Differences And Similarities Between 1984 And Harrison Bergeron

A dystopian novel has characteristics of an imagined universe with societal control where the illusion of a perfect society is maintained through corporate and totalitarian control. Society, control and the protagonist are three main points that set dystopian works apart from others. 1984 is a novel by George Orwell, Harrison Bergeron is a short story by Kurt Vonnegut and I am Legend is a movie directed by Francis Lawrence. These pieces of work all have different settings and characters but they have the same message to tell and share about a totalitarian controlled society.
Society over time has changed a huge amount and is continuing to grow more each day. The society in 1984 was set in London and also under fear of their government. The

people feared for their lives not being able to have any kind of say so. Peoples’ lives were spent mostly in the Victory Mansions and to most people they felt best just staying in their homes. “You had to live, did live” (George Orwell 6). This quote means that the people basically had to do whatever it took for them to stay alive. In Harrison Bergeron the society was set in 2081 and in their society everyone was finally equal. “They were equal before God & law” (Kurt Vonnequt 1). The quote is telling that in their society everything was equal in every which way. Lastly, I am Legend’s society is in New York and takes place after a plague kills almost the entire state of humanity. “The world is quieter now”. (Francis Lawrence). Next, the plotline of a dystopian novel is control.
In the world we live in control is everywhere and it is just one of those things that we cannot change.

1984 was completely under control by their government. The totalitarian government controlled every aspect of the peoples’ life in the novel and they had no freedom at all. “Only the Thought Police mattered” (George Orwell 6). In 1984 you did not have a voice or matter unless you had some kind of power over the people. In Harrison Bergeron the people were controlled because they were required to have their handicaps on at all times no matter what. “Nobody had ever born heavier handicaps”. (Kurt Vonnegut 3). In Harrison Bergeron the peoples’ handicaps were a representation of their selves. I am Legend is controlled in a completely different way, rather being controlled by people it was controlled by monsters. After years of a plague killing most of the humanity in the area, what is left without being killed is transformed into monsters. With everyone either being dead or being a monster, it is surprising that one man (Will Smith) and his dog are still alive but they are being controlled by the creatures that live among them. “God didn’t do this. We did!” (Francis Lawrence). The final plotline in a dystopian novel is the

protagonist.
The protagonist plays a special role in any piece of literature but they are not the only source of information. In 1984 , Harrison Bergeron and I am Legend the protagonist makes sure to give a lot of much needed information. In 1984 the Big Brother flyers give us readers a vision of how the people in the society might have felt knowing that they were always being watched. In Harrison Bergeron and I am Legend the protagonist provides us with tons of details so that we are able to see how the handicaps and the monsters were taking over lives.
In conclusion, 1984, Harrison Bergeron and I am Legend are all three different types of dystopian literature pieces that come together with many similarities. Society, control and the protagonist are all main points that show that dystopian literature shares similar characteristics.