Harrison Bergeron Essay

516 Words3 Pages
Government vs. Society In the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Vonnegut presents a calamitous tale of social commentary on possibly anticommunism/government control. When reading through the story, a reoccurring picture of an autocratic government is illustrated- “handicaps,” as the characters call it, are endured by the above average. “The year was 2181, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law. They were equal in every which way.” The story stays true to the first sentence of the text throughout the whole story. The dates that associate with Vonnegut seem to have a huge impact on his writing. Have fought in WWII, there are similar concepts in this story to Hitler’s ultimate plan for Germany. Both had a very large government impact that could be seen as inhumane that went to radical terms in order to create the “perfect society.” The moment where the Handicapped general shoots Harrison because of his outcry for social justice by breaking the handicaps and laws associated on originality shows the great length the 2081 United States would go to for their perfect image- similar to Hitler’s quest to terminate all Jews for the greater good of Germany. It is very clear and obvious the way that Vonnegut wanted to write this paper- through satire terms Vonnegut made a statement the seems to be around the feeling that government control blocks originality, creativity, and the right to live as a human being- being able to be yourself. In the beginning of the story Hazel and George are watching a program that involves ballerinas. Some even have bags over their heads to cover their “beautiful faces.” In a normal society these dancers who have perfected their art, who might even seem as shockingly beautiful, could be someone’s role model or an inspiration towards the art shown but instead she is put as an emotionless

More about Harrison Bergeron Essay

Open Document