Dystopian Short Story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut

Introduction

Ancient German philosopher, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg once said, “Equality which we demand is the most tolerant degree of inequality.” For centuries, humankind has diligently worked towards an equal society, but what happens when such a concept becomes wicked and dangerous? In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1961), all citizens have been granted equality in an exaggerated literal sense. People were equal not only before God and the law but “in every which way” (Vonnegut, 1961, p. 7). As a result, no one was authorized to be smarter, better looking, faster, or even stronger. To guarantee ultimate equality, the General Handicapper of the United States enforces handicaps upon citizens who possessed unacceptable above-average traits. Such forms of handicaps include ugly masks for the beautiful, weights to slow the strong, and mental devices for the exceptionally smart. The story’s protagonist, Harrison Bergeron, who is an overly gifted and defiant 14-year-old boy, holds an importance over keeping his oneness, thus resulting in his imprisonment and death by antagonist Handicapper General Diana Moon Glampers. Filled with dystopian themes, Vonnegut argues that total equality is an ideal that has detrimental effects on humankind.

Dystopian Setting and Character Development

The setting of the story is America in the year 2081, which helps build a futuristic society where certain measures of control are placed upon citizens. This setting is crucial for Harrison Bergeron’s character development as he transitions from being a trapped individual in an equal society to a briefly free one. Throughout the story, the excessive use of handicaps is employed to make all citizens ordinary and average. By implementing handicaps on people’s bodies, they become acceptable and equal. This is demonstrated in Harrison’s parents, George and Hazel, who share different characteristics, but with the use of handicaps become uniformed. Both characters are described as different to portray the two types of individuals in this society, the tamed to be average and the born ordinary. George represents the tamed, as he is forced by law to wear a mental handicap radio that disrupts his thought process every 20 seconds because he is highly intelligent and strong. In contrast, Hazel, who is like any ordinary American, doesn’t have to wear handicaps but is so naturally intellectually deficient that “she couldn’t think of anything except in short bursts” (Vonnegut, 1961, p. 9). For George to be equal to Hazel, he must be dumbed down intensely, thus resulting in him not being able to produce profound thoughts and overthink absolutely anything. For instance, when George is watching the ballet broadcasted on television, he briefly thinks that “maybe dancers shouldn’t be handicapped. But didn’t get very far with it before another noise in his ear scattered his thoughts” (Vonnegut, 1961, p. 11). Subconsciously, George questions the purpose of handicaps but when his conscious mind starts to think of abstract concepts, intense sounds which George emphasizes as sounding like “somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball peen hammer” emit through his handicap radio and disrupt him from thinking anything that could potentially harm the balance of the equal society. As a means to make society equal, people are involuntarily and unknowingly giving up their freedom of expression, thus losing their identity and individuality. “No one is actually a ONE, they are all forced into apparent equality and have no unique personality” (Vonnegut, 1961, p. 12).

Technology and Desensitization

Moreover, a dystopian theme exercised throughout the short story is the power of technology. In this new era, television works as another mechanism to brainwash and desensitize people, as it keeps them deeply enthralled almost in a hypnotized state. For instance, when Hazel and George are viewing television, Hazel has tears on her cheeks, but because her focus is deeply invested in what is being broadcasted on the television, she doesn’t comprehend the reason behind her sadness and tears. A similar reaction occurs when she witnesses her son Harrison die on live television, but the only reasoning she can explain for her crying is that she “had seen something real sad on television” (Vonnegut, 1961, p. 15). Hazel is incapable both emotionally and mentally of realizing that the “real sad” thing she had seen on television was her own child being killed. “These people can’t have a word in any part of their lives or the social issues; they can’t even recognize their son and Hazel can’t tell why she’s crying” (Vonnegut, 1961, p. 16). The story warns of the detrimental effects of technology in controlling and numbing society’s awareness and emotions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Harrison Bergeron” presents a dystopian future where the pursuit of absolute equality leads to the loss of individuality and freedom. Through the use of handicaps and the power of technology, society is controlled and desensitized, highlighting the dangers of enforced uniformity. Vonnegut’s story serves as a cautionary tale about the potential consequences of sacrificing individual uniqueness for the sake of societal equality.