Harrison Bergeron Theme Analysis

Theme Analysis How would you feel if society forced everyone to be the same? In the book The Giver, society has forced its’ citizens to go to Sameness so no one is different. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron”, the U.S. government has made several amendments so people are the same, going as far to force citizens who are smarter or stronger to wear radios, masks to hide beauty, and weights. Both governments are doing their best to force their citizens to be a certain way, and they implemented rules to make sure of it ; in fact, Harrison was even murdered trying to call for a revolution. Both this story and this short story have one theme in common: even if you make everyone perfect and equal, someone will still rebel.
Someone will still

The second example of this was when Harrison Bergeron removed all of his handicaps on live television. According to the short story, “‘Even as I stand here,’ he bellowed, ‘crippled, hobbled, sickened- I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived. Now watch me become what I can become!’” (“Harrison Bergeron”, 4). Harrison had been arrested for plotting to overthrow the government, and was forced to wear several handicaps. For every handicap that Harrison proceeded to remove after the quote, it showed that he no longer wanted to be shackled down by the government just for being intelligent, athletic, and strikingly handsome. It was shown that, for the while that Harrison and his Empress lived without handicaps before being killed, they seemed much happier without them. For example, “And then, in an explosion of joy and grace, into the air they sprang! Not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but the law of gravity and the laws of motion were as well. They reeled, whirled, swiveled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and spun. They leaped like deer on the moon.” (“Harrison Bergeron, 4). Both Harrison and the ballerina were filled with joy with their freedom from the handicaps, and must have enjoyed their powerful, yet brief, rebellion against the government before they were murdered. All in all, Harrison removing his handicaps shows that a government creating equality can’t prevent a

The final reason was when Jonas escaped from the community. According the the author, “ It was possible, what they had planned. Barely possible. If it failed, he would very likely be killed” ( The Giver, 155). Jonas knew that his community needed the memories to feel feelings; as a result, Jonas and the Giver made a plan for Jonas to escape to Elsewhere so the memories would return. He committed several transgressions during his revised escape plan: he stole food, he left his dwelling at night, and he stole his father’s bicycle so Gabe could be in the child seat. After receiving some of the memories, Jonas quickly knew things had to change, despite knowing he could never come back once he left. No one knows what would happen if Jonas was caught, though Jonas thought he would most likely be killed; in fact, the Giver even stated he didn’t have a memory for an escape like this. Jonas took a big risk in escaping like this, especially since he left two weeks before he meant to leave because of Gabe’s release. His rebellion was through taking Gabe so he wouldn’t be released, and forcing the community to bear the memories themselves. In summary, Jonas’s escape show that rebellion still happens when life is supposed to be perfect. In conclusion, perfection and equality can’t stop a rebellion. This theme is further proven when Jonas stops taking the pills, Harrison removes his handicaps, and Jonas leaves the community to release