Gattaca—What Defines Natural?

A few terms that I think should be clarified when approaching this topic are found below, along with a link to other variations of the words:

Genetics = “the science of heredity and variation in living organisms”

Determinism = “the doctrine that all events, including human choices and decisions, have sufficient causes”

Natural = “of or produced by nature, not made by men”

In Gattaca, the term “natural” referred to the “heteronormative nuclear family-making”, whereas “unnatural” meant an offspring was created through “cloning or genetic manipulation (falling within the realm of science)” (Briggs 94). Although it is quite ironic how the individuals that resulted from an unnatural birth (or birth in a bottle) were featured as "valid" and someone such as Vincent was categorized as an "invalid." In this film, technology plays a major role in deciding the quality of life a person will have based on the unnatural birth process parents go through.

Reproduction = “the process of generating offspring”

Technology = “The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives”

By combining these two terms, the idea of reproductive technology emerges, in which the article we read describes it as the process in which making genes and children are manipulated.

Reproductive technologies = “a term for all current and anticipated uses of technology in human and animal reproduction”

One of the major frustrations I experienced when watching this film was that which was described in the reading quite well: “genetic technology is made to stand for science, which is imagined as something done only by men, and contrasted with ‘natural’ maternity, in which women (who do not do science, and presumably stay home to act as good mothers) bear good children, enclosed within a heterosexual nuclear family” (Briggs 94). First off, how is it that the future reverts to the historic past of the placing women in the domestic role? Although one could argue that the role of Irene Cassini, played by Uma Thurman in this movie contradicts this point, I would say it only furthers this claim, as she is not allowed to advance in her career, and is told to do mundane work which is not in the description of her position. Additionally, if one were to argue that women should have no role in genetics in the future, then they most certainly have forgotten that Rosalind Franklin played a critical role in discovering the structural nature of DNA. She was a highly dedicated scientist and rose to the challenge of trying to single-handedly find the double-helix structure of DNA by utilizing X-ray crystallography techniques She is often overlooked because of her gender; however, as we progress in society, more attention is given to her as a contributing member to the discovery.

I think it is also interesting how Robin Roberts suggests that “more than other genres, science fiction is obsessed with the figure of Women: not only as potential sexual partner but, more interestingly, as alien, as ruler, and as mother” (Briggs 95). This article goes on to describe the dual roles women play in the films Alien and Aliens, with their implicated cultural problems with respect to the way they represent the mothers. I want to bring into question this idea of how women represent this dichotomous role. This reading also focused on analyzing Jurassic Park; however, my main interests were the scientific and gender claims presented in Gattaca.

After viewing the film, not only do I wonder about genetic manipulation of child-birth, in order to create a superior-being (as in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World), but also about the possibilities involved with cloning. Cloning is a heated topic of debate as it not only applies to people, but to organs, animals, and other organic compounds as well. With respect to cloning currently, there is a problem of certainty and knowing if scientists are truly capable of cloning human beings. The ethical problems of justifying cloning dominate the debate among the scientific community, government, and the general public. Additionally, there seem to be many limitations with the process of cloning, because there are so many regulations against its progression; hence, some advancements or experiments are carried out secretly, and not published until the government actually allows it. What are some of the many implications and problems that might arise if human cloning was permissible in the future?

The main focus of the reading today was on the futuristic idea of childbirth, and the difference between “faith-births” in-vivo vs. the genetic contributions of the mother in-vitro. It is inspiring in this film that a character such as Vincent, who was a product of God, rather than scientific manipulation, was able to deceive the system and achieve his goal. Additionally, as the text puts quite eloquently, “Vincent, as [a] hero, is never figured as particularly masculine in the Schwarzenegger mode, but is slightly built…appears androgynous or even feminized” (Briggs 106). This text argues that the film conveys him as gay and his secret identity is analogous to his secret sexual orientation, although I beg to differ as he has both a physical and emotional relationship with Cassini. The coddling and attention Vincent received as a child because he was thought to be sickly can easily explain this confusion.

A fascinating aspect of this film is the ability to learn about the body and its importance in this futuristic society. Ranging from the fingerprint, to blood samples and hair follicles, the innate naturalness coded to the body battles technology’s necessity for cleanliness and unnaturalness. The fact that Jerome is literally selling his body parts, and not the typical arm and a leg, rather the material that defines his genetics is what makes this futuristic society so absurd. No longer is an individual’s outer appearance of any concern, but really, technology forces everyone to look at what literally makes-up the individual. The investigators, as always, go straight to the body as evidence after the murder, following the traditional method of investigation.

One last thought the movie evokes is the idea that the future is not as glorious as people envision. “Gattaca wants the viewer to be very afraid of a technological future that includes genetically engineered children and the abandonment of leaving things to chance, because it means an end to humanistic valuing of the individual” (Briggs 106). Reproductive technologies and science in general are seen to destroy the natural order of things in this film, thus creating a sense of panic in what individuals will become and how they will make decisions in the future, since their entire birth was a manipulated and exact process.

"O wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!

How beautious mankind is!

O brave new world

That has such people in't!"

(Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Act V, Scene I)

Let us expect that such philosophy holds true, as this idea seemed to dissolve in Gattaca with the reliance on technology to run society. What does the future hold for us in terms of genetics and what we perceive as natural and ethical? Where do the boundaries occur and who gets to make this decision? Would the role of women be set back to the traditional domestic sphere or advanced because of further intellect and collaborative efforts they can create? These are questions we must answer before we can hope to move forward.