Main Character Comparison Jamie

Matt and Vincent are very similar characters.  I think that Matt has always struggled with his identity and so has Vincent.  In several ways, these two main characters are remarkably similar.  Although they live in different worlds completely, I think there's an overall message of identity.  Matt has gone through so much at such a young age.  While there really is no physical difference between him and a person who is not a clone, he is different.  He carries with him a stereotype of not being worth it.  Vincent has struggled with his identity as well.  He was not genetically altered before birth, unlike his older brother.  He has a higher risk of heart disease because of this.  Although there is a chance he won't have a heart problem, it doesn't matter.  It's been decided that he's unfit for his dream.  One difference I do see between the two is that Matt is incapable of even having huge dreams because he is in constant danger.  Vincent, on the other hand, has one dream he focuses on completely.  He is blinded by his desire to go into space.  However, anything Matt and Vincent want to do, they have to do twice as well to be considered half as good.  This is their lifestyle and neither wants to accept it.  In one scene we see Vincent's parents telling him to eat.  While a harmless gesture, it triggers something in Vincent.  He wants to study the planets.  To him, it's an attack at his heart problems.  It bothers him that it's been accepted that he has heart problems, even though he really might have no heart problem at all.  In the movie, Vincent has decided to change his circumstances and in "House of the Scorpion" Matt has decided to do so as well.  I think what makes these characters so relatable is the theme of their lives is the same, that you don't have to be a victim of your circumstances.