Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Harrison Bergeron,” illustrates a futuristic, utopian society that takes place in an authoritative America, in which individual rights and freedom are stripped from citizens. The American government in this story completely replicates the sentiment that communism boasts, “everyone is equal.” In “Harrison Bergeron,” the citizens are described as “[not] only equal before God and the law [...] They were equal every which way [...] Nobody was [smarter, better looking, stronger, or quicker] than anybody else” (Vonnegut). In the story, a “United States Handicapper General” is established to regulate every citizen’s traits. As the government holds absolute power over its people, a system of devices is used to enforce the equality laws. Hazel, the …show more content…
Their son, Harrison Bergeron, is an extremely smart and strong individual. He is put in jail for being a potential threat to the government and equality in the country. While in jail, Harrison Bergeron receives specialized devices that keep his special abilities in check. However, he escapes from prison and is able to destroy the specially-crafted equipment. This is symbolic as it is comparable to imprisoned activists that still published influential works in jail. Later, after escaping, Harrison Bergeron claims to be the emperor on a live government-controlled television show. However, after his courageous rebellion, he is shot by the Handicapper General. A short while afterwards, despite seeing their son die, his family forgets what had happen on television due to memory deletion. While this government copies the equality aspect of the communism, it also copies the suppression of freedom of speech and the regulation of the media. The deletion of memory and the disruption of malicious thoughts act as mechanisms for the government to control freedom of thought and