Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s Harrison Bergeron: Is Total Equality Dangerous?

Is Total Equality Dangerous? In Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short story, “Harrison Bergeron”, the author argues the dangers of a world that is based on total equality. Not only does Vonnegut expose the negative results of being alike, he also shows that we desire to be different from each other. In the year 2081, all people are created or forced to be equal mentally, socially, and physically. You are “NOT” allowed to be different, whether it is better or worse, than anyone else. If you are intelligent, you must wear a handicapping radio in your ears at all times. This radio blasts a sharp noise, every 20 seconds or so, so you would not use your brain. If you are good looking, you must wear masks, and if you are strong and athletic, you are weighed down with heavy weights. This contradicts everything that we believe in about our society today. This is also what Harrison Bergeron hated about his society. George and Hazel Bergeron are husband and wife and the parents of Harrison Bergeron. Harrison was jailed at the age of 14 due to the fact that he was a genius, strong, good looking, and brave. George is

She is known as the Handicapper general and works for the government. Diana is the person that is responsible for placing the handicaps on the people so that all individuals are totally equal. She appears to be a lot like Hazel in the fact that they resemble each other and they are both of “normal” intelligence. Hazel said, “I think I’d make a good Handicapper General.” George said, “Good as anybody else.” (Vonnegut 847). This makes me believe that George thinks that Diana is just as “mixed up” as everyone else. Diana wants everyone to remain equal and she seems fair to the people at the beginning of the story. All changes at the end when she becomes extremely brutal and kills Harrison Bergeron for removing all of his handicaps and defying the