Is Anton Right When He Tells Vincent “you've Gone as Far as You Can Go”?

In the world of Gattaca, a society in which perfection is idolised and sought and where only society’s elite, “vitro births” can assume positions of status and power, Vincent as a “faith birth” is destined to be a second class citizen and a underachiever, a cleaner at best. Anton’s genes are his passport through life, being a vitro he can assume a position of status and power, something he is expected to do and sees nothing special about; he is according to his genes superior to his brother.

At birth with a prick of a needle Vincent’s life was laid out on a piece of paper, a 99 per cent probability of heart failure and a life expectancy of 30.2 years. What used to be “They used to say that a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness,” is no longer true in a world were these children are now destined to fail. Nonetheless Vincent was not going to let this stop him from achieving a dream of space travel, a dream he had harboured as a child. “For someone who was never meant for this world,” his only chance of succeeding in achieving his dream was to adopt a different identity, “I was now a member of a particularly detested segment of society. One of those who refuses to play the hand that he was dealt. I am most commonly known as a borrowed ladder or a de-gene-erate.”

Vincent’s adopted identity is one of a “vitro birth” known as Eugene. One of society’s elite who through not being able to live up to his and society’s expectations has ended up a paraplegic. Much like Anton he is supposed to be superior and an achiever but that is not the case, “Jerome Eugene Morrow was never meant to be one step down from the podium. With all I had going for me, I was still second best.” Even at moments of what seem to be the end of Vincent’s dream, he is able to push on and defy what is possible, this is possible through his will to achieve, determination and human spirit which vitro’s such as his brother lack. When there is a problem between the height of Eugene and himself and the dream seems to be over Vincent is only too happy to undergo surgery to extend his legs. This will and desperation to achieve the one dream he has had all his life push him beyond the limits, “I took my mind off the pain by reminding myself that when I eventually did stand up, I’d be exactly two inches closer to the stars.”

Vincent was always second best to his brother Anton. He wasn’t good enough in the eyes of his father and did not get the privilege of his name, and he wasn’t good enough to beat