Hazel Bergeron's Vonnegut

“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. tells the story of a futuristic America where people who are given handicaps if they are better than other people in order to give complete equality to everyone. The main message of “Harrison Bergeron” is that everyone doesn’t have to be the same for them to be happy. In fact, when everyone is equal they are sadder because they don’t know what real life is like, and they are able to be controlled. Harrison and Phillippa demonstrate that being unique brings happiness as they take off their headbands and learn how wonderful life can be when they can express who they are.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s “Harrison Bergeron” tells the story of an unbelievably talented young man that defies the constraints of total equality in futuristic America, year 2081. Because of the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments, all citizens are subjected to a communist like state where everyone is made to be equal in beauty, physique, and intelligence. Throughout “Harrison Bergeron,” symbols such as Harrison’s defiance of the law, his physical attributes, and the setting presents the theme of the story as the idea that total equality would be disastrous.

Story begins by introducing George and Hazel, who had a kid named Harrison Bergeron. Harrison was arrested and taken away from his parents because he is a “genius and an athlete” (123) and was under suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. Their society revolves around equality in all aspects (looks, physicality, intelligence, ability, health, etc.) and achieve this by putting physical restraints on people’s mental and physical capabilities. People are oblivious and trained to think this equality is good for them. Hazel has average intelligence which makes him unable to think for long periods of time while George has a radio in his head that disrupts his thinking capabilities. While George and Hazel are watching TV, a bulletin is being broadcasted saying that Harrison has escaped prison and is on the loose and dangerous. Harrison then comes into frame during the broadcast and declares that he is the emperor, the greatest ruler in history, and that everyone must obey him. Then he rips off all of his handicaps and looks like a god. He challenges someone brave enough to be his lover, and a ballerina steps up and they dance. Diana Glampers, the Handicapper General enters the studio and shoots and kills the to be Emperor and Empress (125). The TV signal is cut and goes to black, leaving Hazel in a sob. George comes back from grabbing a beer and asks why Hazel is crying, but she no longer remembers why saying, “It’s all kind of mixed up in my mind” (126). This dystopian world gives off a utopia image when in reality everyone is suffering. Vonnegut implies that total equality isn’t worth striving for. Both of these stories have a common theme that sacrifices are needed to reach happiness and achieve a utopian society. Both authors have a central idea that a functioning utopian society is even possible without sacrifices and

The loss of individuality and humanity that Bradbury and Vonnegut express shows what conformity and total equality can do to a society. In Bradbury’s society, people are so absorbed in their televisions that when one person isn’t, they are seen as an outcast from society. Vonnegut’s dystopia brings down the gifted to the level of everyone else. His “truly” equal society takes away the individuality in and leads to conformity. Vonnegut indicates, “They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.” In a truly equal society, people do not have the ability to show who they truly are because of the handicaps placed on them. Being an

"Harrison Bergeron" was written by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. I believe that this story was very dark and sad to many readers including me. The author portrays dark themes but also gives out encouraging symbolism. Although this story takes place in a future utopian place, I didn't expect the place to have such strict and harsh rules. Kurt Vonnegut wrote this story with theme, symbolism, and also some satire.

There are so many issues in the world today that have come from people’s ideas of what is right and just in society. Yes, inequality is solvable in today's society, there are many individuals, groups and organizations that see the importance of equality among people. In education, government and sports equal rights are improving.

In the short story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, society has been leveled to everyone being equal to one another. If a person is considered pretty or handsome they are made to wear masks to cover their face; the prettier they are the uglier the mask. If someone is above the average intelligence of others they are made to wear mental handicaps in their ears that blast out noises every so often to scatter the thoughts of the wearer. Also, the people must wear heavy bags on their backs; the more capable and strong the person is the heavier the bag. People in society have always been concerned as to what others look like, and what other people's level of intelligence is compared to theirs. If someone is better looking than another person they are judged or put down. Also, people will say things such as 'I wish we were all the same' or 'it isn't fair that some people are smarter than others'. In Kurt Vonnegut's dystopian world short story the government has found a way to fix the problem of people being better looking or more intelligent than others.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short story, “Harrison Bergeron”, takes place in a dystopian society where everyone is brought down to a low equal with handicaps. Harrison, an incredibly smart and handsome boy, does something that ends in tragedy. One of the lessons in the story could be that when everyone is the same, everyone is miserable.

Imagine living in a place where everyone is equal. No one is smarter or or faster, everyone is the same. This is what everyday life is described as in the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. Throughout the story, Vonnegut tells the reader what society would be like if everyone was average. Also, Vonnegut exaggerates what people would have to do in order to be equal, including wearing “handicaps” which deprive people of showing their strengths. These include; having to wear bags of birdshot for the strong and the beautiful being forced to wear masks to hide their faces. The theme of “Harrison Bergeron” is that total equality can have a dangerous outcome to society.

the story. “Harrison Bergeron”, the narrator, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., describes the modern society in the year of 2081. In this society, the epitome of equality is the golden rule, which is enforced by adding limitations or rather, “handicaps”, to those who bear physical, mental, or any talent or prowess whatsoever. For example, Harrison Bergeron, who was the ideal specimen (he was intellectually gifted, had the physical appearance of Hercules, or to sum it up, was a want-to-be superman), was given weights to counter his mountain of muscles, radios (boom boxes) glued to his ears to limit his cognitive function, and was basically an abomination of metal. These Handicaps made sure that Harrison would not have an advantage, making everything “equal”

Vonnegut uses the setting, as an example, to express equality by showing how the story takes place in the future year of 2081, when everyone is now “equal”. In order to make everyone equal, agents of the United States “Handicapper General,” force people with

The short story called “Harrison Bergeron” is written by Kurt Vonnegut. The story is about a world in the future where people are made equal by using weights, masks, hearing devices and other things. In the story the main character, Harrison is portrayed as a criminal. There are many things that are being satirized in this story. Some things are, the way equality is depicted, the Dark Ages and Hazel’s intelligence. In the story equality is depicted in a very unique way. The story has people being equal using handicaps to make people equal. In the story it states, “They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.” This satirized

From the first words on the page, “ The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal.”, Vonnegut sets the stage perfectly for satire. The opening statements make it seem as though it is an utopian society, but the reader quickly finds that maybe it is the opposite, a dystopia. Through the use of definite terms such as “perfect”, “nobody” and “everyone” the reader can see the satire, because almost nothing is definite (7). Hazel and George Bergeron are representative of a conformist society, going through the motions of life without thinking about them. Harrison, on the other hand represents the oppressed “Rags to Riches” hero.

In Kurt Vonnegut’s story, “Harrison Bergeron,” everyone is made equal by the United States Handicapper Genera1 while the country is under totalitarian control. Handicaps are forced upon the people by the Handicapper General to create an all-equal society. The character George Bergeron is forced to stay equal by the government’s laws of equality while his wife, Hazel Bergeron, is of only average intelligence, and consequently not given a handicap. Their son, however, has broken the laws of equality and is fugitive of the United States Handicapper General. The conflict between the United States Handicapper General and the Bergeron family helps to establish and develop the theme of a false perception of equality.

After the First World War, a new era began in art and literautre. The new