs. Happiness

Perfection Vs. Happiness

     In GATTACA, Vincent’s parents believed that a child created in love had a greater chance of happiness, but in the end Vincent was miserable because his genetics were not accepted by society. Vincent’s parents tried to make sure he was happy in life, but they actually did the opposite because people who are not genetically engineered can not be perfect. The people who are not “perfect” are rejected and become victims of discrimination. This caused a roadblock in Vincent’s plans to become an astronaut.
     I believe that parents do want their children to be perfect and have the attributes of physical attractiveness, intelligence, and athleticism so that they can do whatever they want and be whoever they want to be when they grow up. I know this from my own experience. Ever since I started school, my parents always told me to always to do my best at school so I could have high marks. When I entered middle school, there was a lot more pressure to get high grades. Once, in sixth grade, I had an A- in math and my mom got upset because it wasn’t good enough. In my family, intelligence is more important than attractiveness or athleticism, but looking your best and staying fit is also pushed even though my family isn’t really into sports. Through these experiences, I know that parents would like their children to have the aforementioned attributes for their image and/or the image of their child.
     In my opinion, the society in GATTACA is devoid of happiness, vitality, and fun because almost everyone is perfect and there are no imperfections. Everything seems to be good from our perspective, but in order to have good, you have to have bad, and if you don’t have either, you don’t have happiness. The movie just seems to be sad, but in their opinion, it could be a good life to them. In the back of their minds, they feel that there is more to life, but they just cannot figure out why they feel that way. I don’t know about you, but I can see their emotions through their actions. Their actions and body language reflect their emotions and how they feel like there is something more.
     At one point, Vincent was studying aeronautics and his parents got upset at him because they believed it was hopeless for him to get into space. They told him to stop trying because they did not want him to become depressed when he would find he would not be able to get his dream job. They wanted him to be happy, but they truthfully never could. They did not want him to dwell on something that would make him unhappy in the future. They thought that if they could get him to stop thinking about becoming an astronaut, they could make him not be as unhappy. They were wrong, as his determination got him into space. If anyone has a lot determination to do something, they will be able to do it. Nothing is impossible, just highly improbable. He beat the odds and he got what he wanted. He was imperfect, but that did not mean he had to be unhappy.
     In conclusion, it is quite obvious that most parents want their children to be perfect, but they would want their child to be happy and successful more than being perfect. The personal experiences I have had and Vincent’s experiences both prove this. People in this world are biased. There is no way around it, It is only human. They can be picky and say that they want a perfect worker. The truth is, as long as you know who you are and have the determination to do something, you can do anything you want. It may be highly improbable and the odds may be against you, but if all else fails, just keep trying. People will put you down and say you aren’t good enough, but if you just be yourself and remember who you are, you can do anything you want. Every action, every word spoken, and every thought is important. They can determine what your life will be like. Vincent’s parents decided to take a risk by procreating in a way they may have an imperfect child. They thought he would be happy, but they were wrong. He thought he could become an astronaut and he did. This is what I learned from GATTACA and I hope you were able to see what I was able to see.