Harrison Bergeron When society thinks about the Olympics, society tends to think about the competition. Society sits at their televisions and watches each rival show off their best abilities. Olympians want to show the world that they are the best physically, and mentally. Their goal is to win, to beat the other competitors that threaten their abilities, but how would the Olympics work if every competitor was equal to one another. If everyone had the same agility, strength, body type, and confidence what would the outcome be? Today’s society is molded by the uniqueness and individuality of one’s self. The idea that total equality can generate a perfect society is explored in Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Harrison Bergeron,” in which the strong …show more content…
Hazel and George Bergeron are the parents fourteen year old fugitive, Harrison Bergeron. George, was a man whose “intelligence was above normal, and had a little mental handicap in his ear” (1). George is a perfect example of what the government is fighting against. He is intelligent and strong, which is why the government weighs him down with physical and mental handicaps that halt him from letting his own individual and controversial thoughts develop. The government is afraid of individuals like George who will threaten their power over society. Hazel, on the other hand “has perfectly average intelligence” and did not have any physical or mental handicaps which illustrates that she is the perfect representation of the equality the government wants to enforce. Hazel herself says “who knows better than I do what normal is” (2). Hazel does not have a mindset of her own and is unable to recognize the adversities that George had to endure due to his natural abilities. Hazel even finds George’s challenging handicaps “interesting” and would have liked to “hear all the different sounds”(2). Vonnegut uses the characters of Hazel and George to illustrate the reasons why the government formed the equal and communistic society that they live in. Vonnegut’s society was formed to cater to individuals like Hazel who do not have much to contribute to society. Individuals like George Bergeron, who are stronger physically and mentally, are weighed down so as to be kept at the same level as those who are not as capable as them. Vonnegut demonstrates that this is the main problem of creating an equal communistic society; instead of handicapping richer, stronger, and smarter individuals, societies should help the weak to reach