Pursuing Dreams in a Broken World
The institution of the family is one of the oldest and most important principles known to mankind. The family is there as a foundation and a system to hold too as one seeks to pursue and accomplish their life endeavors. However, when a home does not support and cherish the individuals that make up the family, the consequences can be devastating. There are many examples in the United States and around the world of broken homes and family’s that are distant and in conflict, causing the individuals of that group to struggle through life without much a of a chance of success or even survival. Once emergence into society takes place, there are also many examples of unsuccessful people who because of a lack of upbringing and support, fail in the real world and never stand a chance of reaching their dreams. However, as to every rule there are exceptions, and as the future brings new and bright possibilities for a Utopian society there is a unique example through the perspective of a movie produced that shows issues that could present themselves in the coming days. Without the equal guidance and loving support that a family has to offer, the road ahead for many people can become nearly impossible to navigate especially in an ever changing society.
A good example of such principles as these is the movie Gattaca which shows the futuristic story of a young man named Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) who has always fantasized about traveling into outer space as an astronaut, but is unable to attain his dream because of the society that he is a part of and his status within that society. His status in his society is considered to be genetically inferior or “in-valid” compared to the genetically modified peers he finds himself surrounded by. Freeman decides to fight his fate of living with the dregs of society by purchasing the genes of a genetically modified man named Jerome Morrow (Jude Law) who is seen as “valid” and with the world and its opportunities available at birth to him with no restrictions. As Freeman assumes Jerome’s DNA identity and joins the Gattaca space program on earth, he runs into a few unforeseen complications when he falls in love with a coworker (Uma Thurman) and Gattaca officer is murdered a few days before Freeman is scheduled for a mission into space.
But before some of the hardest tests and trials accumulate before his eyes, Freeman’s story really begins upon his early childhood and teenage years and the family setting he finds himself in. The book Christian Perspectives on Sociology describes the family as needing to be well-adjusted and role-fulfilling in order to bring up an infant and provide the basic socialization into the values, language, and behavioral norms of the culture (Christian Perspectives on Sociology, pg 171). In Gattaca, Freeman’s family system is anything from what we would say today as being normal or a being a “good” foundation. In the movie we see the conception of Vincent being unusual (for the futuristic sense of the movie) in that the conception and birth of Vincent is completely natural. This is opposed to the society’s change and view that children should be born while being genetically altered for the best chance of survival and success during their lives which is done by the parents. While going to name the child, Vincent’s father decides at the last moment not to name his new born son after his own name but rather a new name signifying that he did not see Vincent as worthy enough of carrying on his own name and legacy. This moment foreshadows a growing issue for Vincent in his family life and how he will struggle for love and attention in a world where being naturally born is to be imperfect and invalid.
After a few years, Vincent’s parents decided to have another child but this time they go to the doctor for a genetically modified child who will receive the best chance at survival and success in life. In a way we begin to see the story take a turn against a philosophy found on page 170 of Christian Perspectives on Sociology. This concept is that of society needing to ensure the biological preservation and protection of its newest members no matter what the case may be. While Vincent’s parents do raise him with care from the very start, Vincent’s brother Anton still becomes the center of attention has seemingly no trouble attaining anything he wishes during the early years of his life because of his genetical pureness. During the early stages of his life in the home, Vincent soon begins to realize that he desires to become an astronaut and go on missions to space. But rather than fully accept and support his wishes and dreams his parents and society itself pay no heed and laugh at his chances to accomplish his goal. Even with the odds stacked against him, Vincent realizes that he will never be able to attain his dream unless he takes matters into his own hands. Upon realizing that he may actually be stronger and more driven than his brother, Vincent decides to embark on a crusade to change his fate that society has cast him.
Christian Perspectives on Sociology states on page 125 that there is no other issue that seems to elicit the concern of society and the public as that of crime. In Gattaca, we see crime arise again but this time it is committed by Vincent, a man who is left with no other option in life to pursue his dream. His crime, is that of impersonating a genetically altered man by the name of Jerome Morrow who has suffered an injury that has left him unable to walk for the rest of his life. Morrow has willfully agreed to this impersonation for a price of course and for such a seemingly small crime as this it would seem a fair trade. However, even the smallest crimes have consequences and we in the movie that there are issues that arise because of Vincent’s actions. On page 126 of Christian Perspectives on Sociology, we see the topic of deviance being discussed and that there are vast degrees of seriousness and perception when it comes to what is deviant and what is not. While Vincent and Morrows actions may not have seemed that serious to themselves, to the upper class of society this was considered a capital offense. Throughout the movie we see Morrow and Vincent escape many close encounters and circumstances all the while trying to pursue their dreams and survive. While Christian Perspectives on Sociology also states that there is a growing interest among Christians on the issue of social justice, I myself cannot help but wonder what the Christian of today might say about such an issue as this if it were presented to them. Perhaps the situations and difficulties that Gattaca presents are something that we should be considering today and preparing for because the time may very well be coming.
Even though Vincent was in the situation in life where the odds were seemingly thrust against him with only a small chance of success, he still had the courage and resolve to make a stand and pursue his dreams. We as Christians have that same opportunity in a world that is constantly seeking to disrupt and find fault in us. We have a chance to take a stand and confront the issues that we find ourselves surrounded by and attack them head on. One such issue is that of the many broken homes we see today in our communities around us. As believers we can make an impact in people’s lives for the better by showing love and support that many of our society’s youth is not getting today. Without action there can be no change and without change we may see our American society and culture begin to take even more of a down-hill path towards sin and destruction. We can encourage youth and individuals to pursue their dreams and show them the good news to be had in Jesus Christ which can be our ultimate satisfaction and goal. So while movies can be an enjoyable form of entertainment they also can be informative and sending a message which I would urge fellow Christians to learn from in order to apply and see the way our world functions and how to respond.
