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Controlled Uniformity In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

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The Art of Controlled Uniformity "We have the universe to roam in in imagination. It is our virtue to be infinitely varied. The worst tyranny is uniformity." (George William Russel). "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a story that focuses on the dangers of forced equality. The population in 2081 are forced to speak, think, and act in a way that is not above anybody else. Written closely after the red scare, a time of fear of McCarthyism and communism, Vonnegut Jr. argues through different symbols and themes in "Harrison Bergeron" that controlled uniformity is the antagonist of potential greatness. Vonnegut Jr. presents many symbols to convey his argument against censorship. Symbols such as ear pieces, bags of birdshot, and masks were all used to equalize the population. The …show more content…

uses the central theme of censorship to convey his message in "Harrison Bergeron". Throughout the story there are many forms of censorship that require the people in 2081 to acclimate to. The first instance of censorship is seen, "due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution" ("Harrison Bergeron"). The outrageous amount of amendments show that the government is doing everything they could to make sure equality is ubiquitous. The second and most important instance is when, "H-G men took George and Hazel Bergeron's fourteenyear-old son, Harrison, away ("Harrison Bergeron"). They took him away because he is bigger, stronger, and more handsome than everybody else. It is evident how tenaciously the government tries to censor him when the narrator says, "In the race of life, Harrison carried three hundred pounds. And to offset his good looks, the H-G men required that he wear at all times a red rubber ball for a nose, keep his eyebrows shaved off, and cover his even white teeth with black caps at snaggle-tooth random" ("Harrison Bergeron"). In the end, the only way the Handicapper General could censor Harrison is by killing

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He then tears off all of his handicaps, revealing a large, seven-foot frame, a handsome face, and exceptional intelligence. Before he can convince all of the viewers to shake off their handicaps as well, the Handicapper general, Diana Moon Glampers, marches in and shoots Harrison. George and Hazel soon forget all about this incident due to the handicaps they have and return to “normal” life. In Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron,” the message is that excessive government control leads to oppression and ignorance, making people worse off than they started. One example in the text that shows that the government exercises too much control, making people have worse lives than previously, is by loading them up with weights around their neck if they are too strong.

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