Couverture / Jaquette

Seminar paper from the year 2024 in the subject Literature - Comparative Literature, , language: English, abstract: In my paper, I will argue that both "Gattaca" and "Brave New World" criticize the idea of controlling people's lives based on their genetics but they do so in different ways. "Gattaca" presents a world where individual agency can still overcome genetic determinism while "Brave New World" portrays a society where such freedom has been entirely eliminated. To support this argument, I will compare how genetic engineering and social classes are represented in both stories. First, I will examine how "Brave New World" shows a fully controlled society where everyone is genetically engineered and conditioned to fit specific roles, exploring the dangers of losing personal freedom and individuality. Then, I will analyze how "Gattaca" focuses on Vincent Freeman's personal battle against a system that judges people solely based on their genes, showing how determination and effort can challenge social expectations. To achieve this, the paper will be divided into two main parts: first, an analysis of "Brave New World" and, second, an exploration of "Gattaca". In both sections, I will begin by investigating how social engineering functions within each society. Following that, I will analyze key characters-John the Savage, Helmholtz Watson, and Bernard Marx in "Brave New World" and Vincent Freeman and Jerome Eugene Morrow in "Gattaca"-examining how they behave within their respective systems and what their experiences reveal about the potential for resistance or conformity. This structure will highlight the contrasting approaches to social control and individual agency in the two works showing how "Brave New World" presents a more extreme version of genetic determinism while "Gattaca" allows for the possibility of personal choice and freedom.

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