Examples Of Equality In The Giver By Harrison Bergeron

“The sole equality on earth is death,” - Philip James Bailey. This shows that mankind was never meant to be equal, and that equality on earth means death. However, in attempt to stride for a “better world” some fictional societies disagree with that. The societies make attempts on making an utopia where everyone is equal. Demonstrating the possible outcomes of those societies, Dystopian and Science Fiction authors use futuristic settings to teach readers that total equality does not improve the society.
In the novel, “The Giver,” a reader sees how dystopian governments are willing to go to extreme measures, making everything “perfect”. For instance, the claim becomes evident when the main character, Jonas, starts his training as the new Receiver of Memory. This means that he has to learn and experience things that are hidden from his community by the government, and things nobody else has been able to feel for many centuries. One of those, that he is informed about, is that the ruling body has eliminated certain climates and bad weather because it will impede their attempt to

The government is trying to keep everyone the same, so there is no differentiation. In particular, they have created handicaps for people who are better than everyone else in any way, for example, knowledge. The narrator quotes, “A buzzer sounded in George’s head. His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm,” (1). This illustrates how the regime uses different handicaps on people with different strengths in order to equalize them all. Moreover, in Harrison’s community, being better is looked down upon. A news reporter in the story says, “He is a genius and an athlete, is under handicapped…” (3). This demonstrates how the government does not appreciate a person’s individual qualities which could be potentially helpful to the