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Character Role Analysis

John Hammond and Dennis Nedry

These two characters might not seem similar at all—one is a snuggly old man, while the other is somehow even more abrasive than Newman from Seinfeld. But maybe the reason these two characters hate each other so much is because they're so alike. They're the most antagonistic human pair in the group, like a human T. rex vs. a Velociraptor. Or maybe a human wooly mammoth versus a prehistoric giant sloth.

Both Hammond and Nedry have selfish goals at heart: Hammond wants glory; Nedry wants wealth. Nedry, as programmer, is in a position to help Hammond achieve glory by making Jurassic Park amazing. Hammond, being Nedry's billionaire employer, is in a position to give Nedry wealth. But Hammond doesn't pay Nedry what Nedry thinks he deserves, so Nedry rebels, putting everyone in danger.

Hammond may be the nicer one on the surface, but both characters perform actions without any regard for the safety of others. They unintentionally work together to make Jurassic Park into a fatal failure of an experiment.