Discussion Topic

Penalties and implications of lightening the handicap bag in "Harrison Bergeron."

Summary:

In "Harrison Bergeron," lightening the handicap bag would result in severe penalties, including imprisonment or fines. The story emphasizes the government's strict enforcement of equality laws, where any attempt to reduce handicaps undermines societal uniformity and is harshly punished to maintain control.

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What would be George's penalty for lightening the load of his handicap bag in "Harrison Bergeron"?

Hazel suggests that George should take out just a few balls from the bag of birdshot weighing forty-seven pounds, which is padlocked round his neck. George grimly replies that the penalty for doing this would be two years in prison and a $2,000 fine for each lead ball he removed. This, he points out, is not exactly a bargain.

Two interesting points that arise from this discussion are the draconian punishment and George's acquiescence in, and even defense of, the law. The punishment for removing just a few balls is so harsh that the inhabitants of this dystopia might well think that it would be more worthwhile to rebel completely, as Harrison does, than to try lightening their load a little. Perhaps the only reason they do not think of this is that the government handicaps do not permit the more intelligent among them to think for more than twenty seconds at a time.

The second point is that George hotly defends this tyranny, saying that "we'd be right back to the dark ages again" if people were allowed to make even minor modifications to their handicaps. This demonstrates the way in which tyranny is often perpetuated by the reinforcement and approval of its victims, foreshadowing the failure of Harrison's rebellion, which fails to make any impression even on his parents.

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What does the punishment for lightening the handicap bag imply about the government in "Harrison Bergeron"?

Kurt Vonnegut writes about the crippling effects of "equality" in his short story "Harrison Bergeron." In this story, everyone is equal because they are forced to wear handicaps based on their skills, talents, abilities, and appearance. No one can be prettier, stronger, smarter, or better in any way than anyone else. These handicaps are distributed and enforced by 

the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.

Harrison's father is the one who tells us the penalty for tampering with one of the handicaps in a conversation with his wife. Hazel tells George he looks tired and suggest it is probably because of the forty-seven-pound bag of bird shot he has to wear in a canvas bag which is padlocked around his neck. She tells him she does not mind if they are not equal for a short time, but he says he is used to the bag and is fine. Hazel continues: 

"You been so tired lately-kind of wore out," said Hazel. "If there was just some way we could make a little hole in the bottom of the bag, and just take out a few of them lead balls. Just a few." 

"Two years in prison and two thousand dollars fine for every ball I took out," said George. "I don't call that a bargain."

This extreme penalty (imagine how many pellets of bird shot must be in the bag to equal forty-seven pounds) is an indication of how seriously the government now takes this concept of equality. This outrageous measure by the government is reinforced later in the story when Harrison breaks out of his handicaps and is immediately shot and killed. 

People being equal is clearly more important to the government than the people themselves. 

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