In a dystopian world, “The year was 2081 and everyone was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and law. They were equal in every which way” (1). George and Hazel Bergeron live in a society where the government enforces equality, by using ear radios and weight balls. Their son, Harrison Bergeron is imprisoned for rebelling against government rule of an equal and safe society. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” the prevalent theme is, equality is not the key to a safe society.
In “Harrison Bergeron,” the weight balls and ear radios serve as a symbol of unfair equality throughout the story. Without these tools, there would be diversity among George and Hazel's society. The author writes, “Nobody was smarter than anyone else. Nobody was better looking than anyone else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anyone else” (1). This quote portrays imposed equality due to a rattled government. In the story Kurt Vonnegut writes, “George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn’t be handicapped. But he didn’t get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts” (1). This quote is significant because it exemplifies how the government is afraid of the intelligence of the citizens. Due to the
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In a controlled society, the government uses weight balls and ear radios to slow the intelligence of the enlightened citizens. Harrison Bergeron corrupts the equal and safe society by rebelling against government control. Harrison deals with, “scrap metal [hanging] all over him. Ordinarily, there was a certain symmetry, a military neatness to the handicaps issued to strong people, but Harrison looked like a walking junkyard” (3). Kurt Vonnegut makes the reader realize that equality should be a guaranteed right within society, regardless of traits related to strength, intelligence, and