Round Table #4

Link to the 4th round table
http://soundcloud.com/theunaltered/round-table-4

Casey Character Comparing

Matt and Vincent, they are both the main characters that are in somewhat similar societies and situations. Although they are complete opposites in how they were created and what is acceptable as in how you were created in their societies they are both outcasts and invalids in their societies. Matt faces adversity his entire life being a clone. He is made fun of, stomped or completely ignored when around others who hate him because of his creation rather than his personality. This is the same for Vincent, except that he is naturally engineered rather than in a lab. I think that they are most similar in the sense of their position in society. They are also both aspiring to be something that should be impossible. Vincent wants to be a part of Gattaca but only the prefect Valids can do that making it seem impossible for that to happen. Matt wants to be the ruler of Opium, but everyone else knows that he is tone used for parts and will be trashed once he is used again making his dream impossible in the minds of everyone else. Despite this both of them believe in themselves, although doubt crosses their minds, both have the drive to succeed. Neither give up when someone tells them that they will never succeed.

Another thing that I realized when watching and reading that the two have in common is in who helps them. Matt and Vincent both have one person who helps them dramatically and then one person who helps them at the end of their run to success. For Matt Tam Lin helps him dramatically. Tam Lin teaches him, shows him nature, acts like a father and most importantly saves him from being killed when he brings Matt to the mountains and gives him a story and escape route. Maria is the one who helps Matt less at the end. This is because when Matt reaches the hospital to see Chacho, Maria finds him and tells her Mom, Esperanza, and has him saved from the Keepers who are also there and has him brought to Opium to run the state. Jerome is Vincent's Tam Lin. Jerome gives everything that Vincent needs that he doesn't have to be a part of Gattaca. He gives blood, heart rate, urine, hair, and skin samples so that Vincent can be a part of Gattaca, without Jerome Vincent would never have succeeded at his goal. The urine tester was the one who helped Vincent succeed at the end when he let him through knowing that he was an invalid. Both Matt and Vincent needed these people to succeed and both were every thankful and appreciative which is why both felt bad when their, "miracle worker," willing died. Jerome killed himself meanwhile Tam Lin drank the poison even though he knew that it would kill him.

Ryan's Character Comparison

Based on the description from the book and the visuals in the movie, Vincent and Matt seem like similar characters. They both seem to be similar looking although Matt may look a little darker than Vincent. They both live in very similar environments, Vincent in his non-genetically enhanced human hating world and Matt in his clone hating world. They both try so hard to fit in but in the end they both realize that they will never fit in to the place where they live. The one difference is that at the beginning Matt is not trying to hide the fact that he is a clone whereas Vincent manages to hide the fact that he is not a genetically altered human by taking over the life of a man named Jerome. Both characters seem to try and avoid conversation about what they really are and if they do have to talk about it, it generally doesn't last very long. In Gattaca since most people don't know about Vincent's true identity, most people talk highly of him or at the least respects him, however in House of the Scorpion, majority of people know that Matt is a clone and therefore seem to have an automatic hatred. When Matt goes into Aztlan though, no one really knows that Matt is in fact a clone, but most people still hate him due to the fact that he is an "Aristocrat" which makes everyone hate him anyways. Some moments where both characters show some of their true colours is when Vincent has a swimming competition with his brother which shows that he always strives to keep up with the genetically altered humans. A moment for Matt is when he and Maria are hiding in the secret passage and listening in on Felicia and Tom as they say some disturbing things. When it comes out that Felicia killed Furball and not Matt, Maria gets upset and Matt tries to comfort her which shows that he is a caring person. Overall I think that the characters are very similar but have a few differences.