Summary This fiction story takes place at the Bergeron living room in 2081. The world is finally equal, but that is not necessarily good, everyone is the same, nobody can be too smart, too talented or too beautiful and everything in life is extremely boring. All the equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution and the intimidating agents to the United States Handicapper General. When a young, 14 year old, Harrison Bergeron rebels against the law, the Handicapper Generals hunt him down. The everyday life of American citizens were simple. Once the agents of the Handicapper General, Ms.Diana Moon Glampers, saw anyone, for example, someone who had remarkable talent such as a dancer, they would put physical handicaps on the dancer so they were just as bad of a dancer as everyone else. One day, Harrison Bergeron, son of George and Hazel Bergeron was taken away because of he's an exceptional genius and with outrageous talents. Without handicaps, Harrison was breaking many laws from the new amendments . George and Hazel weren't aware of their only son's absence because the handicaps that were forced on their heads made them dumber than average. With this handicap it defies them from thinking and shocks their head to stop them and they could not defend Harrison whatsoever let alone remember the situation. Once taken away, Harrison escaped and suddenly he was all over the news. He broke of all the handicaps that was stuck on him and told everyone he was their emperor and demanded attention. Harrison wanted everyone to take off the handicaps and to be free and the first women to stand up would be his empress. Once he found his empress, he danced and broke handicaps Anderson 2
off the musicians and everyone was playing so fantastic. Suddenly, the Handicapper General came and shot both Harrison and his empress and they fell down to the ground. As soon as they died everyone forgot about what happened and continued with their regular, everyday lives. Theme Analysis Unlike most equal right stories in literature, the theme of "Harrison Bergeron" is: Vonnegut, the author, is showing us what happens in a society where competition is no longer allowed because the government has decided what is "normal" and what isn't. Anyone who is considered to be above normal, like Harrison and his father, is handicapped. No one who is less than normal should ever feel bad about him/herself. Society has become one of mediocrity, keeping everyone as close to the same both physically and mentally. Hazel, Harrison's mother, illustrates those in society who are below average, and she doesn't have to wear any handicaps. Harrison is, of course, the superman of society, both physically and mentally. He cannot be allowed to live once he tries to overthrow the government's control. Vonnegut also shows the effect of the broadcast media on society. The Handicapper General uses radio signals to punish those who think the wrong thoughts or say the wrong things. He depicts television as having a numbing effect on people, to the point that they are desensitized by what they see. Hazel can't even remember that her son has been killed right in front of her. Background Information Kurt Vonnegut Jr., formally known as Kurt Vonnegut, born in 1922, mainly wrote science fiction stories, his works are characterized by wild leaps of imagination and a deep disbelief. In addition to being one of the top-selling American authors of the twentieth century, Anderson 3
Vonnegut was an accomplished graphic artist. He frequently wrote of the Depression and about tragically horrible moments. Vonnegut was a soldier in the US Army during WWII, was captured in Germany, and survived Allied bombing raids of Dresden that killed over 100,000 civilians and were kept secret for many years after the war. Vonnegut's distrust of centralized government began as a result of his awareness of the whole of this situation. Following his distrust of the centralized government he wrote Harrison Bergeron about the civil rights movement and his beliefs on how the government would attempt to change it. In addition, the relatively new but rapidly growing medium of television was being widely criticized for its effect on audiences. Kurt's opinion of television is reflected in Harrison Bergeron - he considered it a waste of time and force intent on destroying independent thought by people. Finally, Vonnegut used the story to deliver his commentary regarding the civil rights movement of the early 1960's, specifically his mocking of those who were afraid to accept differences between people.