What is the underlying message of "Harrison Bergeron"?

In Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron," the United States has transformed into a dystopian nation, where the government suppresses individualism in order to create a completely uniform society, eliminating all forms of competition and making everyone equal in all areas of life. Since talented, intelligent citizens are considered a threat to the government, they are forced to wear various handicaps that significantly limit their above-average abilities. Heavy bags of birdshot are strapped to physically stronger or larger citizens to restrict their movements, intelligent civilians wear handicap radios in their ears to disrupt their thoughts, and beautiful people are required to wear ugly masks. The government's intention of securing equality for all is taken to the extreme and negatively impacts the lives of talented individuals like George and Harrison Bergeron.

The main message of Vonnegut's story concerns the importance of balancing equality with freedom and individualism. In the story, the totalitarian regime takes extreme measures to ensure equality, with no regard for personal rights or individualism. Their solution to forming a more equal, less competitive society creates a dystopia, where the most talented, skilled citizens are severely punished. People with above-average abilities suffer, and standards across the country are significantly lowered to appease less talented civilians. Although Vonnegut advocates for equality, his short story reveals the importance of balancing equality with freedom and individualism. While creating equal opportunities for all is an amicable goal, Vonnegut warns against invasive government policies that restrict personal rights and individualism in the name of equality.

What is the underlying message of "Harrison Bergeron"?

Many dystopian stories end with a message of hope, of the possibility that the system will change, the people will rise up and evil will be vanquished. Not so with "Harrison Bergeron." This story is deliberately bleak and depressing; here, total government control of the populace is not only inevitable, but impossible to fight.

The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.
(Vonnegut, "Harrison Bergeron," tnellen.com)

One strong message of the story is that the attempt to make everyone equal, not only in status (all men are created equal) but in fact, results in stagnation of culture and society. Instead of treating all people the same way, the government here attempts to make everyone physically and mentally the same so nobody will feel badly. The result is total control of the populace, and when Harrison rebels, he is struck down as evil, a man who rightly believes himself to be superior to others. Exceptionalism is therefore seen as a negative trait, while the pursuit of the perfect average is seen as moral.

What is the underlying message of "Harrison Bergeron"?

Just as no two things in nature are exactly the same, people are not meant to be the same. 

People vary in their looks; they vary in their talents and intelligences [alluding to Gardner's Intelligences], they vary in size. There is nothing evil about this, nor anything wrong with it; this is the state of life. "All men are created equal" does not mean they must be the same.

The greatest evil about everyone being "equal" in Harrison Bergeron's society is that the only way to make everyone "finally equal" is to dumb everyone down, not raise people's intelligence. Similarly, everyone is made to look "average" and to have no abilities that are superior to others. What a dull world, and a cruel one that punishes the bright and creative and athletic and beautiful. It is no wonder that Harrison rebelled. What incentive can there be to achieve anything, what motivation can there be to act with courtesy or courage or other virtues? Without individuality, people lose what it is to be human.

It is, indeed, an insipid world that has "everyone finally equal."

What is the underlying message of "Harrison Bergeron"?

There are a number of possible morals to be drawn from Harrison Bergeron. One of the first is the inevitability of certain kinds of inequality. It is impossible to suggest that all humankind can be equal in the sense that different people have different talents and that there should be opportunities for people to express and explore their talents as they provide all kinds of wonderful things to the human race.

Another possible moral is the irrepressible nature of humanity demonstrated by Bergeron's incredible ability to withstand so much resistance and to free those around him to demonstrate their beautiful talents. The fact that he was both motivated and able to throw off all the impediments that had been placed upon him suggest the power of the human spirit.

One more possible moral might be the dangers of wanting to make people equal in ways that are impossible and immoral. It is certainly moral to help people have equal opportunity and equal rights but trying to level the playing field when it comes to unique talents and capacities is absurd.

What is the irony in "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut?

Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron" is full of irony. Perhaps the most glaring irony is the idea of imposing complete equality on a population through state power. Anyone who has the power to do this is clearly grossly unequal to everyone else in the society and violates its central principle. This point is made when Diana Moon Glampers, who has no special abilities herself, is able to get rid of Harrison at the end of the story simply by shooting him.

Germane to this is the idea Vonnegut raises in the first paragraph when he mentions equality "before God and the law." This is the type of equality that liberal democracies have typically valued and which clearly means acknowledging that everyone is different but treating them all in the same way. To try to make everyone the same is a radical misunderstanding of the principle of equality.

Another irony is the fact that within the story, a Communist system has reduced everyone in American society to the lowest common denominator. In the 1960s, when "Harrison Bergeron" was published, the United States was locked in fierce competition with the Soviet Union, which was dedicated to producing world champions in every area, from athletics to chess. Any country which has to fend off international competition must encourage excellence. However, Vonnegut suggests, the reductio ad absurdum of Communism is possible only when a nation has triumphed over all others and can then concentrate on destroying itself through insane policies.

What is the irony in "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut?

One of the major ironies within “Harrison Bergeron” is that in their society’s attempt to not make people feel bad they still cannot mask, pun intended, that some people are superior to others.

In the world of Harrison Bergeron, beauty is seen as an unfair physical attribute that is countered by making people wear masks. 

“…their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in.”

The use of masks, however, does not keep people from knowing that the person is beautiful. For example, the text refers to one of the ballerinas:

“She must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous.”

If the true purpose of the mask was to make people equal and not feel bad, then the mask would have to prevent people from knowing how beautiful the person was. As seen in the quote, the uglier the mask the more beautiful the person.

An additional irony is that physical handicaps become obsolete and have to be replaced. In seeking to eliminate physical superiority in an individual the handicap only serves to make the individual stronger. Again the irony is exposed through the description of the ballerina when the text reads,

“And it was easy to see that she was the strongest and most graceful of all the dancers, for her handicap bags were as big as those worn by two-hundred pound men.”

Since we are able to make a comparison of handicaps worn by individuals, it is possible to know their true abilities, negating the purpose of the handicap.

Together the masks and the weights are intended to hide and hinder the beauty and skills of the ballerina, yet they only serve to let the audience know how beautiful and strong she really is.

What is the irony in "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut?

There are several examples of satirical irony in "Harrison Bergeron." First, when Harrison is younger, his parents do nothing when the H-G men come to take him away. They simply follow along with whatever they are told to do, and even if Hazel would have protested, she would have soon forgotten where Harrison went because of her lack of intelligence.

Additionally, in most societies people who are beautiful, strong, intelligent, etc., are valued and have easier lives.  In "Harrison Bergeron," however, Vonnegut creates a society which seeks to make people uglier, weaker, and dumber so that they will blindly follow the regime.

Finally, it is ironic that in handicapping Harrison with heavy weights, the government has made him stronger; and even though, he meets an untimely demise at the story's end, he most likely lived more in those few minutes of rebellion than any of the government workers or his own parents did.

What is the irony in "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut?

The first line of "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut gives readers the most important details about the setting of this story:

The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal.

Immediately we know that this story is set in the distant future, in a place where everyone is now equal. 

As the story continues, we have two specific settings. The first is Harrison Bergeron's house and the second is a television studio, and they are connected. Harrison is doomed for trouble because, even at the age of fourteen, he is far beyond others in most ways, and the government has run out of ways to try to equalize (lower) him to the same abilities and skills as everyone else.

As Harrison's parents are sitting and watching the television, they see a news bulletin that announces Harrison's break from jail. Soon the news shows Harrison breaking down the door to the television studio, which is the only other setting for the story. 

What the house and the television studio actually look like is unimportant; what is important is that both exist. Obviously the most significant aspect of setting for this story is not place but time and mood; the place is the future and the mood is a time when an oppressive government tries to make everyone equal. 

What do you think motivated Kurt Vonnegut to write "Harrison Bergeron"?

Kurt Vonnegut arguably wrote his story titled “Harrison Bergeron” for a number of reasons, including the following:

• Vonnegut may have wanted to appeal to readers’ interests in prophecies about the future.  Thus, the very first words of the story are “The year was 2081.”
• Vonnegut almost certainly wanted to mock the growing emphasis in his day not simply on equality of opportunities (which most people endorse) but equality of outcomes (which many people think is impossible to dictate). This theme is indicated immediately in the opening paragraph, which indicates that by 2081,

everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.

• The paragraph just quoted suggests that Vonnegut is also mocking the intrusion of the federal government into practically every aspect of citizens’ lives.
• The paragraph just quoted may also mock the tendency of many Americans to think that social problems can be solved by political means.
• The story especially mocks efforts to create intellectual equality, a kind of mockery suggested (for instance) by the fact that George Bergeron is actually prevented, by government controls, from using his intelligence.
• The story seems also to mock the “dumbing-down” of American society as a result of addiction to television viewing.
• The story also seems to mock the shallowness of many Americans’ artistic tastes, as in Hazel’s comment about the dance being “nice.” Hazel’s comment suggests impoverished thoughts and an impoverished vocabulary.
• The story also seems to mock sentimentality, as when Hazel calls George “honeybunch.”
• Vonnegut additionally seems to be satirizing the ways in which people become accustomed to oppression, failing to resist it or rebel against it. Indeed, he satirizes the ways in which people become complicit in their own oppression, as when George, contemplating the consequences of resistance, says

“pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You [that is, Hazel] wouldn't like that, would you?"

"I'd hate it," said Hazel.

• The story clearly mocks the idea that mere effort, rather than real achievement, is all that matters when human performance is assessed.  Thus, at one point Hazel says of an announcer who has failed to read an announcement correctly,

“he tried. That’s the big thing. He tried to do the best he could with what God gave him. He should get a nice raise for trying so hard.”

By using irony to mock all the attitudes and behaviors mentioned above, Vonnegut clearly makes a case for a society in which real merit matters more than mere effort.

What do you think motivated Kurt Vonnegut to write "Harrison Bergeron"?

At the beginning of the story, readers learn fourteen-year-old Harrison Bergeron was taken by the Handicapper General men and placed in jail.

And it was in that clammy month that the H-G men took George and Hazel Bergeron's fourteen-year-old son, Harrison, away. 

Later on, breaking news reveals Harrison unexpectedly escaped from jail and is on the loose. Harrison was originally put in jail because he was suspected of plotting to overthrow the government. Now that Harrison has escaped, the government is searching for him because they believe him to be a threat to the government as a whole and to society's current state of "equality." 

"Harrison Bergeron, age fourteen," she said in a grackle squawk, "has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous."

Considering the handicaps Harrison is required to endure, it is clear he is incredibly strong and extremely intelligent, making him a capable candidate to overthrow the government and the Handicapper General. The government fears his escape will allow him to successfully overthrow the government once and for all. Harrison's rebellion and his attempts to bring an end to society's idea of "equality" show he has an ethical view of what it means to be truly equal.

What do you think motivated Kurt Vonnegut to write "Harrison Bergeron"?

In “Harrison Bergeron,” the title character is killed by Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General who Harrison attempts to overthrow. There is no fight or even conversation between the characters, only two blasts from Glampers’ shotgun. Vonnegut chose to give Harrison an ignoble death for two reasons.

The first reason is that Harrison’s death is a realistic portrayal of what happens to men and women who defy authoritarian governments. Harrison’s intelligence, strength, and good looks do not save him from a government official with a gun. Considering that Glampers’ shotgun is the only real weapon depicted in the story, one can assume that the right to bear arms no longer exists in Vonnegut’s depiction of future America.

Secondly, Vonnegut chose to kill Harrison because Harrison would have been no better of a ruler than the government Glampers represents. Harrison proclaims himself an emperor. From the ballerinas he chooses his empress. Finally, Harrison promises that the musicians will be his “barons and dukes and earls” if they play their best. The terms Harrison uses allude to the medieval period in European history, when emperors and kings had absolute power. Harrison clearly sees himself at this sort of ruler. If Harrison had lived to rule, he may have done away with handicaps, but his subjects would have lost all of their remaining political freedom.

Which aspects of today's society might be criticized in "Harrison Bergeron"?

One of the themes to Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" is the idea that all people should be forced into a mold that makes them equally "successful." That's why we see weights attached to ballet dancers and masks over beautiful faces. 

Vonnegut is playing on the idea that people cannot cope with the notion that others might be more talented than they are. To combat this problem, the government intentionally handicaps the best and brightest in society.

So what relevant social comment was Vonnegut making? Vonnegut could have been criticizing the idea that government can force equality. One modern day example of this might be affirmative action. Affirmative action seeks to elevate the traditionally under-represented in terms of education and employment. While this program has undoubtedly helped many disadvantaged citizens, it has also, in some cases, prevented more qualified individuals from gaining admission to certain colleges or getting certain jobs.

It may be more likely that Vonnegut was criticizing the idea that we should try to mold ourselves to society's expectations and to suppress our own innate abilities and desires. Vonnegut's characters in "Harrison Bergeron" were forced toward the middle—their uniqueness was burdened to the point of nonexistence. Perhaps this is what society does to us in the name of socialization and conformity.

Which aspects of today's society might be criticized in "Harrison Bergeron"?

Many of the concerns raised by Vonnegut in "Harrison Bergeron" are still evident and causing concern today.

Individual freedoms and the ways in which they are being restricted or curtailed continue to be a basis for public debate, action, and dissension. Do women have the right to have an abortion - and if so, under what circumstances? Do employers or landlords have the right to exclude applicants based on sexual preference?

The acceptable extent to which the government should be able to control individual lives and activities is an area of conflict. Should the government be able to require all persons to have health care insurance? Is it permissable for the government to require persons riding motorcycles to wear helmets? Is the use of drones a good thing for enhancing public safety or an invasion of individual privacy?

The influence of the mass media is becoming an increasingly widespread concern as technology and social media expand into new areas. What are the physical, mental, and psychological results of teens watching and playing violent video games for hours every day? How far should profiling of individuals based on their use of computer technology be allowed, and who should have access to that information?

Vonnegut would be able to use many of the same demonstrations of concern about certain topics from "Harrison Bergeron" if he were writing the story today.

How does society influence thoughts and reactions in "Harrison Bergeron"?

In "Harrison Bergeron," the government refuses to allow citizens to have original thoughts and prohibits their reactions to certain incidents in order to possess autocratic authority over everyone. The society permits this control in order to promote a perverse equality that forces all Americans to reduce themselves to the level of the least of its citizens in order to avoid competition.

George and Hazel Bergeron are perfect examples of this perverse equality. George possesses intelligence that is "way above normal," while Hazel "couldn't think about anything except in short bursts." In order to make them equal, Hazel is not given a special education; rather George has a mental handicap installed in his ears that "keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains."

The society permits this equality because it seems as if some past conflict was created by competition, which is why George is okay with his handicaps. When Hazel suggests that he remove some bird shot from a 47-pound bag he has to wear, George declines by saying that if he and others removed their handicaps "we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else." With society allowing the government to remove any chance of original thought, there is no chance of an uprising or even a democratic challenging of the powers. Instead, in the name of equality, people have decided to give up their individuality to become non–free-thinking people.

This story serves as a reminder that powers, governmental, religious, or economic, will often try to remove individuality in order to exert greater control over their followers.

What are the themes of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s "Harrison Bergeron"?

The main theme of the short story "Harrison Bergeron" concerns equality. In Vonnegut's future America, every individual is equal in every aspect. Americans who are more beautiful, intelligent, and physically gifted are forced to wear cumbersome handicaps and devices that restrict, hide, and impede their movements and mental faculties. Diana Moon Glampers is the Handicapper General and is in charge of enforcing total equality. Like other authority figures, Diana Moon Glampers fears talented individuals and makes it her life's mission to make everyone equal. She eventually kills Harrison Bergeron after he escapes from prison and attempts to usurp power. Vonnegut's future society serves as a warning to the dangers of "total equality," or at least this definition of it.

The themes of individuality and independence are also examined throughout the short story by the protagonist Harrison Bergeron. Harrison is a massive athletic genius, who is forced to wear cumbersome weights and handicaps that impair his physical mobility. He also is forced to wear massive headphones that continually interrupt his thinking process. Despite being imprisoned for attempting to overthrow the government, Harrison escapes from jail and takes over a news station, where he insists that he is the Emperor and attempts to usurp power. Harrison is an independent person, who does not passively allow the government to infringe upon his rights. Although he is unsuccessful, Harrison challenges the oppressive government by using his talents to escape prison and sending a powerful message to the viewers at home watching television.

What are the themes of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s "Harrison Bergeron"?

The main theme in "Harrison Bergeron," by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is equality, but it is not the kind of equality which people generally desire. Vonnegut's short story is a warning that complete equality creates many problems and can even bring with it danger. When everyone is completely equal in "Harrison Bergeron," individuals are basically tortured for being better than anyone at anything. The intelligent wear mental handicaps, the athletic wear physical handicaps, the beautiful wear hideous masks to hid their beauty. In Vonnegut's story, everyone is fearful and nobody (except Harrison) can think for him/herself any longer.

Along with the theme of equality, there is the theme of total conformity. The government runs lives. The government can murder citizens who are so gifted their handicaps do nothing, like Harrison. The people are completely brainwashed to believe the government can do no wrong.

Third is the theme of power through media. The television is constantly running. Again, this is a warning that sitting in front of a TV all day is mind numbing. It acts as a drug for the people, and it is used to keep the people in check. Harrison's murder is broadcast, so that nobody else will think of doing the same. "Look what happens if you do not do exactly what you are supposed to do!  Bam!" 

What is the moral of the story "Harrison Bergeron"?

The moral of Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" is that forced equality--"It was the year of 2018 and everyone was finally equal"--is not truly equality; it is forced mediocrity. For, in order to place everyone upon an level plane, the brillant, the creative, the talented must be suppressed.  Indeed, those superior to others must be brought lower since it is impossible to raise those without capabilities to a higher level.

Hazel, who represents the "equality" level wears no handicaps or other devices, for she cannot be raised from her level of mediocrity.  Rather, it is the super sensitive, highly intelligent, athletic, and handsome Harrison, his brillant father George, and the extremely graceful and beautiful ballerinas who are loaded down with handicaps.  Thus, the suppression of their superior capabilities dumbs down all of society to the level of the banal. 

In addition to this suppression of those who are superior to others and their reduction to mediocrity, there can also be other detrimental effects, such as rebellion as exemplfied in Harrison's character, and the loss of initiative as evidenced in George who becomes afraid to exercise his intelligence, thus accepting his mediocrity,

"If I tried to get away with it,...then other people'd get away with it--and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everbody else."

Clearly, George has lost his initiative and in 2018 beauty, glace, and wisdom have died, shot by the Handicapper General who insists upon mediocrity and the suppression of the individual to the point of murdering people.  Thus, the "equality" of Bergeron's world is no equality at all. Mediocre at best, it verges on the sadistic.

What is the moral of the story "Harrison Bergeron"?

In the story, Harrison is handicapped to make him as "normal" as most other people. This might have been done in the spirit of equality, but it homogenizes an entire community. It is an infringement on human freedom and since the more intelligent individuals are handicapped, this hinders the potential for technological and even social innovations and progress. So, one moral or suggestion that's presented here is that we must question the ways in which we strive for equality. One suggestion is that suppression is not the way to achieve equality. In other words, equality is meaningless if everyone is basically identical. Equality only means something if we are diverse and then treat each other as equals.

The subtext of "Harrison Bergeron" is the extent of this suppression. George and Hazel, Harrison's parents, are pacified by their television. Note that Harrison uses the television to announce his expected Emperor status. Harrison recognizes that television is his best way to communicate. Although his freedom is a liberation, he turns it into an opportunity to become a dictator. The point is that television is used by Diana Moon Glampers and Harrison to advertise their power and ideologies.

Suppression of mental and physical abilities can come in the form of physical/mental restraints. But television and other ubiquitous media sources also wield a large sphere of influence over the public. So, one moral is that the pursuit of equality has meaning only if it is built upon diversity and does not involve suppression. The second moral is more of a comment on the dangerous power that social institutions (television, media) have in conditioning the populace.

This is especially relevant in an age when we are bombarded by media via television, Internet, and mobile phones. This includes the often discussed problem of how we've become desensitized to violence.

George and Hazel were watching television. There were tears on Hazel's cheeks, but she'd forgotten for the moment what they were about.

Such a profound suppression of people's individuality and humanity could be perpetrated by any number of institutions from government to large corporations to social media. The irony is that these institutions can be used for the opposite purpose: to foster freedom and creativity.

How does "Harrison Bergeron" relate to current society?

Kurt Vonnegut wrote "Harrison Bergeron" in 1961, which was in the midst of the Cold War and just after the end of the Joseph McCarthy-era of anti-Communist witch hunts by the U.S. Congress. While this story has been used by many different political groups to mean many different things, conservative groups have latched on to this story's anti-equality message. Conservative groups have read this story as a warning that the equality required by socialism and communism require conformity and reduces society to its lowest-common denominator instead of requiring the competition that is inherent to capitalism.

They take George Bergeron's warning to his wife as a warning of what would happen if equality was enforced by the U.S. government:

"If I tried to get away with it ... then other people'd get away with it-and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?"

This idea has been applied to many other situations, including affirmative action and the promotion of the idea that standards will be lowered due to letting unqualified minority students into colleges and jobs before more qualified white students.

However, it is possible that Vonnegut meant this story to be a satirical challenge  to the conservative anxiety over equality and political correctness.

Regardless of the political intentions of the author, the eponymous hero of the story can serve as a guide for all readers today. In a society in which conformity—Instagram selfies, Snapchat filters, even the millennial generation's desire to be nonconformist stinks of conformity—is expected, Harrison makes a point of standing out by taking risks and challenging the status quo. Instead of demanding a political revolution by viewers while he has the attention of the country on him, he instructs a ballerina to dance her best and the musicians to play their best. 

This challenge Harrison throws down is the most timeless aspect of this story. It calls for all people to metaphorically leap as high as possible, "abandon the laws of gravity," and kiss the ceiling.

How does "Harrison Bergeron" relate to current society?

Kurt Vonnegut's story opens with this telling sentence, "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal."  In this year of 2081, the culture values "equality" so much that people have become so complaisant that they agree to oppressive measures in the name of equality. When, for instance, Hazel suggests that George removes the forty-seven pound handicapbag, he strongly demurs,

"If I tried to get away with it,....then other people'd get away with it--and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else."

In the world of "Harrison Bergeron" being competitive is wrong; mediocrity is acceptable and lauded.  When an announcer on the television is unable to even say "Ladies and gentlemen--" Hazel comments,

"That's all right--...he tried.  That's the big thing.  he tried to do the best he could with what God gave him."

In this twenty-first century, this phrase is echoed repeatedly by parents and teachers alike. Often anyone who wants to be on small town football teams are allowed to be; there are no "try-outs" because these would make those not chosen "feel bad."  In sports, especially with the younger children, everyone on the team gets a trophy, no matter whether he or she never played in any of the games. Students are awarded Certificates of Participation so they feel equal to others. Everyone "tried."

Vonnegut's worries came in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, a movement for equality that had to be enacted by the force of the federal government in some states. With this exertion of Federal force, fears that the federal government would in some way propose schemes that would enforce equality of outcome entered the mind of Vonnegut and many others. Thus, Affirmative Action can be viewed as such a type of forced equality as certain people are given scholarships or extra points on entrance exams for law and medical schools or government jobs, for instance, to even the "playing field." Business firms were give quotas in the 1970s on hiring that they had to comply with, and many municipal employers such as Police and Fire Departments have been compelled by the federal government to hire in compliance with Affirmative Action, even when their town contains no minorities. These departments, then, must recruit from another township so that they can meet federal stipulations or risk discrimination charges.

The Federal Education bill of No Child Left Behind is also a type of forced mediocrity as ultimately children at the higher end are held back in achievement so that others can "catch up."

Ironically, when Federal Communications Commission, Newton Minow, delivered an attack on television five months before ‘‘Harrison Bergeron’’ was published, he called television "a vast wasteland'' of destructive or meaningless programs. The plethora of reality and talk shows underscores this statement about meaningless programs. Many videos and movies are perceived as counter-culture and damaging to ethical values, too.  

What is the central theme of "Harrison Bergeron" and is it still relevant today?

Another important theme is how the average citizen is willing to sacrifice freedom for comfort. In order to maintain perfect order in society, the future United States’ citizenry willingly submits to a system of handicapping to eliminate any competitive advantages an individual might have. This includes beauty, intelligence, strength, and many other physical and mental attributes. Even people like George, Harrison’s father, place their trust in the system; when Hazel suggests he take out some of his weights to get more comfortable, George scoffs about how it is both legally and morally wrong to do so. Despite his numerous debilitating handicaps, George is willing to suffer in service of what he thinks is the greater good—complete complacency for all.

This theme is certainly still relevant to today’s society. The scandal involving the National Securities Administration that Edward Snowden exposed shows that citizens are relatively willing to give up privacy if that means terrorist plots can be thwarted. Another example of how this relates to now is the “outrage culture” that many are accused of perpetuating. This means preventing those with different views from being included in places like college campuses, national television, or even on our social media profiles. The desire to be insulated from anything that challenges one’s perspective is something Vonnegut certainly would have criticized.

What is the central theme of "Harrison Bergeron" and is it still relevant today?

The central theme of the short story "Harrison Bergeron" concerns the issue of total equality and highlights the negatives associated with oppressing talented individuals in order to create a completely equal society. While Vonnegut supports equal opportunities for every American citizen, he satirizes the lengths that society has already gone to in order to accommodate the ignorant masses and enable incompetent individuals. In Vonnegut's dystopian future America, talented, beautiful, and intelligent individuals have been oppressed by the government via the use of cumbersome handicaps. This absurd method of oppressing talented citizens is a cautionary tale of how society can discriminate against innovators and creators who develop and advance our society.

This short story is still relevant today and corresponds to how legislation intended to implement equality of opportunity can sometimes impact talented individuals. In the world of special education, some students diagnosed with certain disabilities, such as ADHD, may be given an advantage over their peers. It's also possible that legislation regarding affirmative action can occasionally prevent the best possible candidate from receiving a job. While Vonnegut does support equal opportunities and a level playing field for all American citizens, the short story can also shed light on the importance of protecting and allowing talented individuals to flourish in society.

What is the central theme of "Harrison Bergeron" and is it still relevant today?

There are several possible themes in "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, but the one that stands out is that complete equality is dangerous.  In Harrison's world, the people are forced to give up their individuality in order to have a peaceful, conflict-free society. Competition has been completely quashed by the government, and "just average" is valued so much that a Handicapper General has been appointed to make sure no one is better than anyone else.  She does this by requiring beautiful people to wear hideous masks and by making athletic people wear heavy bags to weigh them down, etc. This is dangerous because people have no reason to be their best anymore-"best" is looked at disdainfully.  If our society did not value intelligence, talent, and/or athleticism, think of how demeaning that would be to individuals and think about how different our world would be!

"Harrison Bergeron" is still relevant today as a cautionary tale. Most of us believe that equality is important and necessary in our society, and we are willing to give up some of our freedoms in order to keep our citizens safe. For example, after 911, we quickly got used to, and accepted, more stringent checks at airports.  On the other hand, we might not so quickly be willing to have government officials show up at our front doors to check on our recent activities. We need government to govern fairly, but we don't want our individuality taken away in the process. We realize that competition is healthy because it can make us all try harder and be better people.

What conclusions can we draw about the society in "Harrison Bergeron"?

The society of Kurt Vonnegut's short story is one of forced equality, an equality that diminishes talent, intelligence, and beauty. Individuality exists no longer.

With the use of technical manipulation and the addition of three amendments to the Constitution, everyone is now "finally equal." But, it is an equality in mediocrity. For, Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General to whom Hazel Bergeron bears a strong resemblance, is the standard. In fact, as Hazel talks to her husband George, she remarks, "I think I'd make a good Handicapper General," and her husband responds, "Good as anybody else."

For those like George Bergeron and especially his son Harrison, as well as the pretty ballerinas, mandatory handicaps and masks serve to equalize their looks if they are prettier or their brains are keener. For instance, George must wear forty-seven pounds of bird shot around his neck. When he has certain thoughts, a twenty-one-gun salute fires in his head. The Bergeron's son, Harrison, is only fourteen, but he has been put into prison for plotting to overthrow the government. His creativity has, unfortunately, been channeled into revolutionary activities because his natural aptitudes have not been fostered. Stymied as he has been, Harrison also has to tote a plethora of handicaps. 

This forced equality and oppressive prison sentence has caused Harrison to rebel. When he comes to the television station, he attempts to free the beautiful ballerina that he makes his empress. Together they "leaped like deer on the moon." Ironically, it is Diana Moon Glampers who fires a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun, killing them, and making them equal again.

While all this occurs, the television goes off in the Bergeron home, and it blacks out whenever something happens to someone. This technology is numbing, and distracting, rather than intellectually stimulating.  

How does "Harrison Bergeron" convey the conflict between societal ideals and individual realities?

In "Harrison Bergeron," Vonnegut uses dark humor to show the contrast between the "ideal" of social equality and the real needs of individuals.

To step back and provide a framework, humor relies on exaggeration and overstatement--the more over-the-top or outrageous a situation, the more we are likely to start laughing.

Vonnegut maximizes over-the-top elements in this story of a future dystopian world in which everyone must be equal, regardless of the personal cost. If you have good looks, you must wear a mask. If you are a talented dancer, you must wear weights. If you are intelligent, loud whistles and noises must go off in your mind to disrupt your ability to think.

This burdening of people with devices to make them handicapped so that "equality" can be achieved illustrates in absurd form the problem of valuing social conformity over individualism. The story makes a strong argument that allowing people to develop and showcase their gifts benefits all of society, not just the individuals themselves. When Harrison and the ballerina break free briefly on television and reveal they can soar, they share a powerful moment with others--before they are shot and killed.

Vonnegut uses humor and absurdity to illustrate that societies must make too for individual flourishing.

What is Kurt Vonnegut satirizing in the short story "Harrison Bergeron"?

"Harrison Bergeron" is open to interpretation as to the aim of its satire. Some believe it to be a straightforward dystopian story, with the individual oppressed and eventually crushed by the collective. Others believe it to be a satire on exactly that sort of story, with a ludicrously overpowered hero and an equally ludicrous dystopian government. In either case, most of the satire is aimed directly at government, with politicians taking egalitarianism to incredible extremes, and forcing "equality" on everyone through lowering standards.

"If I tried to get away with it," said George, "then other people'd get away with it -- and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?"

"I'd hate it," said Hazel.

"There you are," said George. The minute people start cheating on laws, what do you think happens to society?"
(Vonnegut, "Harrison Bergeron," tnellen.com)

Of course, "cheating on laws" usually refers to cheating and breaking rational laws, not the insane laws of the story. The government here believes that it can erase jealousy, envy, shame, and resentment through elimination of exceptionalism -- similar themes are seen in Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. However, the actual result is stagnation of culture and society, as nobody can have new ideas. Essentially, the story is a satire on freedom (individualism) versus enslavement (collectivism), although the actual satire is up for grabs.

What change is Vonnegut advocating for in "Harrison Bergeron"?

Vonnegut's opening line, is prophetic in its satire:  "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal."  The culture of Bergeron's society values mediocrity so much that people accept stringent and oppressive measures in the name of equality.  For instance, the compliant Hazel Bergeron praises the incompetent announcer on the television network who is unable to even say "Ladies and gentlemen":

"That's all right--....he tried.  That's the big thing. He tried to do the best he could...He should get a nice raise for trying so hard."

In light of the No Child Left Behind Law of 2001, Vonnegut's warning was not without foundation. Rather than heed his warnings, however, educational bureaucracies have brought to fruition the problems Vonnegut foresaw in making people forcibly the same. Interestingly, all the attempts to pull up people through educational laws, quota systems, points for certain groups, etc. have all failed to provide any real equality.

With the social movements of his time and the advancement of technology, Vonnegut foresaw a society of artificiality, mediocrity, and compliance with a large government that dominates personal lives.  His story is a warning about the end of the liberty of the individual.

What change is Vonnegut advocating for in "Harrison Bergeron"?

Vonnegut uses the story of "Harrison Bergeron," first and foremost, to present an ironic illustration of the absurdity of attempting to make all people "equal every which way." In the story, this admirable goal has been achieved, but the price of doing so has been the creation and implementation of handicapping devices that prevent people from using their inherent strengths. Vonnegut, an outspoken supporter of the right of individuals to have and exercise free speech, demonstrates his position that it is possible to go too far and to damage society in the process of attempting to achieve equality.

Vonnegut is also cautioning against allowing government to become too strong, allowing it to assume or take over too much authority and control of the society it should be serving. The Department of the Handicapper General has, by virtue of its control of the handicapping devices required by law and enforced with severe penalties for those who disable or modify a device, become the supreme centralized power in the United States. Such uncontrolled power, Vonnegut suggests, leads to destruction of personal freedoms and society as we know it.

Vonnegut is also expressing concern about the potentially mind-numbing influence of television, representative of mass media in general. George and Hazel have no appreciation of anything they watch - George because his handicapping devices prevent him from being able to concentrate and retain any idea longer than "twenty seconds or so;" Hazel because "she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts." Vonnegut suggests that television serves as another type of handicapping device, preventing the public from developing and pursuing any independent thought processes.

What societal tendencies is Vonnegut satirizing in "Harrison Bergeron" and what is its theme?

Kurt Vonnegut begins "Harrison Bergeron" by remarking that in the year 2081, everyone was finally equal:

They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.

The satire here is directed not at equality, but at a misunderstanding and misapplication of the concept. There are two ways in which Vonnegut thinks many of his contemporaries misunderstand equality. The first mistake is suggested in the initial sentence of the quotation above. To say that people should all be treated equally under the law is very different from asserting that they are all the same. Some people are more intelligent; some are more beautiful; others can run faster. Equality before the law simply means that these differences do not matter when assessing legal responsibility. The second mistake is to confuse equality of opportunity with equality of outcome. In "Harrison Bergeron," these two mistakes have ensured that the lowest common denominator prevails in every area of life.

The positive message of the story is clear from the brief moment of sublimity when Harrison dances with the ballerina:

It became their obvious intention to kiss the ceiling. They kissed it. And then, neutralizing gravity with love and pure will, they remained suspended in air inches below the ceiling, and they kissed each other for a long, long time.

Though Harrison may seem somewhat brusque in his methods, he creates beauty in a world where stifling mediocrity has been universally enforced. The story argues for the power of art and individuality and against the tyranny of conformity. This argument also provides the story's central theme.

Does Kurt Vonnegut approve of the society described in "Harrison Bergeron"?

There is nothing about America in 2081 (the futuristic setting of "Harrison Bergeron") that Kurt Vonnegut likes--except for the title character.

This is a world in which 

everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.

Because of the government (through Amendments 211-213 of the Constitution), people are equal in the lowest, meanest possible way. There is no greatness in anything the citizens see, hear, create, or do. Everything may be equal, but there is not much worth living for in this world. 

The fact that the handicaps are ugly is another indicator that Vonnegut does not approve of this world. Bags of bird shot, chains, masks, and more are hung all over people. He describes fourteen-year-old Harrison Bergeron this way:

Harrison looked like a walking junkyard. In the race of life, Harrison carried three hundred pounds.

Clearly the author thinks this kind of a world kills beauty, because he has the infamous Giana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, kill Harrison and the beautiful ballerina during a dance of sheer beauty, freedom, and elegance.

Who does Vonnegut blame for this world? I suppose in the end it is us, for insisting that equal means same, and the government for acting on this ridiculous idea. Equality is the freedom and opportunity to be whomever we choose, not the same as everyone else as determined by the government enforcers. 

Does Kurt Vonnegut approve of the society described in "Harrison Bergeron"?

Whenever you read speculative fiction, it's important to look at the story's themes and see how they are related to our world. Although Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" was written about 50 years ago, many of the themes in the story are relevant today.

Perhaps the idea from "Harrison Bergeron" that is most relevant today is the idea of equality. In the story, society has chosen to blind itself to the fact that certain individuals have greater athletic, intellectual, and aesthetic abilities than others. In order to make this law, the government passed several amendments. The story makes it clear that most in the society agree with the laws. At one point in "Harrison Bergeron," Hazel Bergeron tells her husband, George, that he should make his handicap a little bit lighter to ease his burden. George snaps back, "If I tried to get away with it...then other people'd get away with it—and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else."

The idea George states is very evident in our world today. Whether we're looking at participation trophies for youth sports or letter grades in school, we are conditioned to believe anyone who makes us feel as though we are not special is a problem. Additionally, instead of praising extraordinary talent, we often feel the need to tear it down, with the exception of sports. As a teacher, I often see students who expect the highest grade for the least amount of work possible. All of these ideas are reflected in "Harrison Bergeron."

Now, some have used "Harrison Bergeron" to promote an agenda of anti-affirmative action, anti-civil rights, and anti-equal opportunity policies. I don't think this is Vonnegut's purpose in writing this story, though. I believe Vonnegut is clearly suggesting that we as a society are afraid of the exceptional and that we make ourselves feel better when there is no one who is exceptional.

Does Kurt Vonnegut approve of the society described in "Harrison Bergeron"?

Kurt Vonnegut's biting satirical short story "Harrison Bergeron" presents a future society in which nobody is special or exemplary. In fact, the characters in "Harrison Bergeron" are actively prevented from being remarkable by the government and its insistence that individuals must be blocked or handicapped from being too smart, strong, or beautiful. It is a society where everybody is "equal," but in order to reinforce this status quo everybody must be average.

Vonnegut's commentary is incredibly pointed and poignant because this story subverts the typical tropes of utopia tales. Indeed, everybody is equal, but only because they are forced into a homogeneous, monotonous life. When Harrison Bergeron and his stunningly beautiful "Empress" ballerina threaten this conscripted sense of normalcy, they are gunned down on national television and the status quo is reinforced. Everybody goes back to their unremarkable lives, and the homogeneous, boring order is restored. 

What would life be like in the world of Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron"?

The answer above is a very good one, because it exposes the greatest problems and ironies of living in the same world as Harrison Bergeron. This is supposed to be a future world in which everyone is equal (and therefore everything in life is fair, right?), but the reality is that the way people are treated is not fair to anyone. Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" points out the futility of trying to define "equal" as "the same."

ANother problem with living in this future world is that there can be no excellence or achievement. 

Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. 

Of course, that means everyone who is more talented in any area-- more intelligent, more gifted, more...well, more anything--has to be diminished to the same level as those who are the worst at any given thing. This means no inventions, no arts, no entertainment, no medical advances, no explorations, and probably a million other things we would all never have, just because everyone has to be the worst at things rather than the best.

Of course, living in this world would also be boring. Everyone would be the same so there would be nothing more interesting about someone else than about you. I suppose it might be amusing to see all the ingenious "handicaps" which people wear, but since we would all have an underdeveloped sense of humor, things that are funny to us now would probably not be funny in Harrison Bergeron's world (as demonstrated by Harrison Bergeron's parents).

Finally, most people  would find this world to be quite frustrating. In fact, it might be maddening, as demonstrated by Harrison Bergeron's desperate attempt to be free of restrictions and limitations. Not being free to pursue one's own interests or strive for excellence makes for a world in which there is little joy and not much of anything else, either. 

In "Harrison Bergeron," what tendencies in present day American Society is Vonnegut satirizing?

When Vonnegut wrote "Harrison Bergeron" in 1961, he was satirizing the 1950s and its emphasis on conformity, but the story remains relevant today. We still live in a society that would rather "dumb things down" to a norm than challenge people to think harder or reward excellence.

For example, intellectual ability is still dismissed as unimportant in this country. A presidential candidate, for example, has to eat fries at a diner to show he is "real," as if this kind of ability to relate to the average Joe is more important to being electable than demonstrating experience and competence.

As they enter adolescence, young people often hide their abilities and talents in order to fit into the group. They may not wear a device that sends a ringing noise into their heads every few seconds, but they might impair their brains with drugs and alcohol.

Groupthink often becomes as much of a leveler as wearing lead weights. People in this country will sometimes hold to beliefs that the scientific community says cannot possibly be true because the in-group has decided they are true, regardless of the facts. In some cases, such as the group that thought the Hale Bopp comet was coming to take them to a new planet, mass suicide can be the result.

In "Harrison Bergeron," what tendencies in present day American Society is Vonnegut satirizing?

Vonnegut is satirizing the tendencies in our society to put being politically correct above all else and to cushion and protect anyone's feelings by trying to make it seem like everyone is really, really awesome, and no one is more awesome than anyone else. Like in Vonnegut's story, more and more, the government is stepping in to take measures to keep people from failing and thus feeling sad and inferior. Our society is increasingly taking steps to regulate and control the things that make people unequal, fail, and feel inferior.

If you think about it for a bit, there are a lot of examples that come to mind of how this is played out in our society. For example, think of sporting events or competitions. Where there used to be just first place, now there are up to 8th places or more, and then all sorts of awards are given out for "most improved," "best team spirit," etc. We are afraid that someone who didn't win will be sad, so we give them some other reward to make them happy. Vonnegut just takes this concept a step further by removing all those things in others that make us envious and sad.

Another example that comes to mind is the push in education to assimilate all of the classes into one; all honors classes are to be mixed with the regular classes and the resource classes because the resource kids expressed hurt feelings at being put into the "lower" classes. This is an attempt to cater to the feelings of the resource kids so that they don't feel ostracized and less smart than their other peers. There is example after example of situations like this where, in order to not offend people or to make them feel bad about themselves and their situations, we actually limit the progress of other people to accomplish equality and perfect happiness. Vonnegut has taken that concept to the extreme to make a point, which is that everyone isn't all the same, and a society that tries to force us to be so could potentially have some serious issues.

What tendencies in the present day is Vonnegut satirizing?

"Harrison Bergeron" was published in 1961, but many of the concerns Vonnegut was addressing at that time are still present today.

Most prominently, Vonnegut is satirizing the discriminatory attitudes of a society that says it is bringing all people to equality. In the story, set in 2081 and governed by the "211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution" as enforced by the Handicapper General and her agents, differences between people are masked by handicapping devices. In today's society, many if not most people would claim that all individuals are treated equally - unless a person has too many tattoos or piercings, or the hair is too long, or the name and appearance are too Arabic in origin, or ...

Vonnegut is also satirizing the impact of the mass media. George and Hazel seem to get all their information about their world from their television, although they don't remember any of it for very long. Vonnegut would probably not be pleased with the proliferation of news channels on television and websites on the internet, each offering one interpretation of events that many people accept as completely accurate without further research or validation.

What does the title "Harrison Bergeron" mean in Kurt Vonnegut's story?

Fictional characters' names are often significant. As the title of Kurt Vonnegut's short story is "Harrison Bergeron," this name may be noteworthy. 

The name Bergeron has a derivation from the Old German word berg, meaning hill or mountain, or it may be derived from the old French which means shepherd. (Genealogy archives)

Both of these meanings for the surname Bergeron carry significance for the very tall and strong Harrison Bergeron of Kurt Vonnegut's story, a brilliant young man who breaks out of prison. In a culture that values mediocrity, Harrison rebels and goes to the television station where, in his egoism, he wants to take over. He shouts, "I am the Emperor!" Then, removing all his handicaps and in great self-promotion, Harrison attempts to monopolize the cameras of the broadcast, leading the performers that are in the studio to rebellion. He chooses his "Empress" and they soar into the air in "an explosion of joy and grace!" So athletic is Harrison that he and the empress "leaped like deer on the moon." Harrison has been the leader and he has demonstrated his superiority. Indeed, there has been much significance in his name. In short, Harrison Bergeron is both a shepherd (a leader) and a mountain (a strong, tall figure).

What does the title "Harrison Bergeron" mean in Kurt Vonnegut's story?

Kurt Vonnegut names his short story "Harrison Bergeron" after the story's fourteen year old protagonist, Harrison Bergeron. At the beginning of the story Harrison is arrested by the Handicapper General for "suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government."  His only crime? Being too smart.  In this futuristic society, instead of embracing citizens' differences, the government seeks to equalize everyone to make them the same. In the end, Harrison is killed by the Handicapper General- ending his rise to power and preventing the nation from resorting to its old ways of social and individual competition (according to Harrison's own father).

What values does society hold according to "Harrison Bergeron"?

In Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron," equality is not only desired in society: it is imposed. Handicaps are created for the people who are better at something. The central characters in this short story consist the Bergeron family. Between the mother and the father, the father is the more intelligent one. What does the Office of Handicapper-General do? 

Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.

Physical handicaps are imposed upon the father, George, in order to prevent him from even thinking. He restricted from thinking by a buzzing radio and restricted from movement by 47 pounds of buckshot hanging on his neck. In a world obsessed with equality, excellence is transmogrified into mediocrity: genius is considered a monstrosity.

Harrison Bergeron was a once-in-a-generation genius: he was tall, physically competent, and intelligent. In other words, he would be the envy of this world. Because, however, of his society's fixation with equality, creativity is stultified, even choked to death: both the beautiful ballerina and Harrison were made to wear horrible masks because their physical appeal needed to be covered. When, however, all these accoutrements were removed from their bodies and the two revolted on television, the society totally fixated with equality resorted to the gravest resolution: murder. 

People may not be equal in life, but we are all made equal with death. Martin Heidegger even considered human beings as "beings-unto-death." Death is the great equalizer; death is also the great silencer. Glampers, desperate because she could no longer restrict Harrison and the ballerina, shot them both with a shotgun. 

All became equal once more. 

Why did Kurt Vonnegut write "Harrison Bergeron"?

Both of the previous answers are excellent, but I would like to add a bit. Yes, "Harrison Bergeron" is a work of satire. Not only is it pointing out the importance of recognizing the strengths and weaknesses among individuals, but it is decrying what Vonnegut perceived as a potential misuse of the phrase created equal. When I teach this story to my students, I have them brainstorm lists of ways our government (or even our school) intervenes to create equality. We discuss the meaning of equality. We discuss what measures are fair and justified and which might be considered well-intentioned over-reach.

All of this is not to say that Vonnegut believed people are not created equal or shouldn't be treated with equality, but rather that an attempt by government to create an artificial equality based on the lowest common denominator would have extremely detrimental effects on our society. He used the ridiculous example of Harrison's mother not being able to remember seeing him killed on television to illustrate the point that trying to mandate equality through limiting the rights of people can only lead to our destruction. We need competition. We need leaders.

Of course in the story, there is a leader: The Handicapper General. Vonnegut uses Diana Moon Glampers character to demonstrate the idea that even though there is a facade of equality in 2081, the people aren't really equal. A government that goes to such lengths to create an artificial equality must invariably become despotic to enforce its rules. People like Hazel who are not given handicaps are left as they are because they are easy to manipulate and control. People who might prove problematic to this government are punished for their talents. George has to wear weights and a disruptive ear radio, as do many of the ballerinas, and others wear hideous masks to cover their beauty.

One of the points that Vonnegut is also making through these masks and other handicaps is that there is an absolute difference between equality and same-ness. While we are all created equal, we are not created the same. I think that the use of masks to cover beauty is extremely intentional. Vonnegut is pointing out what a travesty it would be to lose our individuality in the name of equality. It is, after all, our differences that make us beautiful. How dull our society would be if everyone were actually the same.

Why did Kurt Vonnegut write "Harrison Bergeron"?

In "Harrison Bergeron," Vonnegut exposes what he observed to be an uncomfortable truth: the idea that "all men are created equal" is a fallacy. The story is not a denunciation of the idea that America needs to offer equal opportunities to all people. It is also not a denunciation of the idea that no one's humanity will be denied. The story is a satire that employs absurd scenarios to deliver the point that we are all born with unique strengths and weaknesses. Some people have genetically-produced advantages over others that are impossible to deny. Vonnegut implies that any effort to level any given playing field through the interference of well-meaning amendments to the Constitution could end up becoming a ridiculous and counterproductive undertaking. The story's theme is revealed in the opening paragraph:

The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.

Why did Kurt Vonnegut write "Harrison Bergeron"?

There were many background experiences in Vonnegut's life that probably influenced the attitudes reflected in Harrison Bergeron.

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.

Five months before Harrison Bergeron was published (Oct., 1961), the relatively new but rapidly growing medium of television was being widely criticized for its effect on audiences. The newly appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Newton Minow, described television

"a vast wasteland'' of destructive or meaningless programs. Minow claimed that instead of challenging people to think, television programming was making it easier for people to avoid serious thought.

Vonnegut'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.

What are the choices and consequences in "Harrison Bergeron"?

In a society in which "everyone is finally equal," the intellectual and physical prowess of individuals has been enervated by handicapping. Those who choose to not comply by wearing their handicaps are fined and incarcerated.

People who are superior in intelligence are made to wear headgear that sends shocks and noises into the ears and mind, destroying any thoughts that are higher than average. If a person is athletically superior, weights are worn to burden the individual down to average. George Bergeron exemplifies the repression of a superior person as he is wears forty-seven pounds of bird shot in a bag that hangs from his neck and headgear that has a siren go off in his ears whenever he has a superior thought. When his wife Hazel suggests that he ease his discomfort by temporarily removing some of the bird shot, George objects,

"Two years in prison and two thousand dollars fine for every ball I take out."

Similarly, if one is beautiful, then a mask must be worn over the face, apologies made for a beautiful voice. 

United States Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers monitors the people for compliance to the rules in the police state in which the Bergerons live. When Harrison breaks out of jail and attempts to take over the television station, which is symbolic of the desensitizing and control of people's minds, Miss Glampers fires a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun at Harrison, who declares himself emperor, and at the beautiful ballerina empress, killing them both. 

Clearly, here Vonnegut satirizes the desensitizing of people's minds through the medium of television as well as the numbing of thought that this medium induces. For, after having witnessed this shooting of her son, the simple-minded Hazel Bergeron cries, but, when her husband returns from the kitchen and asks her why she is crying, Hazel replies, "I forgot....Something real sad on television."  

What are three reasons why Kurt Vonnegut wrote "Harrison Bergeron"?

In intepreting literature, each reader will develop their own perspective and can find evidence within a given text to support their point of view. This kind of support is not usually considered proof because there are so many possible avenues of interpretation, even of a single passage.

One possible reason that the author may have written was to illustrate two contrasting points. Kurt Vonnegut is clearly concerned about the repressive effects on all members of society that arise when there is too much government control. Such control generates conformity and complacency. At the same time, he raises issues having to do with excessive individualism that ignores the public good. A third reason could be to call attention to disabilities or different abilities, such as those afflicting Harrison.

The story shows a character who is monstrous—much like Frankenstein's creature in that he is taller than other humans and has extraordinary strength and intelligence. The excessive restraints trouble him so deeply that he must break free.

Yet Harrison does not want to be normal or ordinary. He wants power. Vonnegut makes us question how much control is too little (not just too how much is too much). Harrison immediately demands media attention by invading the TV studio. And he becomes a tyrannical dictator:

"I am the Emperor!" cried Harrison. "Do you hear? I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!"

Although he "frees" people from their handicaps, he does so to declare himself ruler and get his own way. He forces the musicians to play music to his taste, snatching them and waving them "like batons" to scare them into obeying him.

What are three reasons why Kurt Vonnegut wrote "Harrison Bergeron"?

Vonnegut wrote "Harrison Bergeron" in 1961, a period in which literature often critiqued what many saw as an over-emphasis on social conformity.

One issue Vonnegut criticizes is government overreach. Vonnegut was a lifelong socialist, so this is a condemnation not of government itself but of the intrusiveness of government excess as displayed in such events as the McCarthy hearings. These had a chilling effect on Hollywood and creativity. The emphasis on government overreach is targeted in such quotes as:

All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution

Imagining hundreds of amendments to the Constitution is an instance of Vonnegut using hyperbole or exaggeration to criticize government intrusions into the minutia of people's personal lives.

A second issue Vonnegut condemns is passivity as it is exemplified in television watching. Hazel and George sit in their living rooms and watch passively both as their son comes on the air and mounts an act of illegal subversion and as Diana Moon Glampers shoots him and his ballerina partner. Their acceptance of all that is imposed on them, including their son's death, mocks or satirizes the idea of people submitting to rather than standing up against injustice. As Hazel says to George with approval:

You don't compete with anybody around here. You just set around.

We as readers would, in fact, condemn a talented person like George for "just set[ting] around."

Finally, Vonnegut wrote the story to protest a leveling equality that forces talented people to bring themselves down to the lowest common denominator, showing the absurdity of this:

Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.

What are three reasons why Kurt Vonnegut wrote "Harrison Bergeron"?

For one thing, Vonnegut was very concerned about the affect that television-watching had upon individuals.  He felt that watching TV was such a passive activity that it lowered people's intellectual abilties and affected their attention spans.  When Harrison is shot and his death is broadcast, his mother cannot remember exactly what has happened-"it's all kind of mixed up in my mind"--because she has become mentally torpid by so much TV viewing. In 1961 Newton Minow wrote about this problem in "The Vast Wasteland."

Vonnegut was also disturbed in the 1960s by governmental approval of the demands of civil rights and women's rights.  He felt that people were being forced to allow everyone to rise to the same level in society.  The forced mediocrity of Harrison is an "equal rights" gesture. Harrison  who is "abnormal" "is jailed" for his efforts at independence.

Finally, Vonnegut was disturbed by the acquiescence of people to governmental controls.  When the mother suggests to Harrison's father that while he is home he "rest the handicap bag" that he wears, the father is adamant about not disobeying, "I don't mind it," yet he winces in pain when blasts come to him. 

In "Harrison Bergeron," how do Harrison's feelings towards society develop the theme?

In Vonnegut's short story, Harrison Bergeron is an extremely athletic and intelligent American citizen, who escapes from prison and attempts to overthrow the government. Harrison's talents and abilities are repressed by certain laws, which state that each citizen must be equal in every sense of the word. These laws are enforced by the agents of the United States Handicapper General, who have ladened Harrison with the heaviest handicaps ever assembled on a citizen, including a massive set of earphones and thick spectacles. Harrison no doubt resents these handicaps to the point that he escapes from prison and takes over a television studio to issue his statement. Harrison immediately declares himself the Emperor and says, 

"I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived! Now watch me become what I can become!" (Vonnegut, 4).

Harrison then quickly removes his handicaps, grabs a ballerina, and leaps thirty feet in the air to kiss the ballerina before Diana Moon Glampers kills him.

Vonnegut's theme of equality versus individuality is expressed through Harrison's actions and comments. Harrison, who is much more talented than the other citizens, resents his oppressive handicaps. In Vonnegut's fictional society, the concept of equality has been taken too far, to the point that it has become oppressive. Harrison's attitude reveals how the concept of equality adversely affects those who overachieve and are naturally more talented than those around them. Harrison's character could represent individuality in a society obsessed with equality and sameness. Harrison responds to the oppressive regime by attempting to usurp power. Vonnegut once again illustrates how suppressing one's abilities in the name of equality can cause dissent and resentment in the population.

In "Harrison Bergeron," how do Harrison's feelings towards society develop the theme?

In Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron,” the title character is a foil to Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General whom Harrison attempts to overthrow. The two are polar opposites, and their conflict leads to Harrison’s death, the story’s climax. Harrison’s feelings toward society help develop the story’s theme of equality by showing the perspective of someone who would do away with the concept of equality altogether.

“I am the Emperor!” Harrison proclaims to the world when he takes over the television studio. “Everyone must do what I say at once!” Harrison, just as much as Diana, is an authoritarian. If Harrison’s coup had succeeded, all Harrison would have needed to do to pass laws is say them aloud.

Though the government Diana represents is morally no better than Harrison, it is based in the founding ideals of the United States. Besides the aspiring emperor, Harrison, America has no king and still works under the same basic structure as in the real world. The American government has simply taken its democratic ideals to an absurd, oppressive conclusion.

In summary, Harrison’s views show readers that authoritarian regimes can come from any political system. Time can corrupt the ideals we hold dear. People or groups who wish to ‘save’ us from the current government are sometimes no better.

In the story "Harrison Bergon," how does Harrison convey the conflict between the ideals of society and the realities of the actual people?

The ideals of society in Vonnegut's future America focus on establishing a uniform society, where every citizen is completely equal in all facets of life. The 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution require that every citizen is completely equal, which is accomplished by handicapping highly-talented, intelligent, and athletic people by making them wear cumbersome weights and loud devices that block their thoughts. The conflict between the ideals of society and the realities of the citizens involves the oppressive nature of the handicaps and the harsh punishments talented individuals endure on an everyday basis. In order for America's society to be completely equal, many talented, intelligent, beautiful people must suffer. Citizens like Harrison Bergeron are imprisoned at young ages and his father struggles to remember his own child due to the handicap device that blocks his thoughts. Overall, Vonnegut illustrates how pushing for a completely equal society negatively impacts and punishes skilled individuals.

In the story "Harrison Bergon," how does Harrison convey the conflict between the ideals of society and the realities of the actual people?

The defining characteristic in the society of "Harrison Bergeron" is physical equality, in intelligence, strength, and beauty. Three constitutional amendments and Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, ensure that people are made artificially equal through the use of handicaps. Intelligent people like George have aural devices that send loud noises into their ears to disrupt their thoughts. Strong people have to wear bags of bird shot, small metal balls, and beautiful people have to wear masks.

The conflict arises with the fact that people are not naturally equal, but that does not make others feel bad. Vonnegut alludes to this idea when George wonders "that maybe the dancers shouldn't be handicapped." This musing suggests that George would enjoy watching the dancers moving gracefully, even though they would be better at dancing than he is.

The stern penalties also suggest that the reality of the people does not align with the quest for equality. When Hazel suggests that George take out a few of the metal balls, he reminds her that the penalty is "two years in prison and two thousand dollars fine for every ball [he] took out." In the end, the killing of Harrison and his Empress underscores this tension. Their only crimes include being strong and beautiful, but they are shot dead by Diana Moon Glampers. Any law that must be upheld with such force must be contrary to the inner desire of the public.

Describe fully the society in Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron."

Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron" is a rather pessimistic take on society many years in the future.  In this story, he asserts that our society becomes so sensitive about not hurting anyone's feelings ever that they go to extreme measures to force everyone to be as equal as they possibly can be.  In this society, government enforces equality by requiring people to wear handicaps that mask any qualities they have that might make them exceptional.  After all, if there is a girl that is more beautiful than you are, that makes you feel bad about yourself, right?  Well then, that beautiful girl should wear a mask to hide her beauty--then, you won't have your feelings hurt.  That is what this society tries to do--mask any talents or beauty so that those without that talent or beauty don't feel bad.  So, if you are unusually strong or athletic, you have to carry around weighty bags of birdshot to keep you from running fast or gracefully.  If you are above-average in intelligence, you have to wear earpieces that emit loud, piercing sounds at random moments to keep you from thinking straight.  If you have a beautiful voice, you must make it sound ugly.  And so on, and so forth.  And, the government in this society enforces these handicaps with force.  Harrison, who escapes the confines of his many handicaps, is shot to death with a shotgun for breaking the rules, after he was imprisoned for his rebellions.  If you don't "equalize" yourself through the required handicaps, it's to prison with you, and to further punishment.

It is a rather extreme take on society, but does reflect on truths that do exist in small ways in our society today.  Often, being nice is more important than being successful or reaching one's potential, and sometimes there are laws and regulations put into force to "level the playing field" and try to make everyone more equal on one level or another.  I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

What are some essay questions for "Harrison Bergeron"?

A good place to start when trying to come up with essay questions for a text is to think about the themes and the characters in this text and use one of those to base your question on. For this excellent short story, the key theme is that of equality and how human freedom has been curtailed in order to achieve true equality in society. Therefore, if you wanted to focus on this theme, an excellent essay question to select might be:

"Harrison Bergeron" shows the dangers of equality.

This would allow you to discuss how equality is presented in relation to human freedom as it is presented in the text.

If you wanted to focus on a character, the obvious character to examine would be that of Harrison Bergeron himself and how he is so dangerous to society. A good essay question would be:

Why is Harrison Bergeon so dangerous to his own society?

Lastly, if you want a really interesting essay question that will get you thinking, you might like to think about Harrison's protest and how it ended. A good question would be:

Given the ease with which Harrison was executed, what was the value of his protest and why did he behave as he did?

Here are three questions for you to pick from. I hope you find one of these questions useful. I have included some links below to the enotes study section guide on this short story that will help you analyse it further. Good luck!

Do you think there is a moral to the story, "Harrison Bergeron"? Why or why not?

In this Vonnegut story the moral is that it is wrong to try and make everyone equal. The theme of absolute equality has already appeared two years before "Harrison Bergeron" was published for the first time in Fantasy and Science-Fiction Magazine (1961). It was Vonnegut's novel The Sirens of Titan. However, in this work the theme is only a minor feature and is not really developed.The idea probably intrigued Kurt Vonnegut and forced him to develop it into a short story. Those who are familiar with Kurt Vonnegut's writing will certainly recognize some other themes of this story. For example the fear of de-humanization of human beings, being stuck in amber.

In "Harrison Bergeron", Kurt Vonnegut presented a scary view
of a future society, where everyone was equal. "Nobody was
smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else." (Vonnegut 1988:7). It was the job of the agents of the United States Handicapper General to keep it this way. Beautiful people had to wear ugly masks. People not heavy enough had to wear handicap bags full of lead. Clever people had to wear a radio in their ear tuned to the government transmitter, which sent out sharp noises to keep people from taking advantage of their brains. It was a world where competition was the greatest of sins.

I think that this view can be very easily related to modern
society. People are striving for equality of some kind--equality
of races, sexes etc. People try to eliminate racism, sexism,
lookism, ableism, ageism. Even the word speciesism starts to
appear in modern dictionaries of Politically Correct language.
The society in "Harrison Bergeron" succeeded in eliminating these prejudices--everybody got the same opportunity to do
anything--and the result was fatal.

Do you think there is a moral to the story, "Harrison Bergeron"? Why or why not?

What is more important, the rights of the individual or the rights of society? "Harrison Bergeron" is a dark story about the potential for the well meaning advocates of equality to destroy the creativity, strength and spirit of a people. Harrison is a gifted being in every sense of the word. In an ideal world, people like Harrison would be encouraged to grow and they would eventually lead the people. Instead, he is thwarted because he might make someone feel bad about their lack of ability. This is a satire--and satires always have a point. They point out the things that exist in our society and show them to be ridiculous. If there is a moral to this story, it is a warning not to take the idea of "equality" to an extreme. The reality is that we are NOT all created equal, never have been, never will be. There will always be differences, and we should value those differences instead of trying to squash them or articifically try to make them disappear.

What is Kurt Vonnegut's view on equality in Harrison Bergeron?

Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron" examines a futuristic world in which all people have been rendered equal through the use of personalized handicaps for those who excel at a particular quality. Those who are too beautiful must mask their appearance with hideous disguises; those who are too strong must be burdened by immense weights; those who are too intelligent must be impeded by devices that constantly interrupt their thoughts.

Harrison Bergeron, the titular protagonist, is one of those superior individuals who has been handicapped in many horrific ways. After escaping from prison, Harrison takes over a television broadcast and attempts to defy the government's decrees on handicaps, declaring himself the new emperor. However, his "reign" is short-lived, as he is soon shot dead by the handicapper general, Diana Moon Glampers.

Upon reading this story, it is quite evident that Kurt Vonnegut believes that total equality would be a grave mistake—one that would rob the world of individualism and the gifts of many talented people. America has been dumbed down, enslaved, and nullified in this story; its residents are certainly not rendered free by the delusional "leveling" of the playing field that has occurred. The costs of this brand of equality are nothing short of disastrous, with a dictatorship-like government emerging to ensure that the status quo is maintained. Vonnegut is clearly warning readers about this kind of dangerous propaganda and the consequences that enforcing equality would bring about.

What is one significant quote from Harrison Bergeron that could hint at the theme?

He tried to think a little about the ballerinas. They weren't really very good-no better than anybody else would have been, anyway. They were burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in.

This quotation brings out several of the themes of "Harrison Bergeron." First, George is trying to think, always difficult given the continual barrage of noises to which he is subjected. The handicaps mean that no one can ever think clearly and it is about the handicaps that he is trying to think. Is it really a good idea that no one is better at anything than anyone else? Why should anyone watch dancers on television when the dancers are "no better than anybody else would have been?"

This quotation is unusual, however, in suggesting a motive for all this equality. It is not clear whether the thought comes from George or is added by the author, but the quotation ends with the idea that the sight of "a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face" would make the observer feel "like something the cat drug in." This means that the policy of handicapping is motivated not by some abstract desire for universal equality but by envy and feelings of inadequacy. Equality sounds like a grand aim but Vonnegut suggests that those who aim at it may have mean and spiteful motives.

What implications does the opening sentence of "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut have?

When looking at the opening line of Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron," I think there are two words to focus on: "finally" and "equal."  The story was published in 1961, a time in America in which "equal" meant something different. It was the Civil Rights era, a time in which black Americans were fighting for equal rights, or rights that were equivalent to those of white Americans. Vonnegut plays on this idea of "equality" using the word "finally." With the story taking place in 2081 and his inclusion of the word "finally," Vonnegut suggests from the opening that it had taken more than 100 years to reach this sought-after equality.

However, Vonnegut uses the word "equality" ironically in this story, as it refers to the reduction of everyone's rights and a reduction of everyone's abilities. Those who are extraordinary in their looks, intelligence or athleticism are required to reduce themselves to a lowest common denominator. George Bergeron, the father of the title character, has a conversation with his wife who suggests he removes the "handicaps" that make them "equal." He responds by saying:

"If I tried to get away with it ... then other people'd get away with it--and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?"

"Harrison Bergeron" has many political implications, particularly in how we look at exceptional people. The opening line uses language from the Civil Rights movement to discuss this idea and then to show that "equality" does not mean reducing ourselves.

What are possible themes in the story "Harrison Bergeron"?

Kurt Vonnegut's futuristic society demonstrates the dangers of striving to make an uniform society. Satirically Vonnegut begins: "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal." However, in this society's  efforts to "level the playing field" for everyone, individual civil rights are sacrificed.

Equality comes at a price 

A major theme in "Harrison Bergeron," equality is only attained by valuing mediocrity since those with little ability can not elevate themselves; so, the bright and talented, the beautiful and the creative are suppressed by means of handicaps that limit them to the level of the "average." For example, George Bergeron must wear ear radios that send hideous noises to drown out his higher thoughts. His wife Hazel wears no handicaps as she is naturally rather simple-minded.

But, by making everyone "equal," innovations, inventions, and creative beauty are destroyed, and the society becomes stagnant because ingenuity is not permitted. Indeed, it is the maverick, the creative daredevil, the one willing and eager to take risks that brings growth and invention and progression to a society. Therefore, when no one gets "left behind," everyone suffers because intellectual leadership is repressed because mediocrity must be enforced.

Diana Moon Glampers is the Handicapper General who enforces equality even to the point of violence. Her loaded shotgun is symbolic of the abnegation of truth, beauty, grace, and wisdom. For, when Harrison breaks out of prison and destroys his handicaps, he and a beautiful ballerina leap "in an explosion of joy and grace," but Diana Moon Glampers loads her shotgun and orders the musicians to replace their handicaps. Then, the Handicapper General shoots the rebels, sacrificing the individuals for the sake of equality. "There was the sound of riveting gun in his [George's] head" is all that the father knows of what has happened to his son, while Hazel only realizes that "something sad" has happened.

Ignorance as a Norm

In the effort to make everyone intellectually equal, the intelligent are made to wear handicaps and those without become the average. Hazel Bergeron wears no handicaps, but she is simple-minded and can remember nothing. When the television announcer cannot even enunciate well enough to read an announcement, Hazel says, 

"That's all right--...he tried.  That's the big thing. He tried to do the best he could with what God gave him. He should get a nice raise for trying so hard."

Thus, the mediocre are praised and the intelligent are punished. (It is interesting that Hazel's words written in 1968 are now familiar as many excuse themselves with "I tried." )

What serious statements does Kurt Vonnegut make about society in "Harrison Bergeron"?

The most serious statement Kurt Vonnegut makes in "Harrison Bergeron" is found in the opening lines of the story:

The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.'

This futuristic world has achieved what some people want more than anything else--for all people to be absolutely, unequivocally, and strictly equal. And it is a colorless, unproductive, ugly, and unsatisfying world.

Because everyone is not created with equal talents and gifts, something must be done to equalize the playing field for those who have something someone else does not have--which is everyone. Unfortunately, the level at which everyone must become equal is the lowest level. For example, those who have the ability to sing well must be handicapped until they sing no better than anyone else. Now, in this world, everyone is a terrible singer. The same is true in other areas of life: beautiful people have to wear masks, good thinkers have to have their thoughts disrupted, and those with pleasant speaking voices must apologize and try to make them unpleasant. 

These handicaps make everyone clownish and unproductive, and the greater the natural gifts and abilities the more cartoonish his appearance. At the age of fourteen, Harrison Bergeron is seven feet tall, and he is clearly a young man who was blessed with more of everything.

Harrison's appearance was Halloween and hardware. Nobody had ever born heavier handicaps. He had outgrown hindrances faster than the H-G men could think them up. Instead of a little ear radio for a mental handicap, he wore a tremendous pair of earphones, and spectacles with thick wavy lenses. The spectacles were intended to make him not only half blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides.
Scrap metal was hung all over him. Ordinarily, there was a certain symmetry, a military neatness to the handicaps issued to strong people, but Harrison looked like a walking junkyard. In the race of life, Harrison carried three hundred pounds.

Harrison gets fed up with his hindrances and handicaps, and he wants to show everyone what he can do--which gets him immediately killed.

Vonnegut is obviously making the point that being equal is not a matter of being the same; that is only a kind of ridiculous surface equality which is impossible to achieve even if it were sensible or desirable. Instead, Vonnegut advocates celebrating individual differences (re-read the passages with the ballerina and Harrison and you will see it there).

Equal opportunity and equal rights are much different than strict and rigid equality in all things. This future world is not the world the author wants; it is the world he fears.

How does Harrison become so radical in "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.?

What readers must realize about Harrison in "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., is that he is highly gifted intellectually. Even with all of the handicaps he is forced to wear, he still thinks.  He sees the injustices of his world, where everyone is supposed to be equal, but nobody really is. He sees the oppression surrounding him and put upon him personally. In research on gifted children, one thing that stands out is that they feel more deeply and often have more empathy for others than someone of average intelligence. Intellectually gifted children want to use their gifts to make a difference in the world. Harrison has probably realized from the time he was very young that something is seriously wrong in his world. He may only be 14 when the story takes place, but his mind is that of a much older adult. In the end, he would rather die than conform to the ridiculous standards of his society.

How is "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. related to today's society?

Visionary in the creation of his story "Harrison Bergeron," Kurt Vonnegut worried that the desensitizing, numbing, and thought-shifting of media such as television would damage individuals in the future. He symbolizes this numbing of intelligence and superior talents and abilities with the various "handicaps" that the citizens of the futuristic world are forced to wear.

While thought control is not effected with earphones, it is certainly influenced in modern society

• The Media

The media influence thought because the sources of information only report mainly what coincides with conventional wisdom, the political policies of those who control the media. In addition, political correctness is certainly a means of limiting free expression by establishing what is the "right" way to think.

• Educational policies

In the U.S. the No Child Left Behind law dictates that all children must be afforded the opportunity to learn, and even the slowest must master concepts. Since these slower learners are placed in heterogenous groups, the brighter students are held back while the slower ones "catch up."  This method of learning now is metaphorically like Harrison's having to wear earphones that prohibit his higher-level thought.

• The workplace

Reports and magazine articles have been written about "failing upwards" in the working world where often the mediocre are promoted because they meet certain hiring stipulations and requirements, or because they present no threat to bosses, who are themselves mediocre.

What is the theme of "Harrison Bergeron" and how are the characters relevant?

Harrison Bergeron has many meanings or themes throughout. Freedom is one theme that is seen often and in different lights in the story. First, there is no freedom for the characters in the story. There is no freedom of expression as we see through the ballerinas who are terrible to watch, there is no freedom to be an individual because of the equalizing forced handicaps everyone in the society must adorn all the time. Harrison's parents illustrate their own handicaps as they sit at home one evening. His father has sounds ringing in his ears and a heavy bag of bird-shot around his neck. Harrison shows us freedom through his attempted escape from his handicaps, which were abundant because he was such a physically and mentally phenomenal human being in this society.

To see more about themes in the story and the characters that represent them see the eNotes link below.

What is the theme of "Harrison Bergeron" and how are the characters relevant?

I assume by meaning that you want the main theme of the story. I would say that 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.

For more examples, go to the link below.

What is the theme of "Harrison Bergeron" and how are the characters relevant?

There are several possible themes, but Kurt Vonnegut tends to focus on the possibility of equality being enforced by the government, to the detriment of everyone.  So, in one word, equality is the theme, but in more detail, important questions about whether sacrificing happiness, independence, freedom and personal achievement at the cost of "equality" is worth it.  Vonnegut definitely asserts that it is not, and implies that forcing everyone to be the same is, first of all, impossible, and in addition, dangerous, unhealthy and inhumane.  No matter what measures you take to force people to be the same, people will always be unhappy, just in a different way.

This theme of equality can be seen in small ways in our society today, where being nice and giving warm fuzzies are often given more importance than encouraging achievement and individual success.  We can learn valuable lessons from Vonnegut's dystopian predictions that can be applied in our own lives today. I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

What is the main theme, other than "the danger of total equality", in "Harrison Bergeron"?

A theme is an underlying idea found all throughout a piece of literature that helps unify the work. A theme is also an idea that's universally applicable, an idea the reader can take away with him/her. The difference between a work's theme and a work's subject is that a subject is merely what the work is about, whereas the writer's opinion can actually be found within the theme.

To say that the major theme in Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s short story "Harrison Bergeron" is "the danger of total equality" would most definitely be missing a major point in his short story because equality is never actually achieved in the short story; it's only superficially achieved, so we could never call something that doesn't really exist, like equality, a danger. Instead, Vonnegut's short story is pointing out an ironic truth: no two different groups can be treated fairly at the exact same time; to be fair to one person is to shortchange the other.

Vonnegut is pointing out the dangers of conformity, a danger we've seen all throughout history. For example, in wanting a superior, uniform race of people, the Nazis wanted to eliminate anyone who was different from that race, such as the Jews, the disabled, the homosexual, etc. The characters in Vonnegut's story are trying to do the exact same thing: they are trying to create a uniform majority by eliminating any of the minorities, including the beautiful and the intelligent.

Hence, it can be said that Vonnegut's true theme is the danger of believing equality is the same thing as conformity. To be equal, we do not have to believe that we all have to be exactly the same. What's more, we don't have to limit those who are exceptional or gifted to raise up those who have natural impairments. Only by raising the bar higher do we help those with weaknesses achieve anything beyond their limits. Hence, we can even say that a second main theme is the need to raise standards to help the weaker achieve beyond their limits.

Textual evidence that supports the themes of either the danger of equating equality with conformity or the need to raise standards can be seen in Harrison's actions. When Harrison entered the TV studio, he immediately removed his own handicaps and the handicaps of all who were talented, including the musicians and ballerinas. He then set out to defy all laws, including the laws of gravity and motion, in order to raise standards to show the true meaning of freedom, or as he phrased it, "Now ... shall we show the people the meaning of the word dance?"

What is the setting and irony in "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut?

It shouldn't be too hard to find this information.

For setting: Remember that setting is the time/place in which a story takes place.  Since a specific numerical year is provided in the opening of the story, you're all set with time.  The opening paragraph also provides the name of the country the story takes place in, so place is covered.  You should also consider ways in which to describe the place in which your characters live.  For example, a story could take place in a spooky setting, an urban (city) setting, a historical setting, etc.  What kind of setting does "Harrison Bergeron" have?

For irony:  Remember that "irony" could mean one of two things.  In this case, dramatic irony seems to apply.  Dramatic irony is present in a story when the audience knows things that the characters don't.  What things does the audience know that Mr. and Mrs. Bergeron do not know?

Irony could also have to do with the unexpected.  For example, it would be ironic to see a bulldog run away from a chihuahua.  What happens in the story that might be unexpected?  What are the unexpected results of the government's attempts to create a society of equals?

What are the themes in "Harrison Bergeron"?

In order to complete this assignment you should first identify the characters. The first character of course is Harrison Bergeron. The story also talks about his parents, George and Hazel. You also have the Handicapper General of the United States, Diana Moon Glampers. Finally you have the announcer and the dancer, who dances and dies with Harrison Bergeron in a final act of defiance.

Another aspect of this card report is tone and style. These are often similar in a piece of writing. This story relies a lot on dialogue, and uses fairly simple language, as it is trying to, in some ways, mimic the handicaps that the characters live with. The story is interrupted by the mental handicaps to give the reader a feeling similar to that of the story.

The tone could be described as sad, though you can also argue that this story is a satire as it is certainly making a political commentary about the way we view differences and the dangers in trying to erase independence and uniqueness.

The irony in Harrison Bergeron comes with the fact that in the end he was forgotten. This story is about an incredible act of defiance and change. Harrison Bergeron goes against all odds and becomes a hero... for only a moment. He is then killed, and even his parents immediately forget about his death and his heroic dance. It's a very sad irony that leaves the reader feeling a little shocked and encourages us to think.

Finally, symbol. You could look at the handicaps as a symbol and talk about the ways that even though these handicaps are meant to completely equalize everyone, in reality you can still tell how strong someone is based on how much weight they carry, or how beautiful they are based on how ugly the mask is. People are different, and there is no way to actually hide that.

What government developments, policies, or trends relate to the criticisms in "Harrison Bergeron"?

In "Harrison Bergeron," a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, the author challenges the widely held notion that absolute equality should be a virtue in our society.  The story praises individual strengths and talents through the absurd twists that are enacted on the characters.  Vonnegut seems to criticize any policies or social developments that do not honor our differences.  For example, in the story, any women who are thinner than others are weighted down with heavy clothing and sacks.  In recent developments in our society, the media has been criticized for portraying only thin women in advertisements.  Based on the attitudes put forth in "Harrison Bergeron," Vonnegut might argue that our criticism of the media is wrong because we are not all meant to look the same--some people are thinner and some are bigger.  Similarly, governmental policies that strive for equality over talent would also be criticized (i.e. some forms of affirmative action).

In "Harrison Bergeron," what are Kurt Vonnegut's satirical targets?

The science-fiction short story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut is set in the year 2081. To discern what Vonnegut's satirical targets are, read the story carefully and note where he uses absurdities and exaggerations to make his point.

According to the story, after the passing of certain Constitutional amendments, strict equality is enforced by law. The United States Handicapper General and her agents monitor citizens closely to ensure that the laws dictating equality are enforced. Harrison's father George, for instance, has above-normal intelligence, so the government has demanded that he should wear earphones that let loose loud noises to prevent him from formulating complex thoughts. He also wears a 47-pound canvas bag of bird shot around his neck to limit his strength. George's wife Hazel doesn't need handicaps because she is already of average intelligence and strength. The ballerinas that George and his wife watch on TV are similarly handicapped with weights, and they also have to wear horrific masks so that they will not appear overly beautiful.

Harrison Bergeron is an anomaly in that he is tall, strong, handsome, and highly intelligent. The government kidnaps him and places formidable handicaps on him, but he manages to escape. He instigates a rebellion on live TV before he is ruthlessly shot by the Handicapper General.

Satire in literature is a technique in which writers use exaggeration, ridicule, and humor to focus on the shortcomings of individuals or societies. In "Harrison Bergeron," Vonnegut's satire targets the overemphasis on legislating equality in democracies such as the United States. Although we of course want everyone to have equal opportunities in life, sometimes legislation undertaken to achieve this ignores that individuals have unique skills and talents, and these skills and talents are what enable people to achieve excellence in intellectual and athletic endeavors. If you take away individual skills and talents by force of law, you deprive the world of diversity and growth, and all that is left is mediocrity.

What are common themes in "Harrison Bergeron" and "The Fifth Child"?

The major theme that we can use to link these two stories together is actually the way in which striving for happiness or for a better world can so often turn out to bring more sadness and pain into our lives than we had at first. Often, the solution makes the problem even more profound, and both of these short stories attempt to show that through the action that occurs.

In "Harrison Bergeron," it is absolutely clear that in their attempts to create a world in which nobody feels stupid or unskillful, the likes of Diana Moon Glampers haver actually created a nightmare dystopia that goes to absurd lengths to achieve true equality. This is shown through the various hindrances or restrictions that characters legally have to wear, such as the earpiece that distracts Harrison's father every few seconds because of his superior intelligence. Vonnegut has taken a good principle, equality, but then taken it to his extreme to such an extent that he has created a dystopia.

In the same way, in "The Fifth Child," the Lovatts seem to be the perfect Christian family. They have their four children, and seem to have attained the happiness that they have always dreamed of having. However, when they continue to have children, everything changes with the arrival of Ben. They are forced to accept that they have brought an anti-Christ figure into the world that destroys their happiness and brings darkness and depression into their lives. Implicitly, this story suggests that seeking happiness too much or too earnestly can actually ensure we receive the reverse.