John Boys

House 1st

Harrison Bergeron

            As a twin, I know what it feels like to be almost the same as one person, but how would it feel to be just like everyone else in the world?  In 2081, no one could be any better than anyone else.  Everyone was equal.  Citizens, who were more athletic, intelligent, better looking, excreta, were handicapped.  All citizens reluctantly obeyed these orders from the government except for one man, a towering titan named Harrison who was forced to wear 300 pounds around his neck.  In “Harrison Bergeron,” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Harrison lived in a society where everyone was made equal by physical or mental means; the way he responds to Vonnegut’s society illustrates the theme of the work.

            The government in 2081 was all about equality.  No one man could be smarter, faster, stronger, or better looking than anyone else.  The more intelligent individuals were forced to wear “handicap radios” (5), which were devices that fit into the ear of the person and periodically sent random ruckus or noise blaring in their ears scrambling their thoughts.  For the faster or stronger citizens, they were equipped with “sash weights and bags of birdshot” (5), each varying in weight according to the strength of the individual.  The faces of the beautiful girls were hidden behind nasty, disgustingly awful masks issued to them by the government.  By doing this, the government thought that they were making everyone equal.

            One man, or perhaps more, was so enormous, so intelligent, that he was a threat to the government.  He was outfitted with a handicap earpiece, headache causing, sight impairing glasses, and 300 pounds strapped around his neck.  Although Harrison was equipped with so many handicaps, he still had his wits, strength, and sight about him.  After breaking out of the jail, Harrison “tore the straps of his handicap harness [that held the weights] like wet tissue paper” (9); snapped the metal bar that secured his mind- scrambling head phones as if it was celery; and he ripped the blinding glasses from his face.  He did this while trying to start a rebellion against the government by appearing on the evening news.  He soon afterwards picks the prettiest ballerina as his “empress” (10), and they begin to dance around the studio.  While the two lovers danced around to the music, two gunshots split the musical air, interrupting their graceful strides.  The sound had come from a still smoking, double barrel 10 gauge shot gun fired by the handicapper general.  The two dancing were killed instantly.  Perhaps Harrison was too smart and strong for his own good.

            Sometimes, people become threatened when someone, with the capabilities of doing so, compete or try to take glory from them.  This is the message Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was trying to get across in “Harrison Bergeron.”  For instance, the government became frightened when this massive man threatened to overpower them.  Because of this, they killed him.  The government thought that by making everyone equal, the citizens’ lives would be better, but the only ended up making them miserable or caused them to live a pointless, almost non-existent life.  Without differences, nothing could get accomplished.