Farbin 1
Mahzuzah Farbin
Mr. Bould
ENG2D7
September 15, 2018
Harrison Bergeron
Dystopian Literature
The short story “Harrison Bergeron” by author Kurt Vonnegut, typifies the characteristics commonly associated with dystopian literature. The first line outlines “the illusions of a perfect society” (ReadWriteThink1), by informing readers that “It was 2081, and everyone was finally equal” (Vonnegut 1). This introduces the effects of a society being controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through the application of relentless regulations. The author describes the use of ‘handicaps’ as a way to restrict “information, independent thoughts, and freedom” (ReadWriteThink1). Vonnegut illustrates this by portraying the agony George had to go through, because of his higher intelligence level: “Every 20 seconds or so, a transmitter would send out sharp noises to keep people from taking unfair advantage of their brains” (Vonnegut 1). By forcing citizens to wear handicaps, the principles and ethics of equality in this society override all fundamental human rights. Harrison Bergeron is an example of this because of his constant urge to question the flaws of the philosophical ideology enforced by the theoretic government; unfortunately, his curiosity about the system led to a public execution. Kurt Vonnegut suggests that absolute equality is...