Gattaca And Lord Of The Flies Comparison Essay

Lord of the flies written by William Golding and Gattaca produced by Andrew Niccols, 1997 are both speculative fictions as they forewarn humanity by creating a reduced but parallel reality to our own society in a way that highlights humanity’s problems, creating a microcosm of society. In each text the theme of Utopias/dystopias are used to display to mankind how what seems to be a prefect world is really the opposite. Discrimination is also highly evident in both texts as well as identity which are all used as warnings humankind.

The novel Lord of the Flies begins with a vision of a utopian society and setting but progresses into a dystopian island full of savagery and loss of civilisation and innocence. When the boys are originally marooned on a well resourced tropical island, a place with no adults where they are free from the rules and structures of civilization and society, they are excited
This is particularly emphasised when Ralph states “But this is a good island. We- Jack, Simon and me- we climbed the mountain. It’s wizard. There’s food and drinks, and-” The repetition of the word ‘and’ stresses how the boys believe the island is perfect and accommodates for all their needs. The true dystopian nature of the island is quickly revealed as the book progresses through the boys becoming murderous savages with a loss of civilisation and innocence. The responders can draw parallels between the film Gattaca and Lord of the Flies as Gattaca too was originally portrayed as a Utopia. The society set up in the film is based around the idea of perfection and conformity where genetic engineering is used to create the ‘ideal’ human being. Sound, costume and lighting are used to contribute to the effect of the setting. The costumes worn by Gattaca employees are sombre uniforms symbolic of an impersonal society and the only people who are focused on in