Equality In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

Fourteen year old Harrison Bergeron is a passionate character that symbolizes equality in society during the year of 2081. Harrison rebels against the government in a way that shows how everyone in “Harrison Bergeron” was not absolutely equal. This community and its citizens has lost its rights after the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution. Everyone was not actually equal in the story since people could not use their own intelligence, express their true beauty, and display their strengths. The citizens were scared of the United States Handicapper General and they do not have the freedom to be themselves.

The main conflict of the story is between Harrison Bergeron and the government. Harrison disagrees with the government’s way of controlling and handicapping society, especially since he has been given several handicaps. Harrison does not believe one should be limited, however, he is

“Harrison Bergeron”by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., is a story about a teen that speaks out about the equal but unfair government in a dystopian future. “Harrison Bergeron” encapsulates the importance of celebrating each other’s differences and how equality ruins that. The setting of “Harrison Bergeron” is always in the distant future in a bleak place where mediocrity is admired. Because of the feeling of dullness in the setting, it gives a platform for the government to equalize everyone.The movie’s setting is very 1950s influenced, while the short-story is timelessly bleak.

The story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is120 years in the future, which allows us to more easily accept some of the bizarre events that happen in the story such as when the character Harrison Bergeron is dancing with a ballerina and there is no law of gravity and motion, so they can almost touch the studio ceiling which is thirty feet high. The author emphasizes in his work themes such as freedom, mind manipulation, the American dream, and media influence, also the opposition between strength and weakness and knowledge and ignorance. The story illustrates that being equal to one another is not always the best way to live because everyone is different for a reason. Also, this is what makes everyone special in your particular way.

Kurt Vonnegut’s unique story “Harrison Bergeron,” displays a theme which is a warning about the dangers of equality, which is equality is a hindrance to an individual’s success and society’s success, but this hindrance is ironically, unequal. In the story, Harrison and his bride are arrested for their unwillingness and inability to stay within the bounds of equality enforced by the Handicapper General. Equality hinders the success of an individual like the weights hinder the beauty and grace of the ballerinas in the story. Equality doesn’t promote everyone to be equally better, but to be unequally worse. Handicaps are no use in ensuring equality, because one’s strengths will always shine through, such as Harrison’s strength and wit, or the

Harrison Bergeron is a valuable story that has underlying themes, which are very relevant in our current society. The theme of equality can be seen throughout the book, and it is the principle that is enshrined in America’s constitution now, whereby they claim that all men are equal. Kurt Vonnegut demonstrates the issue of equality in a Utopian society. Vonnegut in his story, cautions Americans on the dangers of creating a truly equalitarian society, whereby citizens go to an extent of sacrificing their freedom, and individuality to the state, to create a place where all people are equal. Vonnegut creates a society whereby, all people are made equal. The beautiful are forced to wear hideous masks to disfigure their beauty, those considered intelligent are to wear radio calls, and ear splitting noises that are supposed to impede their thinking, and the strong are forced to wear weights around their necks throughout the day. The author uses masks, and the weights as symbols to symbolize

In his story “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ( 1961) proves that not all of mankind can be equal.

Harrison Bergeron, a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, is not written for the light reader. This story of equality shows deeply of how horrid it would be to be born special, different, smarter, faster, stronger, etc, in a world where you are forced to be equal. Despite the usual connotation of the word equality, Kurt Vonnegut looks at the cost of making everyone be the same. He has shown through his words the torture you must endure in order to make you the same as everyone else, being a radio intending to scatter your thoughts, weights to weigh you down, or even a hideous, grotesque, mask used to hide your charming face. After you’ve lived with these handicaps a man, named Harrison Bergeron, trying to change how things are interrupts your show.

First, the core plots of both stories is different but I found similarities between the two. Harrison Bergeron is a story that’s based in the United States in the year 2081, where the government creates total equality

“Harrison Bergeron.” a movie based on Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. short story that was directed by Bruce Pittman, is about Harrison’s struggle to fight against a system set in place by John Klaxon and his secret society. The message of “Harrison Bergeron.” is, that equality doesn’t necessarily create the “perfect world.” Because nobody can express who they are as an individual. The characters in “Harrison Bergeron.” Such as John Klaxon and Harrison himself, had conflicting ideologies that lead to strife and conflict between them.

In “Harrison Bergeron,” it becomes clear very soon that the society depicted in the story does not favor exceptional human qualities of any kind, be they related to intelligence, physical ability, or outward appearance. For instance, as the Bergeron family watches a ballet dance recital, the manner in which they determine which dancer is the best-looking is by the “hideousness” of the mask that the dancer is forced to wear. As the excerpt reads: “’Ladies and Gentlemen,” said the ballerina, reading the bulletin. She must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous. And it was easy to see that she was the strongest and most graceful of all the dancers, for her handicap bags were as big as those worn by the two hundred pound men” (Vonnegut n/a). When examining this passage through a Marxist theoretical lens, it becomes clear that Vonnegut is

Mowery discusses the ongoing theme of forced equality in the story Harrison Bergeron. He explores the way

The subject of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is equality. The theme of this short story is that society should make an effort to value individuality and fairness, in which everyone receives what they need to prosper, instead of universal equality. The forms used to elevate this subject and theme are point of view, syntax, characterization, irony, and humor.

‘Harrison Bergeron’ and ‘2081’, are two representations of the same drama. Though they are expressed through different medias, they both succeed in getting the main idea across; the downside of mass coordination. Although the book and the movie have the same general storyline, the book is more effective at showing the negative side of equality. ‘Harrison Bergeron’ and ‘2081’ have a similar plot line and events, the short story has richer details, allowing the reader to understand the author's ulterior motives. In the opening, George Bergeron is introduced. He is said to have many handicaps that reduce his major abilities. “And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear.” (page 1). George

In “Harrison Bergeron” the reader gets a sense of miserableness. Life seems to be dragged out for these characters. Vonnegut portrays a society that is something we couldn’t imagine. However, this society would essentially be ideal to all humans. In this society, anyone who was more intelligent than another would wear a handicap helmet. No one person would be better than, or worse than the other. Once, being more advanced and intellectual was considered an asset and a plus for the society we live in. Now, it’s considered more of a liability and was thought to hurt you. Harrison Bergeron was considered dangerous because of how intellectual he was. He was thrown in prison and kept away from society in fear that he would create an unbalance. A consequence of this society is that people were not exactly equal because they