Since writing his earliest stories, Vonnegut has been called a science fiction writer, a term, he says, that for many people is another word for a bathroom receptacle. Although there are elements of science fiction in his stories, he is more clearly a fantasist—one who creates a believable but purely imaginary world such as one finds in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). He frequently resorts to dystopias (negative views of the future) to comment on modern society.

His style here is straightforward and matter-of-fact, as if he were sharing a story with his fishing buddies. Vonnegut does not interfere with the narration of this story to wink at the reader, implying that it is all a joke. Here, as in other stories and novels, Vonnegut appears to be a serious writer who uses the trappings of a futuristic science fiction world to entertain readers while he “poisons our minds with humanity.”

The story’s narrator never passes judgment on the words or deeds of the characters. Instead, his description of those actions becomes increasingly unbelievable. For example, as Harrison Bergeron and his dance partner dance and leap into the air, they finally manage to kiss the ceiling. Thus Vonnegut shows that Harrison represents someone so alien to his society that he can even defy the laws of gravity by seeming to float as easily as he was able to toss aside his shackles and handicaps.

Vonnegut’s outstanding stylistic trait is his use of black humor—humor that relies on the use of darker, more pessimistic, even depressing views of the absurdities of life. In a century when science and technology have been used to harm rather than help humankind, Vonnegut’s bitter antimachine, antitechnology images clearly reinforce the themes of the story. Instead of improving machines to make life easier, Harrison’s society—and thus ours—relies on outdated, nineteenth century tools to encumber the superior members of his culture to prevent either growth or experimentation. This is Vonnegut’s effort to make readers rethink their comfortable complacency and imagine instead what life would be like in such a world. The irony is that humans already inhabit such a world.

Setting

Placing the story 120 years into the future helps readers more readily accept the more absurd events in "Harrison Bergeron." The exact physical location of the story remains unimportant and thus unspecified. One notable anachronism—a concept or object not known or invented at the time of the story, or an object from a previous era—should be highlighted: the use of a shotgun. Readers might expect that a more advanced form of weaponry would exist that far into the future. Additionally, the notion that 213 Amendments to the Constitution have been ratified indicates a drastic shift in American legislation. When the story was written, only twenty-four amendments had been passed and ratified, with the first ten (known as the Bill of Rights) becoming law in 1791. In the 170 years between 1791 and the time the story was written, only fourteen more amendments had been ratified. Ironically, the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments in the story limit the civil rights of most people, in contrast to the amendments from the first two centuries of the nation.

Point of View

The story is narrated from a third-person-limited perspective; the narrator is not a character in the story but has access to the thoughts of one character. Readers are privy to George Bergeron's thoughts, such as when he "was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn't be handicapped." The events in "Harrison Bergeron" are conveyed by an objective narrator who does not draw conclusions, make decisions, or pass judgments on the events. The narrator's objectivity creates a sense of detachment from the hostile world depicted in the story.

Satire and Black Humor

The story employs satire and a form of humor known as black humor. This humor primarily revolves around George and Hazel, although Harrison's appearance (with a red rubber nose, artificially crooked teeth, and three hundred pounds of handicaps) also adds a comical element. The dialogue between George and Hazel at the story's conclusion alludes to the comedians George Burns and Gracie Allen, who had a popular TV show in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At the end of each episode, George and Gracie would perform a stand-up routine related to that night's episode. Frequently, George would say to Gracie, "You can say that again," and she would respond exactly as Hazel does to George Bergeron: by literally repeating her previous statement. Gracie Allen's comedic persona mirrors Hazel's; both characters appear somewhat scatterbrained.

The humorous exchange between Hazel and George Bergeron could be classified as black humor, a term that has proven challenging to define. Black humor is connected to sick humor (mocking, for example, a person's disability) and gallows humor (finding humor in situations of helplessness), as well as the absurd (situations so far-fetched they seem almost implausible). Black humor can encompass all these elements. It can be described as the juxtaposition of pain and laughter, unusual facts and calmly inadequate responses, and cruelty and tenderness. The concluding dialogue between Hazel and George juxtaposes all three of these pairs, as they have just witnessed the death of their son.

Satire, which involves ridiculing a person, place, or idea with the intention of prompting change, always carries a moral dimension. In this story, Vonnegut satirizes the concept of handicapping people to enforce equality, the futility of rebellion, the apathy fostered by television, and authoritarian governance. As Conrad Festa asserts in Vonnegut in America:

Stories such as "Harrison Bergeron" ... fit easily and recognizably into the satiric genre. That is, they (1) sustain a reductive attack on their objects, (2) convey to their intended readers significances at odds with the literal or surface meanings, and (3) are pervaded and dominated by various satiric techniques.

Allusion

Vonnegut incorporates numerous allusions in “Harrison Bergeron,” referencing people, historical events, and other literary works. The month of April, which “still drove people crazy by not being springtime,” serves a dual purpose. It first alludes to the opening line of T. S. Eliot's 1922 poem, "The Waste Land": "April is the cruelest month...." The second allusion related to April comes from the first: the poem’s title partly inspired the title of a 1961 speech by then-Federal Communications Commission Chair Newton Minow, who described television as “a vast wasteland.” The abbreviation "H-G men" for Handicapper-General agents is an ironic nod to "G-men," a term for government agents such as Secret Service and FBI agents. Unlike the H-G men, G-men were generally well-regarded until their actions faced legal and ethical scrutiny in the 1960s and 1970s. Diana Moon, the Handicapper General’s first and middle names, alludes to Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, associated with the moon. Known for her vengeance, Diana’s name hints at the ruthless killing of Harrison Bergeron. Thor, mentioned in the story as the god of thunder, is in Norse mythology the oldest and most powerful son of Odin, the king of the gods. His immense strength and combat skills emphasize Harrison’s power when unencumbered by handicaps. There is also an indirect reference to cartoonist Rube Goldberg, highlighting the absurdity of the handicapping technology, especially for a futuristic setting. Goldberg’s cartoons typically depicted overly elaborate mechanisms to complete simple tasks. For example, instead of an alarm clock, Goldberg might design a sequence where sunlight reflects onto a bird, which pecks a string, releasing a bowling ball that triggers a lever, opening a door to a rooster cage, causing the rooster to crow. The more intricate these devices, the funnier they are. Thus, the various handicaps in the story resemble Rube Goldberg cartoons, amusing readers familiar with the allusion. The final allusion is to the comedy duo George Burns and Gracie Allen, and their television show. The dialogue at the story’s end mirrors the exchanges at the end of the “Burns and Allen” show. Gracie, who played a scatterbrain, would often repeat lines when George said, “You can say that again,” just as Hazel Bergeron does. Television's role in the story is to numb, desensitize, or otherwise occupy citizens’ time, preventing prolonged thought among those of average intelligence.

"I always had trouble ending short stories in ways that would satisfy a general public," Vonnegut notes in Timequake. "In real life . . . people don't change, don't learn anything from their mistakes, and don't apologize. In a short story they have to do at least two out of three of those things, or you might as well throw it away." Vonnegut admits he could manage that much. "But after I had a character change and/or learn something and/or apologize, that left the cast standing around with their thumbs up their asses. That is no way to tell a reader the show is over." In his earlier years, Vonnegut sought advice from his literary agent on how to end stories without killing all the characters. The agent told him it was simple: "The hero mounts his horse and rides off into the sunset." This story, "Harrison Bergeron," is one where Vonnegut was willing to kill off a few characters.

Any cursory examination of Vonnegut's fiction will show that he starts and ends his stories in media res—right in the middle of things—paying little attention to literary conventions like introductions, denouements, character development, or foreshadowing. "Harrison Bergeron" is no exception. Vonnegut doesn't show readers his characters and let them learn about their world; instead, he tells readers everything up front, using simple words whenever possible.

"From the beginning of his professional writing career, Vonnegut demonstrated a strong inclination to write satire," says critic Conrad Festa in Vonnegut in America. "Stories such as 'Harrison Bergeron' [and others] fit easily and recognizably into the satiric genre.... Furthermore, the satiric objects in those works are easily identifiable and familiar, and their satiric significances are obvious. Judged solely on his early fiction, Vonnegut emerges as a somewhat traditional satirist," Festa concludes. "Had he continued writing in that way, we all would have joined hands long ago to slam down the lid on his box." While it is difficult to call Vonnegut's later writing more sophisticated, his use of satire in later works is certainly less traditional than in this story.

When "Harrison Bergeron" first appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, it was Vonnegut's third publication in a science fiction magazine after the once-lucrative weekly family magazine market dried up, a market where he had published over twenty stories between 1950 and 1961. The story received no critical attention until 1968, when it appeared in Vonnegut's collection Welcome to the Monkey House. Initial reviews of the collection were less than favorable, with even the more positive reviewers commenting negatively on the commercial quality of many of the stories.

By the late 1980s, "Harrison Bergeron" had become a staple in high school and college literature anthologies. Joseph Alvarez notes that "Popular aspects of the story include Vonnegut's satire of both enforced equality and the power of the Handicapper General, and the enervating effect television can have on viewers." He explains that this futuristic tale explores "universal themes of equality, freedom, power and its abuses, and media influence," and it "continues to evoke thoughtful responses about equality and individual freedom in the United States." Alvarez also speculates that "Harrison Bergeron" may have been inspired by a controversial 1961 speech by then Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton Minow, titled "The Vast Wasteland," which criticized the lack of quality in television programming.

After the 1960s, Vonnegut seldom wrote short stories, choosing instead to focus on novels, which were more lucrative for him. In Timequake, Vonnegut remarked, "I still think up short stories from time to time, as though there were money in it. The habit dies hard." He continued, "All I do with short story ideas now is rough them out, credit them to Kilgore Trout, and put them in a novel."

The story unfolds in the year 2081, in a setting in middle-America that would be very relatable to readers from October 1961, when the story was initially published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, or from 1968, when it was included in the collection Welcome to the Monkey House. In this narrative, television shows feature stars reminiscent of George Burns and Gracie Allen. There is a pursuit of social equality, and ordinary working people have enough free time to enjoy television from the comfort of their homes. However, the performers on these shows—dancers, musicians, and announcers—are burdened with handicaps like heavy weights, unattractive masks, and disruptive hearing aids. One of the main characters, George, is also subjected to these handicaps.

The extreme measures taken by the Handicapper General to enforce this distorted version of "equality" initially make the setting seem like a fantasy world or an alternate reality. Yet, knowing that the author has traveled internationally and experienced American public schools, universities, military service, and imprisonment in a German POW camp, and has interacted with Nazis, Biafrans, Communists, and his Cape Cod neighbor, the Handicapper General's drastic methods appear disturbingly plausible.

Even more surreal is how Harrison's parents instantly forget the cause of their sadness, and the sound of a riveting gun in George's ear-radio prompts them into a conversation mirroring the comic lines made famous by comedians George Burns and Gracie Allen in the concluding dialogue of their TV show. The blend of familiarity and incongruity in the dialogue creates an unsettling experience for the reader.