gattaca symbolism

what was symbolism used throught Gattaca

[Anony]

the stairs in jerome's apartment, the colour green, the colour blue, loads of stuff.

When vincent is walking on to the rocket he is supposed to have been 'reborn' as the tube is like leaving the womb...

And with the valid/invalid screens:
Valid screens have an '8' (an infinity symbol,)
Invalid screens have a crucifix...

Work it out!

[The one......]

Now that is interesting.
Question though, is this film used alot in English/film studies? I ask as there seems to be a few questions floating around that are of the 'essay' type.

[UsagiAngie]

the stairs in jerome's apartment, the colour green, the colour blue


yeah, but what do those things mean symbolically from your point of view... in mine the stairs are a symbol of the struggle both men have had to go through...but what about the colors...

The thing about the stairs is that it has a spiral form, like DNA

[ThinWLady]

Originally posted by iorek
The thing about the stairs is that it has a spiral form, like DNA

I'm going with this.


But what about that scene where Jerome and Irene are watching the sunrise? Are those mirrors (or how do you call them?) just a symbol of their love, a symbol for that one can't see what the other is really thinking about him/her, or what?

[UsagiAngie]

part of an essay written by Iraj Kir-Koloft

GATTACA tries to break out of the genetically deterministic outlook of certain scientific and popular media depictions. It portrays a world of genetic haves and have-nots where the course of class antagonisms is seemingly preordained. However, the complex interaction between genes and environment as well as the unpredictably of the human 'spirit' present, create unexpected twists in an antiseptic world that was falsely believed free of "imperfections and blemishes." GATTACA adds an additional layer of complication to the plot when it enacts Hegel's master-slave paradigm. Vincent, the archetypal pleb with 'gene-deficiency', was made aware of his flaws from birth and, therefore, endeavored to acquire through inner strength what was deemed beyond his capabilities. In contrast, Eugene, the bourgeois favoured with perfect genotype comes to suffer alienation and self-pity because "unlike faith births, the genetically enhanced suffer under a different burden, that of perfection"

[The one......]

Originally posted by ThinWLady

But what about that scene where Jerome and Irene are watching the sunrise? Are those mirrors (or how do you call them?) just a symbol of their love, a symbol for that one can't see what the other is really thinking about him/her, or what?

IMHO, I would say that the world still shares the same beauty and everyone is, or should, essentially be the same. I say this as one is genetically enhanced and the other a 'natural'.

They are both enjoying the sunrise (there's not many that would deny the beauty of this) despite how society views them. They both get the same amount of pleasure from the experience, yet one is supposed to be inferior to the other. This view of the sunrise shows the opposite of this.

Also the irony of looking at something natural and so awe-inspiring is portrayed here.

Just a symbolism to 'bring them down to earth' I guess...

[VegetableMedley]

Another symbolic part, that was left out of the final cut, is where Vincent has to help Jerome spank it, in order to get a sample of his man juice...

[Anony]

From my perspective? Green - nature, kind of... of what has become 'natural'. Blue is kind of cleanliness and perfection...

And the sunrise - beauty in the eye of the beholder. Even though Vincent is basically blind, he still finds it beautiful.

(And yes, it's being used in Victoria for analysis in the higher schooling thingy... We also studied in in year 10!)

[VegetableMedley]

WHAT? If lies are truth, then what is truth? Is that the translation to arabic?
Peace? Peace is violence.... Silence is loudness... Forums are monkeys...

water and cleansing of oneself have not been mentioned yet, so i thought i would. vincent is constantly swimming or near water, and there are numerous times in which we see him bathing, scrubbing and scraping off as much evidence of his own skin, nail, and hair, and subsequent invalid status, as he can. consider also the bleak lighting in vincent's room when german and he discuss business, and the shabbiness of it - especially in comparison to the likes of jereme and irene's luxurious housing; they have access to much of what, before Gattaca, he was denied.

[The one......]

Although very obvious still true. Didn't think too much about the water one. Suppose it could be relayed to religion here- like the cleansing of the soul in Baptisms/christenings and the cleaning before prayer (Islam) with the significant use of water.

It's like he's constantly reborn.

The stairs, and the fact that Eugene climbed them, is him overcoming his physical limitations (wheelchair) just as Vincent had to overcome his physical limitations (DNA) - hence the stairs resemble DNA, as a physical barrier. He is doing what Vincent must do everyday. Also he climbs them to then pose as Vincent, to Irene and Anton, though usually it is the reverse.

I take them going to see the solar panels, mirror's on top of the roof, to be a symbol which is referring to how far away from nature humanity has become. They have to go out of their way, and outside of where anybody else is, to get a glimpse of something as common as a sunrise. The beauty of this is clear to Vincent despite his bad eyesight, as beauty is the same to all, it is an equaliser. It can relate to how aware you or I become when we take a trip to the country and notice how much clearer the stars are. This accentuates our awareness of human pollution, and the unnatural things we are doing to the world.

The green light, that is apparent all through the film, but is especially clear when they are at the beach, also has similar connotations. Everything seems so unnatural here, even the most natural of things. The sea is usually blue, and the difference between the world of Gattaca and our own is also apparent.

[The one......]

Originally posted by Unregistered
The stairs, and the fact that Eugene climbed them, is him overcoming his physical limitations (wheelchair) just as Vincent had to overcome his physical limitations (DNA) - hence the stairs resemble DNA, as a physical barrier. He is doing what Vincent must do everyday. Also he climbs them to then pose as Vincent, to Irene and Anton, though usually it is the reverse.

Bloody hell, I can't believe that I missed that one- tis a good find sir/madam! The spiral staircase- same shape as DNA. Bloody marvellous!