Harrison Bergeron Theme Essay - 852 Words

Kurt Vonnegut’s unique story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron,† displays a theme which is a warning about the dangers of equality, which is equality is a hindrance to an individual’s success and society’s success, but this hindrance is ironically, unequal. In the story, Harrison and his bride are arrested for their unwillingness and inability to stay within the bounds of equality enforced by the Handicapper General. Equality hinders the success of an individual like the weights hinder the beauty and grace of the ballerinas in the story. Equality doesn’t promote everyone to be equally better, but to be unequally worse. Handicaps are no use in ensuring equality, because one’s strengths will always shine through, such as Harrison’s strength and wit, or the†¦show more content†¦The only thing preventing Harrison from success; was the only true thing that ensures equality - the firearm, which Diana Moon Glampers just happened to have. That is why it is nicknamed â€Å"the Great Equalizer;† because strength or speed are no match for a speeding bullet. The firearm does not enforce equality in the same way as enforced as in the society in â€Å"Harrison Bergeron,† it strengthens the individual rather than weakening them. Ironically, Glampers manipulates this, allowing a frail little woman (suggested by her odd name), to stand up to a strong, brolic man, proving this hindrance is inherently unequal. Some may argue while equality is still a hinderance; it still is universally equal, instead of being unequal as the theme displays â€Å"equality† to be. They may argue this because of the supposed success of the handicaps, because they inhibit thought, strength, or agility, making sure nobody is superior to anybody else. This is shown by Hazel and George within the text. Hazel is extremely dull, and George is exceptionally smart, but they are both equal, thanks to handicaps. However, this is not always the case, as shown with Harrison and his would-be bride. Harrison’s handicaps are extremely heavy, to ensure that he is equal to everyone else. But he isn’t, being significantly stronger and smarter than everybody else, even with his handicaps. This displays the hindrance that is equality to be unequal. RightShow MoreRelatedHarrison Bergeron Essay Theme862 Words   |  4 PagesHarrison Bergeron Essay The year is 2081, and Harrison Bergeron is a boy living in a society where all the people must be equal. The government is brainwashing everyone to believe that’s true, but Harrison sees what’s really happening. He is one of the smartest people in the society, but thats what gets him into trouble. Because he is so smart the government believes he wants to overthrow them. They take him away from home and put him in jail. The theme I pulled out of this story is one that weRead MoreThe Subject Of `` Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut1507 Words   |  7 PagesThe subject of â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut is equality. The theme of this short story is that society should make an effort to value individuality and fairness, in which everyone receives what they need to prosper, instead of universal equality. The forms used to elevate this subject and theme are point of view, syntax, characterization, irony, and humor. The point of view in â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† is third person with limited insight. 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The novels Utopia by Thomas More and 1984 by George Orwell and short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut explore the Utopic and Dystopic genre through the structure and regulations of their societies. In Utopia, More provides us with a contemporary understanding of society and human nature, with an indepth study ofRead MoreIf We Must Die By Claude Mckay1161 Words   |  5 Pagessomething truly means to one’s self like in the 3 text, â€Å"I have a dream,† by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (published; 8/28/1963, genre; narrative and argumentative), â€Å"If we must die,† by Claude Mckay (published; 1919, genre; narrative and lyric), â€Å"Harrison Bergeron,† by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (published; October 1961, genre; satirical dystopian science-fiction short story). In all 3 texts the authors are giving their touch on equality. Equality can convey being treated the same when a colored and a white man/woman