Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” Kurt Vonnegut portrays Aristotle’s philosophy brilliantly in his short story “Harrison Bergeron.” The story depicts the American government in the future mandating physical handicaps in an attempt to make everyone equal. Vonnegut describes a world where no one is allowed to excel in the areas of intelligence, athletics, or beauty. Yet, the inequalities among the people shine even brighter. Vonnegut uses satire to explore the question of whether true equality can ever really exist. Satirical writing allows the author to express his or her opinion about a problem in society. A writing must follow three rules in order for it to be classified as satirical. First, a continuous focus on one’s subject’s faults. Secondly, instead of telling the reader directly, information must be given indirectly. Thirdly, the writing must have a variety of satirical techniques in general (Festa). With these simple guidelines, an author can demonstrate his beliefs of what he thinks needs to be changed in society. “Harrison Bergeron” starts with explaining the society within the story. It begins, “The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way,” (Vonnegut 158). With this startlingly different introduction, Vonnegut explains that everyone is equal but does not include how during this time. As the story progresses, the reader begins to see exactly how the citizens are “equal.” Vonnegut introduces the handicaps and explains how they work. He first mentions the ear piece which intelligent people wear. George “[is] required by law to wear it at all times,”... ... middle of paper ... ...ph. “An Overview of ‘Harrison Bergeron’.” Short Stories for Students. Vol. 5. 1999: The GaleGroup. Web. 10 March. 2014. Wood, Karen and Charles. “The Vonnegut Effect: Science Fiction and Beyond.” The Vonnegut Statement. Vol. 5. 1937. 133-57. The GaleGroup. Web. 10 March. 2014. Festa, Conrad. “Vonnegut’s Satire.” Vonnegut in America: An Introduction to the Life and Work of Kurt Vonnegut. Vol. 5. 1977. 133-50. The GaleGroup. Web. 10 March. 2014. Labin, Linda. ”Harrison Bergeron.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition. 2004: 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 12 March 2014. Hattenhauer, Darryl. “The Politics of Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Harrison Bergeron’.” Studies in Short Fiction. 35-4. (1998): 387. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. Mowery, Carl. “An Overview of ‘Harrison Bergeron’.” Short Stories for Students. 5. (1999): The GaleGroup. Web. 3 March. 2014.
The short novel “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut presents a futuristic portrayal of a world where everyone is equal in every way possible. In “Harrison Bergeron,” Vonnegut displays the clear flaws in society that lead to the creation of a horrific dystopia that lacks genuine human emotions, fails to develop as a civilized community and is strictly government At the beginning of the story we are introduced to George and Hazel who are an ordinary couple that consequently suffer from handicaps. They are recalling the time when their son, Harrison Bergeron, was taken from his home by the handicapper general. It was an unhappy thought “but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard” (Vonnegut 1) due to the mental radio that separated the two from regular functioning emotions. Although Hazel was not affected by the handicap itself, it became a societal norm to act almost robot-like.
What gives the reader the false idea of utopia in Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” is the deep social control in the form handicaps where individual’s abilities and competence and even appearance are neutralized and vilified as a form of inequality. The characteristics of equality chosen by Vonnegut; beauty, athleticism, and intelligence is important to the story’s message. The main focus of the story are the characteristics of equality that are subjective, the very same characteristics we are born with that makes us different and minimally states the objective ones, the ones that plague our society today. This not only satirizes the epitome of equality itself, but rather the people’s flawed ideals and belief of what total equality is supposed to be or should be.
Sutherland, John. "Kurt Vonnegut, Jr." Lives of the Novelists: A History of Fiction in 294 Lives. New Haven: Yale University, 2012. Print.
Schatt, Stanley. "The World of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr." in Critique: Studies in Modern Fiction. Vol. XII, No. 3, 1971. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale,1973.
Kurt Vonnegut’s dystopian fiction, or a type of fiction in which the society’s attempt to create a perfect world goes very wrong, “Harrison Bergeron” was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1961. This story is about Harrison Bergeron, who is forced to diminish his abilities because they are more enhanced than everyone else’s. This short story is an allusion of a perfect society and it is maintained through totalitarian. The author expresses his theme of the dysfunctional government of utopia through his effective use of simile, irony, and symbolism. Kurt Vonnegut was one of the most influential American writers and novelists, and his writings have left a deep influence on the American Literature of the 20th century. Vonnegut is also famous for his humanist beliefs and was the honoree of the American Humanist Association. “Harrison Bergeron” is about a fictional time in the future where everyone is forced to wear handicapping devices to ensure that everyone is equal. So can true equality ever be achieved through strict governmental control?
Literary critic Peter J. Reeds states that Vonnegut’s “painful comic rendering of the form acknowledges not just the suffering that existence may impose, but the essential absurdity of the situation in which its randomness and incomprehensibility frequently place us” (37). The comedy in Vonnegut’s fiction is meant to express the depths and tragedies of the world in a way which is bearable enough for the reader to comprehend.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., “Harrison Bergeron,” Welcome to the Monkey House (New York: Dell Publishing, 1968)
In order for George to be considered equal to someone like Hazel, he must wear a handicap radio that “sends out some sharp noise” (1). As soon as George begins to think, “a buzzer sounded in George's head. His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm” (1). Vonnegut chose these words very deliberately to portray that George, like bandits, desperately desire something, however, his daydream-like thoughts are cut off by the handicap. This is a warning that George may be equal by the mind, but he must suffer through tremendous pain that Hazel does not have to experience. Therefore, George is not equal by any means. Hazel asked George if he wanted to rest his forty-seven pound handicap bag, and “George weighed the bag with his hands. 'I don't mind it' he said. 'I don't notice it anymore. It's just a part of me'” (2). This handicap bag is dragging George down, closer to equality. George has worn this restricting bag for so long that the bag is practically sewn into his skin. In order for George to be considered equivalent in this society, he must weigh himself down, while Hazel gets to roam free. Another drawback of this society is that George must put much more effort into being balanced in this society than Hazel does. In all, George is used to show many drawbacks in this not-so-equal
In “Harrison Bergeron,” the author tells the tale of a generation that is equal in both mental and physical abilities. The major idea of the story is to show readers that total equality can be dangerous if they are interpreted too literally, as we are born each with our own individual mental and physical capabilities, and achieving total equality can be torture and unrealistic. To achieve physical and mental equality among all citizens, the government in Vonnegut’s story sets equality as a principle set in America’s Declaration of Independence, where the beautiful must wear hideous masks or disfigure themselves, the intelligent must listen to earsplitting noises that impede their ability to think, and the graceful and strong must wear weights
Although the plots and themes of Cat’s Cradle and “Harrison Bergeron” were different, they carried many other aspects that were similar. They both satirized society and its ideals and provided scenarios with gruesome details, all which led to fatalities on certain levels. Being written by the same author, there are multiple apparent similarities between these two stories that can be
Kurt Vonnegut makes use of the absurd details in the short story “Harrison Bergeron” to emphasize that equality can bring down society. In the beginning of the story, Vonnegut implies that people are restricted from performing to the best of their abilities when he states that George, a character in the story, “had a mental handicap radio in his ear” that would “send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brain”. This is bringing down society because people like George in the story who are smart are being restricted from taking advantage of their mental capabilities just to establish equality. Moreover, the ballerinas in this short story are also restricted from dancing to the best of their
Rackstraw, Loree. “The Vonnegut Cosmos.” The North American Review 267.4 (Dec. 1982): 63-67. JSTOR. Web. 25 Sept. 2011.
The society that Vonnegut has created takes equality to a level most of us cannot comprehend. "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren 't only equal before God and the law. 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." Equality is a great thing that the world should embrace; complete equality though is another issue. In a world of absolute equality, every human would be looked upon nothing more or less than the person beside him or her. Vonnegut highlights these issues of how equality can be taken to the extreme with the handicaps. The handicaps are brutal and seem almost primitive or medieval. Bags filled with lead balls that are attached around Georges neck, or the masks that the ballerinas are forced to wear. The goal is to try and manipulate the population in such way that humans will produce children that are all relativity average and the
Reed, Peter J. and Marc Leeds eds. The Vonnegut Chronicles: Interviews and Essays. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996.
Evans, Robert C., Anne C. Little, and Barbara Wiedemann. Short Fiction: A Critical Companion. West Cornwall, CT: Locust Hill, 1997. 265-270.