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Literary Analysis Harrison Bergeron

Decent Essays

The story “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut, introduces the United States as a dystopian country, in the year 2081. In order to sustain equality in this structured country, everyone has handicaps, which are issued and managed by the Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers. Handicaps are various instruments which seduce all of you abilities that are above the normal standard, down to the normal standard. One day in April, Hazel and George Bergeron’s son, Harrison is taken away by the Handicapper General’s Men. Due the the certain handicaps which Hazel and George have, this tragic incident doesn’t inflict pain on them for very long. Shortly after, Hazel and George watch a ballerina program in which the ballerinas wear masks and dance with birdshot hung around them. Hazel asks George why he won't take his handicaps off and George replies by noting that if he acts unequally, everyone will act unequally and the dark ages will return. The program is interrupted by a broadcasting which …show more content…

Vonnegut displays Harrison as a mighty, brave and courageous person, “ ‘I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!’ He stamped his foot and the studio shook”(16-17). Yet in the end he has the Handicapper General swiftly kill Harrison, which shows that the killing was performed with ease. From his own life he has experienced imprisonment ”Captured by the Germans, he was sheltered in an underground meat locker” (Bio, 1) and seen others who tried to fight back die. When Vonnegut was writing this story he was reminded of all the gallant men who tried to fight back, just like Harrison but died in the firebombing of that city. This event has a huge impact on him, especially since he dug up the corpses of those who died. The killing of

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