Harrison Bergeron Power Analysis

Throughout the history, individuals who have the power are the ones who usually rule over the others. I believe, one of the only things that enable a human to control another human being is the possession of power. Power is when a person or a thing has an ability to control everything going around in his or her surroundings. Thus, individuals who have less power are not able to express themselves freely and become the victims of unnecessary suffering. Examples of characters facing such a situation are seen in the short stories Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, and A&P by John Updike.

In the story Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut clearly shows the consequences of the society which lacks the power to oppose

the “government”.

In the story, rulers are seen controlling every single aspect of people’s life. “They weren’t only equal before the God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else” (604). This quote shows that the government shaped everybody in such a way that nobody can compete with anyone in any way and shows the miserable side of giving someone with total authority. Power plays a very important role in this story since every person has their own special abilities, but due to government’s control, every person is forced to be equal. I believe, it is not only the government, but the society’s reaction to the situations which is allowing this to happen. At one point in the story when Hazel asks George to take one of the handicap machines off, and instead of taking it off, George replied that “if I tried to get away with it… we’d be right back to the dark ages again.” This reaction by George shows that people have given into the thoughts of the

government and started complying with their demands. The government is imposing such strict laws, but people are not opposing, thus the power has never been overruled. When Harrison Bergeron opposes by taking off all his handicaps, it shows that people have the power to rebel against the government, but they are choosing not to rebel. If people would have protested, then they could have overthrown their rulers/ government, which would make everyone unique again. This example of society lacking the power to oppose shows that due to lack of power and fear of punishment, the government led people to comply with their thoughts.
Power comes in various forms and some of the powers are built over time. In the story The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, one can see the power of tradition comes into play. The villagers in the story perform the lottery every year mainly because they always have been doing it for years. The lottery is still going on just because of the people’s belief in the tradition. The tradition, which is so powerful that it kills one human being every year. The story shows a perfect example of someone or something possessing power; in the story, tradition has so much power that it controls the life of a person and allows people to murder him or her without ever getting punished for it. At one point in the story, Old Man Warner compares removing the lottery with society regressing, “going back to live in caves” and “nobody working anymore” (294). This shows that the idea of the lottery has taken over people’s mind so much that they cannot stop following the cruel ritual. Due to such power, people like Tessie suffer each year and is stoned to death. I feel this is what happens when someone or something has total control over a person, he or she becomes helpless. In the story, tradition has created a social power which is almost impossible to oppose. This story shows that people like Tessie lack the power to fight against the power of tradition; also, this story demonstrates that power plays a crucial role in people’s daily lives.
Some forms of power come naturally to us as human beings, such as parents-children and boss-employee.

A person instinctively realizes that parents and boss has power over them. In the story A&P, by John Updike, the narrator shows an example of the relation between a manager and an employee. Lengel, the A&P store manager, seems to have the most power in the story, whereas Sammy is an employee working under Lengel. Since Lengel is the manager, he thinks he has power to do whatever he wants. When three girls enter the store wearing a bathing suit, Lengel reprimands them for wearing nothing except swimsuits in the store. They argue with him, but he tells “That makes no difference… After this come in here with your shoulder covered” (602). I think Lengel was feeling the need to say this so that employees around him feels his presence as manager and respect him more. He needs to do this to maintain his position as manager in the store. He thinks he has the power to publicly humiliate people who he thinks don't dress or act appropriately. Also, I believe if he didn't say anything, he would be allowing such behavior once and opening the door to many more. When Sammy tells Lengel that he is quitting, he replies by saying that he has the power to make his life hard. Lengel replied in such a way because he wanted to emphasize his power over the simple cashier Sammy. This example from the short story A&P shows that power plays a crucial role in a person’s everyday life; occasionally

the power needs to be reinforced to upkeep its stiffness.
Power is something which everyone wants if possible. It allows one to control almost everything revolving around in their life. Power can come in numerous form; sometimes, a pot of thoughts can become so deadly that it can never be opposed. Sometimes, the use of this power results in the oppression of people on the other side of the line. The role of power varies in Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, and A&P by John Updike. In the Harrison Bergeron, the author showed the power of government if not opposed, whereas in The Lottery, the author showed the power of tradition, and in A&P, the author showed the power of authority figure.