The climax of a story comes when the conflict or tension reaches the highest pitch. In "Harrison Bergeron" this comes when Harrison appears on TV, calls himself an "Emperor," rips off the devices that make the ballerina and him "equal" to others in his society, and starts dancing with her. The climax begins with the sentence,

And then, in an explosion of joy and grace, into the air they sprang!

Having been educated by the beginning of the story to understand that what Harrison is doing is highly subversive, radical, and illegal, readers might be "suspended in air" too at this climatic moment, sitting at the edges of their seats, wondering what is going to happen next to this audacious couple.

We soon find out, as Diana Moon Glampers comes in with a shotgun that she aims at the dancers, killing them.

After this excitement, the action winds down.