The Social Significance of Harrison Bergeron (Kayla)

I remember the first time I read Harrison Bergeron was in my senior year of high school. We read it in economics class, but for what reason I can’t be certain. After reading it aloud, we had a few moments of reflection time to answer some guided questions we were given. I remember very clearly thinking that it was the greatest short story I had ever read. I had always enjoyed Vonnegut’s writing, but it seemed to me nothing of his was ever as straight forward as this. Even though I can’t for the life of me remember what that lesson in economics was about, Harrison Bergeron remains my favorite short story to this day.

The whole story is no more than a one shot spanning a few pages, but the lessons conveyed in the story transcend the length. The most important part of the story is the emphasis on the stifling of traits that make one person stand out more than another. Those who were attractive were given ugly masks to wear, those who were intelligent were given a device that rendered them unable to finish a thought, and those who were graceful were given heavy chains to wear. Harrison’s parents are clearly in favor of this systematically created equality and fear regressing back into a time where one person could be deemed “better” than another. Harrison is speculated to be exceptionally handsome and talented person as he bore many “handicaps” to make him “just like anybody else.” He attempts to stage a coup and winds up being killed, while his parents remain in the dark due to their limitations.

Vonnegut’s usage of satire is blatant in this story. He presents this situation in an almost comical way, as it seems to outrages. In reality, we aren’t so far off from this. He is attempting to create a scenario where one can see what would happen if we keep trying to level the playing field so that everyone starts from the same spot; but by forcing people backwards, or forwards for that matter, we are denying what is inherently human about us. That we have different combinations of strengths and weaknesses proves that we are individuals, and this is how we are, naturally. Sometimes, a square really does not fit in a circle, but it is only as big of a detriment as we as a society make it. By handicapping the traits of those who excel naturally we are only harming ourselves. How can we move forward if we are always waiting for every person to catch up? How do we ever reach true equality without hindering people in the process? Although these answers aren’t handed to us by Vonnegut, he nonetheless poses important questions to a people so focused on the differences between perceived perfection and imperfection.

Harrison Bergeron provides important social commentary for issues that remain constantly relevant. Although people seem as though they are free, they are confined to the parameters set forth by those ruling the country. The government did not facilitate a society where people could speak or think freely but a place where there was obedience and forced enslavement. The government in this story is the epitome of fascist rule, and although it is portrayed as a place where true equality has been achieved it is only a place where people have no free will over their lives.I don’t believe that Vonnegut wrote this story without a purpose. He presents the reader with a glimpse into a dystopian world where traditional beliefs about how to create equality goes awry and in its place there are only those who are shells of the people that they might have been. The fact remains that to really level the playing ground, there would have to be uniformity in our society that is unrealistic. It is in our best interest to let people excel at their own rate, while not asking others to regress for them