ColePittman1

Cole Pittman

Mrs. Weaver

LNG 311

15 February 2011

Restrictions and Challenges

Restrictions are ideas thinking that everything will turn out to be better but some

restrictions just go too far. In Harrison Bergeron, Anthem, and Gattaca the characters encounter

many restrictions, challenges, and they all have messages. Harrison, Equality, and Vincent have

common themes. The theme of these stories is that your life is genetically done, based on life

mandates, or you cannot be to smart or to beautiful.

Harrison Bergeron overcomes the restrictions by overpowering his limits. He over

powers the limits by ripping off his weights, his Handicaps, mask, and his glasses. Harrison is

also a 7 foot tall human being. In Harrison’s society nobody can be different. Nobody can be

pretty, smart, or too strong. Harrison breaks these rules by taking everything off and taking over

the town. It said that he was so strong that when he stomped the building jumped off the ground.

Harrison wants the society to be non-equal; he wants everyone to be themselves and not

somebody there not. It shows how committed he is to changing the society that he lives in.
 ColePittman2

Equality finds many reasons to betray his society’s restrictions. He finds love, he

discovers a new power, and invented something useful. The reason why this is so bad is because

you aren’t allowed to do things that do not include your brothers. Equality breaks the rules again

by waving and talking to one of her non-brothers. Which is illegal in there society. The law

states that you can’t talk but only to your brothers. Equality discovers the word “I”, which is also

called the Unspeakable word. He then begins using the word after reading many books in a

cabin located in the Uncharted Forest.

Vincent is an “in-valid” in disguise that changes his genes to fulfill his dream. The

process of doing this is very hard. He has to scrub off all of his dead skin so he can’t be

detected. Another step is using blood and pee bags every day. Every day he has to have his

finger punctured for blood and pee samples for identification. Also you have to look just like the

person you’re trying to be. His name is Jerome Morrow. The reason why you have to look like

him is because every test and identification test you take it has your picture on their scanner.