Freedom In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

It is the year 2081 in an era where equality rules over everybody. That is, everyone except a young man named Harrison Bergeron who believes that the equality is overlooked and is actually negative in society. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, the main character Harrison defies the cultural norm and breaks free from the supposed equality. Vonnegut makes a point to show that he goes to great lengths to show that sometimes we have to take risks to achieve freedom. The fact that Harrison is confident, aggressive, and rebellious proves the fact that freedom sometimes can only be found through risks that can put everything at stake. To begin with, Harrison is a very confident person and thinks that he can do anything and everything. In the story, he escapes from jail to break into a television station that is broadcasting across the nation. Once he is there, he declares, “I am the Emperor! Everybody

He was always going against what was right in society and was constantly trying to change it. In the story, he rebels against the government when their concept of handicaps impairs him from being who he really is. In his protest, he “tore the handicap harness like wet paper.” He also was “plotting to overthrow the government” so he could get rid of the handicaps that impaired people. This shows that he was rebellious, because he was going against what everybody else thought was right to get what he wanted. His rebelliousness also backs up Vonnegut’s feelings about freedom. If Harrison was never rebellious or had any rebellious thoughts, he would have stayed in jail and never would have tried to break free. However, Harrison experiences those thoughts and feelings throughout the entire piece, which allows him to chase after his freedom. The fact that he has the urge to pursue freedom, only proves the fact that sometimes people need to take risks to acquire