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Similarities Between 1984 And Harrison Bergeron

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Three basic themes present themselves in virtually all depictions of a dystopian future. The first is the complacency of the members of the dystopian society, the common man. Without influence from the protagonist or another external force, people are content with the state in which they are they living in. The second is an oppressive force, which controls major aspects of the individual's life, from restricting independent thought and freedom to dehumanizing aspects of the individual's life. The last is the ultimate outcome of the story's protagonist, whether they overcome the adversity they face or submit to it. These are key elements of dystopian portrayals and are all present in the three pieces being reviewed: 1984, Harrison Bergeron, …show more content…

They will either yield to the oppressive force that may be, or they will prevail over it. In each portrayal, 1984, Harrison Bergeron, Half-Life 2, the protagonist decides to oppose whatever force may be that is oppressing them or their society. The protagonist of 1984, Winston Smith, commits a major crime. One which could have serious consequences, that could “be punished by death, or at least by twenty-five years in a forced-labor camp.” The crime Winston committed was that of keeping a journal. Although he commits far greater crimes later in the novel, this act of defiance alone shows Winston’s opposition to the party. In Harrison Bergeron, Harrison, a fourteen year old superhuman, or so it seems, who had been imprisoned because his “inequality” could not be contained, escapes from the jail at which he had been detained. Even in present day America, breaking out of jail is generally considered an erroneous thing to do. Harrison’s opposition to the equality laws is clearly present in his defiant nature. Near the beginning of Half-Life 2, as Gordon Freeman is walking through City 17, a Combine police officer knocks a can of the top of a trashbin and tells him to pick it up and put it back in the trash. While he is able to do this, which warrants a sadistic chuckle from the Combine officer, he can also throw the can in the officer’s face. While this gives him a great opportunity to lay into Gordon with his stun baton, and does not really get Gordon anywhere, it is the thought that counts. (spoiler alert) Although all of the afore mentioned protagonists oppose their respective oppressors, they are not all successful in the end. Through incessant torture, both of the body and mind, Winston eventually comes to love Big Brother by the end of 1984, showing his submission to the will of the Party, to Ingsoc. And while Harrison in Harrison Bergeron strips himself of his handicaps

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