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Insung Times

Do Genes Determine Destiny?

- Movie ‘GATTACA’

GATTACA, released in 1997, asks heavy questions 20518 Lee Ji woo
about the fate that humans are born with through
genes and the destiny that they make with their
own will. The future society in GATTACA is a Vincent, who was deceiving his identity and achiev
thorough class society where elites born with ing his dream, is caught by his lover, Irin, in an
only dominant factors dominate the hierarchy unfortunate incident.
and control and monitor the “child of God” born
with natural selection. Born with a weak heart, “My name is Vincent, Vincent Anton Freeman. I’m
God’s child Vincent loses every swim match to a natural born. I’m called an ‘ineligible’ but I’m not
his brother Anton, who has a strong heart due a murderer.”
to genetic correction. Vincent is just an ineligible
person (born with a sex factor) with congenital “You’re born naturally?”
defects in the future society. Vincent had a dream, “The doctor said I only live for 30 years. But it’s
however. He got into GATTACA, a top aerospace already over.”
company, and the only way he could get a job as a
cleaner in GATTACA, a company that sends space “It’s impossible!”
exploration teams because of his weakness was
the only way. Vincent, meanwhile, is introduced “It’s up to you after all to decide your own fate
to Jerome Morrow, a swimmer and genetically whether it’s possible or not, isn’t it? The world
dominant player in a car accident through a DNA has asked you to follow a set fate, and you’ve
broker, and buys his genes with money, and the just naturally been tamed into it, too. I don’t know
movie captures his fight to overcome fate with what it’s going to do, but I wanted to say this. It’s
human will. possible. Everything is possible.”
Vincent overcame the fate that was given to him.
In GATTACA, There’s a scene where a person
is genetically tested using the blood in it with There was no destiny that was given to him in the
the thumb on it, and using this gene, we can first place. A gene was just a gene. Life is about
immediately identify who this person is. Of course, pioneering by ourselves. We have to think for
science has not advanced to the level in the movie, ourselves.
but genetic test is still being used very well. What I want you to think about whether we have ignored
is the principle of genetic test through blood? the possibilities of ourselves by just looking at
ourselves and not keeping ourselves in the frame.
Using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and gel
electrophoresis (Gel Electrophoresis) technology,
we can get what is called a ‘DNA fingerprint’.
These DNA fingerprints are different for everyone.
These genetic engineering technologies will
continue to develop indefinitely, and perhaps a
future society within GATTACA will actually arrive.
However, the fundamental message GATTACA
is trying to convey is not science, but the will of
humans to overcome their fate in a world where a
single gene identifies everything about a person.

The key line in the movie that I want to convey to
you reading is Vincent and Irin’s conversation when

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