Do you realize how fortunate you? How much freedom you have? In some cases people do not appreciate what they have until it is gone. In an ideal society, everyone is equal in all aspects; it is a sin to be pronounced (due to one’s advancement in knowledge, appearance, or capability over others) and those who defy this principle are punished. Although this theme manifests in both Ayn Rand’s Anthem and Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron, Ayn Rand better highlights the consequences of prohibiting individuality and rejecting differences through her use of character, point of view, and irony.
Character development plays a huge role in both stories. In Harrison Bergeron, people are not truly themselves. With handicaps and other restrictions the citizens
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There is “Solidarity 9-6347 who are a bright youth, without fear in the day; but they scream in their sleep, and they scream ‘Help us! Help us! Help us!’ into the night, in a voice which chills our bones” (Rand 47). And there is also the occasional outcasts who like to question the world and embrace their individuality. “They were not liked because they took pieces of coal and they drew pictures upon the walls, and they were pictures which made men laugh. But it is only our brothers in the Home of the Artists who are permitted to draw pictures, so International 4-8818 were sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers, like ourselves” (Rand 29-30). These people are punished and ignored. Their talents are not acknowledged, but instead wasted as Street Sweepers. They say “doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347” (Rand 47). However, if Solidarity’s health was a priority to society, the government would find a cure.
The characters in Anthem, provide a more relatable image for the future opposed to the characters in Harrison Bergeron. Imagine a working mother or father who is so engulfed with their job, they unintentionally ignore and neglect their child. In a world where time is money people are always busy. It is not impractical to believe that the future will have people who are neglected, even if they are considered to be apart of the