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Ty Yarbrough

Field

LNG 322

15 February, 2011

I’m Doin Me

Even in a perfect world where everyone is the same, there

are still some people who choose to have individuality. Vonnegut,

Rand, and Niccol express that all the societies are equal, but

there are people in those societies that defy the standards of it. In

Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron, the Handicap General puts

handicaps on everyone to make them all on the same level. In

Rand’s Anthem, everyone is being brainwashed, that way no one

thinks above any other person. In Niccol’s Gattaca, people are

engineered at birth to be perfect. Individuals in a society should

be able to choose their own actions, make their own decisions,

and live their own life.

Harrison, Equality, and Vincent all have the same

philosophies and characteristics. Harrison is a superior person and

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he doesn’t believe in equality. He along with the others, do not

think everyone should be equal. Also, he breaks out of his

handicaps and thinks above all others. Equality goes above all

others by building the box, which results in him to think on a

move advanced level. Equality also doesn’t believe in equality. He

had the same thoughts that he shouldn’t be like the others.

Vincent gets Jerome to give him his “perfect” blood and other

bodily samples. Vincent is not perfect, so he wants to get into a

perfect place like Gattaca. The reason he needs these samples is

he was born as a “God child.”

When everyone isn’t allowed to make their own decisions,

the society starts to make its citizens or occupants equal to each

other. The three characters make their own decisions from the

rest of society. If not, then it results in people becoming similar.

Harrison gets or breaks out of his handicaps. If he wouldn’t have

broken out he still would be equal to the others.

Equality breaks out of the prison and finds love and goes into

the forest. He is making his own decision to break out and fin

love. If not he would still be with the brainwashed people. Vincent

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makes the choice of making a false identity to get into Gattaca.

When people aren’t allowed to make decisions for themselves it

creates similarity, in result it makes everyone equal.