Analysis Of Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

Though primarily known for his novel Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut is also the author of the short story “Harrison Bergeron”- yet another satirical and absurd tale, but much shorter. I was pleasantly surprised by this short story- I expected it to be a dry and trite read, but was happy to find that I was intrigued and gripped by its words. Through a mixture of exaggerated characters and events, “Harrison Bergeron” was able to both tell a captivating story and leave me still thoughtful of its intended meaning afterwards.

The cast of “Harrison Bergeron” is rather small; it consists solely of a few main characters, with the protagonist being- in my opinion- Harrison Bergeron. In the extreme equality of the world that Vonnegut has built,

Harrison is like a god- incredibly intelligent, handsome, and strong, he is also a radical, determined to change the system of the Handicapper General. His parents, George and Hazel, are ordinary citizens, with Hazel being dull to the point of showing bland indifference to her son’s murder on live T.V. All of these characters seem to me as though their main objective- for Vonnegut- is to convey deeper messages. They seem clearly exaggerated- Harrison is only fourteen years old, and yet is seven feet tall, carries three hundred pounds in handicaps, and looks like a ‘walking junkyard’.
The main focus of Vonnegut’s tale is not, of course, the actual story of Harrison and his death- rather, it seems as though the author uses Harrison and his dystopian world to illustrate his beliefs.

The society in “Harrison Bergeron” is fundamentally communist, in the sense that all citizens are forced to become equal in terms of beauty, skill, strength, or intelligence. Due to the fact that there are always those less intelligent than others, the entire population is ‘dumbed down’ to the lowest common denominator, resulting in a country of bumbling, handicapped citizens. Vonnegut exaggerates the situation to show the ridiculousness of taking equality too far- obviously, a country such as Harrison’s would be terrible; it doesn’t only infringe upon the freedom of it’s individuals, it completely strips it

away.
Whether “Harrison Bergeron” is a critique of communism or a forewarning against the growing need for political correctness and equality in American society, however, is not entirely clear.

In my opinion, Vonnegut is reminding his American audience of the meaning of the phrase “All men are created equal”. This famous statement from the Declaration of Independence, Vonnegut is telling us, should be interpreted carefully, and should not be taken to too extreme ends. A society in which everyone is literally equal is impossible, and creates more repression and harm than good. Already, society is slowly clinging on stronger to trends of political correctness. ‘Crippled’ or ‘Handicapped’ has now become ‘disabled’ or simply ‘physically challenged’. Like the handicaps used in Vonnegut’s story, measures are placed to ensure that the minorities are not offended or disadvantaged in any way. Vonnegut seems to be hinting at the possibility political correctness can go too far, and that Americans could be heading towards a dangerous slope downwards to the chilling society of the Handicapper

General.
Clearly, “Harrison Bergeron” is a story with plenty of depth and meaning. Disguised as a simple science fiction dystopia with a tragic ending, the messages underlying the core of the story are fascinating food for thought. I enjoyed this read immensely, and from my personal speculation, I feel as though what Vonnegut has written is a thinly veiled forewarning of excessive equality, shrouded in a fantastically absurd tale of extravagant characters. On both the surface and symbolic level, “Harrison Bergeron” was a refreshingly unique story to read, enthralling me through both its unusual plot and its more allegorical significance.