Josh Carlew Mr. Neuburger English 102-104 16 September 2012 Harrison Bergeron Barriers on Ability Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

.s Harrison Bergeron illustrates a society encompassing and enforcing the belief that its citizens physical and mental abilities should be controlled in order to maintain equality among its populace in his story, Harrison Bergeron. One thing that could be determined from reading this story would be that Vonnegut Jr. is demonstrating the consequences that arise when a society places restraints on its constituents. Directly after introducing the storys cripplingly controlled society, Vonnegut Jr. reveals that, Some things about living still werent quite right (293). One main character, George, is described as wearing a mental handicap radio (294), as well as having to wear forty-seven pounds of birdshot in a canvas bag just to make him equal to his fellow citizens. His son Harrison Bergeron is said to be a genius and an athlete (296) and because of that he is regarded as extremely dangerous and is so forcedly handicapped by the government it is said that Nobody had ever borne heavier handicaps (296). The story concludes with Harrison Bergeron and his Empress being shot as they kissed each other (298), part of their rejoicing due to not having their handicapping devices on. Vonnegut Jr. portrays a society that has consequences of a violent nature that arise when heavy restraints are placed on its constituents. (WC-215) Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. "Harrison Bergeron." Power of Language Language of Power. Second Custom Edition for Ozarks Technical Community College ed. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2011. 293-99. Print.