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Karis Edwards

Weaver

LNG 312

8 March 2011

Soaring for Freedom

No one has ever been given a place on Earth at birth. No man should ever

succumb to the whims of others, while paying no attention to their own. There are three

stories of brave, fearless men creating their place in the communistic world that show the

struggle of gaining independence. Of these stories, “Harrison Bergeon”, written by

Vonnegut, was about a man named Harrison who was gifted immensely, but was

handicapped which weakened him and his spirits. Anthem, written by Ranyd, was about a

society of men, one in particular named Equality 7-2521. He dared to be different though

everyone in society believed in the idealistic ways of a perfect world in which all are

equal. Man could never freely express himself or give a personal opinion, because they

are taught to believe that all done without brothers cannot be good. The story of Gattaca,

written by Andrew Niccol. It is about a man named Vincent who, due to a heart defect

obtained at birth, could not live out his dream to become an astronaut because he was

seen as an undesirable mistake. In each of these futuristic stories, each man breaks the

bondages of their idealistic society, and must determine their own fate as a result of his

decision to venture alone. As a result , Harrison, Vincent, and Equality 72521, provide a

message that individualism must prevail.

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Harrison, Vincent, and Equality go beyond the restraints and bondages of their

controlled society to discover who they can become. Each man defies all odds and pins

himself against his world to receive the knowledge and power he himself desires.

Equality 7-2521 went against the people whom he was born and raised with and

journeyed into a new and unknown world to discover and further exceed his knowledge

of “The science of things” (26). This was his passion, and he was told he was to become a

street sweeper and to forget his desire to learn. He could not, and lead a self-rebellion.

Vincent was told he could never amount to anything. He was always subjected to an

everlasting servitude to others who seemed above him physically and intellectually. This

is because even with the best test score, he could not travel because of the faulty in his

DNA. This DNA would not allow him to work for Gattaca, his lifetime dream.

Harrison’s dilemma was that he was severely handicapped for being superior to his

peers. However, in his society, being better was never acceptable. He was the most

burdened individual in the setting of the story. All the protagonists had some sort of

tribulation they had to overcome. These tribulations only straightened their desire for

freedom and feeling for self worth.

Determining your own fate was something most characters had found irrelevant in

these stories. No one wanted to stand out, they only wanted to move along smoothly in

life and obey any order than they were given. The reasons the people are dependent is

because their independence was taken at birth, and was never felt missing. In the story

Anthem, Equality starts a whole new world apart from the one he thought he knew very

well. When Equality was told hi future occupation as a street sweeper for life, he could

not relinquish his quest for knowledge and eventually leaves. Most men would never defy

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this way, because of the thought of being burned at the stake as a legal punishment. In the

story Gattaca, Vincent was never allowed to become part of the perfect and idealistic

world around him. He was unacceptable, and never given the job of a man with superior

DNA. He worked himself day and night into physical exhaustion so that he could become

an astronaut and eventually his hard work and deception; taking another mans DNA and

posing as him, allowed him to journey into the next frontier that he dreamed of for so

long. In the story of Harrison Bergeon, Harrison was more than just a perfect specimen;

he exceeded all standards in every way a man can. He was perfect, and yet his perfection

burdened him. His world was focuses on equal man and women to avoid competition

between each other. Harrison went against every law and removed his restrictors so that

he can develop his potential for becoming the best among his peers. Although he was

murdered, his actions made others question how the world was ruled.

These courageous protagonists gave a message of self independence when they

completed their journey of being independent. Harrison demonstrated the importance of

the impossibility of equality of all man. Someone is only as powerful and strong as what

you say you can become. Equality demonstrates the significance of self worth. Man has a

sense of freedom that should never be taken away or harmed in any way. Vincent

demonstrated that self determination will progress accomplishments. He was told he was

nothing, however, he took the risk of climbing to the top and becoming the best. Not just

the best, but his own best. Vincent’s journey explained the interpretation between the

two. These messages are necessary for all to understand the importance of independence

and the value of opinion.

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In spite of the odds, the obstacles Vincent, Equality, and Harrison face help them

find a part of themselves which is missing. These stories show that anyone can exceed

standards and reach a potential grater than he or she ever imagines. The most important

thing to remember is when a person sets his or her mind to a specific goal he or she must

never give up and strive. The odds may be stacked you and others will not want you to

succeed, but the greatest motivation is imagining the impact left behind by such a bold

and impulsive decision could have a magnificent and life altering result.