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Essay / Comparison of the film "Gattaca" and the short story "Movement"
Science fiction texts comment on the present, highlighted through the exploration of various fictional futures. Composers of science fiction texts highlight the differences between the present and their speculative fictional future through the use of conventions, including manipulating the setting and characters to comment on the present. This is illustrated in both Andrew Niccol's film Gattaca (1997) and Nancy Fulda's short story Movement (2012), as both texts comment on the power of human will over determinism by employing the perspectives of unique characters . However, while Fulda's story, Movement, highlights a loss of social interactions due to technology, a stereotypical and key element of the science fiction genre, Niccol's film, Gattaca, exposes issues of genetic discrimination in a technology-driven world. Through science fiction texts, readers can gain insight into various authors' use of fictional futures to comment on the present. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Science fiction texts use fictional futures to emphasize the power that human will exerts over the concept of determinism through unique characters. Movement focuses on the perspective of Hannah Didier, a girl caught between her parents' indecision over whether to "cure" her autism. Repetition and symbolism are used throughout the statements "No new shoes...I couldn't dance the same with new shoes...new shoes..." The shoes serve as a symbol of one's individualism within a society that believes in the fixation of individuals to create the "perfect" individual, while the repetition suggests his determination to be able to control his future. The text presents the idea that "fixing" Hannah's temporal autism will change her character and therefore her individuality, highlighted by the quote "I couldn't dance the same way with new shoes..." This rejects the notion of accepting her destiny, Hannah. serving as a present-day reminder not only that human motivation conquers all, but that one can assimilate and belong to a society despite one's character. Likewise, Gattaca illustrates the power of human will over destiny and determinism through the protagonist Vincent, who escapes his genetic makeup and therefore his future. Vincent refuses to confine himself to the social conformity of a genetically imperfect degenerate, deciding instead to pursue his dreams of exploring space through sheer willpower. This is illustrated through the pivotal scene in which Vincent conquers his genetically superior brother in a swimming race, symbolic of how an individual's will can overcome their determined genetics. Additionally, the crashing waves in the background symbolize both Vincent's human will in the face of adversity and genicism (genetic discrimination) in society, as well as the power of human will over nature itself. However, while the Movement's protagonist Hannah Didier reminds society that its differences are a symbol of its individualism, Vincent de Gattaca abandons his identity to pursue his dreams in a society of prejudice. Therefore, by using characters and settings to tell stories, science fiction texts can effectively comment on the present. Both texts use the stereotypical, technologically advanced future of science fiction to comment on the present. Gattaca uses the context of a society composed of genetically modified individuals, and therefore,.