Grace Mayo

Literary Analysis

October 23, 2020

Harrison Bergeron

In the world we live in today, it is common for one to compare themselves to

others. Comparing looks, skills, and talents to people they know or see. Due to this

mindset, people change their outlook on life and treat it like a competition, wanting to be

better than the rest in every single way. Because of this thinking, some people may lose

track of what’s important which is being unique and true to oneself.

In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., the year is

2081, and everyone is treated equally before God and the government. In this futuristic

society, people are changed and altered to hinder their talents and beauty. The

government wants to make everyone equal, to do this they handicap above-average

citizens. Some of the handicap methods used are, masks to cover beauty, ear

transmitters to hinder above-average thinking, and weights tied around necks to make

strength equal amongst citizens. The citizens, however, are happy to be living like this

where they are all equal. George Bergeron, the father of Harrison Bergeron, who was

taken away from his family at a young age for being too extraordinary, and husband to

Hazel Bergeron, shares with the readers that before this equal time were dark times. He

states this when he is talking to his wife and refers to the time as the “dark ages” “with

everybody competing against everyone else.” George is talking about the world we are
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living in right now where everyone is competing to be the best of the best. The

characters in this story would rather be all average than being unique and different.

Harrison Bergeron was an above-average kid. He stood at 7 feet tall and was

very strong and powerful. Harrison hated the way he was being treated as if he was a

guinea pig for a science experiment. Harrison was taken away from his family when he

was young and put into jail. Later in the story, we find out that Harrison escapes from jail

and plans to overthrow the government, Harrison then invades the dance that was

being watched by his parents. Harrison then expresses that he is now the emperor.

Harrison then takes off all of his handicaps and reveals himself. He encourages others

to do this too. A ballerina joins Harrison and takes her mask off to reveal a beautiful

ballerina, he then takes the handicaps off of the musicians and asks them to play their

very best. For a second, everything seemed normal; Harrison and the ballerina were

jumping in the air dancing and expressing their love for each other. Sadly before they

touched the ground, the Handicapper General shot and killed both of them as his

mother is watching. For a split second, Harrison and the ballerina were free; they were

allowed to be themselves and not conform to society. They died free.

It is very common among teenagers to be “creative” and be “weird and unique.”

This is a great lesson to teach growing teens and even children. In this world, it is very

competitive, but because of competitiveness, it allows new ideas to form and for people

to strive to be better. Think about it this way, one of America’s favorite pastimes is to

watch football. If we all lived in a world where everyone was treated equally based on
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strength and talent, then football would be boring to watch. There would be no Heisman

trophy winner, no Super Bowls, no football legends because there was no chance for

them to show off their talents. Being unique should be the new normal instead of trying

to fit in. People need to start teaching the youth that it is ok to be different and to use

their talents they have been gifted.

This short story shows the importance of being unique and different in a conforming and

competitive world. Being unique and different from others should not be something that

should be frowned upon in our society. We should respect every person’s unique

abilities and motivate them to do something great rather than conforming to social

norms. Society should teach the young to be true to themselves and make a lasting

impact in the future.

http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html