Two Inferences In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

“The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal” (Vonnegut 133). In the United States in 2081, everyone must be exactly the same. Some leaders believe everyone should be exactly the same in their society, such as communist societies and dictatorships. Two inferences that can be made about “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, are that the handicap general did not have a handicap and the government had all the power in the country. First, the handicap general could not have had a handicap, because if she did, then she would not be able give out handicaps. She would not be allowed to think which handicap to give everyone, because nobody is allowed to think for themselves. Next, the government must have had all of the power, because most people would not willingly give up their freedom and

The government probably thought of this concept of everyone being the same was the idea of a utopia for them. Lastly, George stated in the story, “If I tried to get away with it, then other people’d get away with it—and pretty soon we’d be back to the Dark Ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else” (Vonnegut 136). This mindset means that everybody thought of everyone being equal is a utopian society, and everyone competing against each other is their idea of a dystopian society. In today’s society, everyone thinks the total opposite. This shows how different mindsets can affect people’s judgement. Individuality is beneficial to societies and should not be repressed, because it makes people happy and causes the advancements of society and advances