Harrison Bergeron is an exploration of the Marxist philosophy on the principles of socialism within a complete society. The fundamental idea being that the needs of an equal society are met through taking “from each according to his ability” (Hattenhauer 1). In this he satirizes the most common understanding of Marxist theory in the absence of the completion of Marx’s statement which in full reads, “From each according to his ability. To each according to his needs” (Hattenhauer 1). In this there is no room for those who are below average, those born with disabilities and those who cannot be elevated by redistribution. There is no way to redistribute the god given qualities of others to those who are lacking in beauty, grace, and wisdom. Instead, in this writing by Vonnegut, it is accomplished in a futuristic setting through the creation of the Handicapper General, which establishes the standard to which everyone is handicapped to achieve equality in the physical …show more content…
For example, George Bergeron is above average in his vision, intelligence, and his physical prowess. Because “his intelligence was way above normal, [he] had a little mental handicap radio in his ear” which would send sounds such as a ‘buzzer’ or ‘a twenty-one-gun salute’ resonating through his skull (Vonnegut 234-235). While this creates a level play for all in the field of thought, it does away with wisdom and knowledge in society giving all the power to the hierarchy enforcing the law. In order to enforce the ideal of equality for all under the law the Handicapper General herself is must maintain abilities that are above average, there is no mention of her having any handicaps at any point in the plot, and this highlights the tyrannical nature of socialistic government due to the inequality in distribution of society’s