Manipulation In Harrison Bergeron

The Consequences of Power and Manipulation The short story “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, is a satirical narrative about a dystopian version of the United States with a controlling American government and an apathetic society. By using symbolism to represent people’s inability to stand up against a totalitarian government, Vonnegut demonstrates the destructive consequences citizens will face if they allow themselves to be manipulated by those in power. The protagonist, George Bergeron, describes his handicaps, one of which is a small earpiece that sends sharp noises into his ear should he try and think about a topic that a person with average intelligence could not think about. When George is watching ballerinas on the television,

The consequences of not thinking for themselves is grave, as not only are citizens directly harmed, for example, two ballerinas fall to their knees in reaction to the noise, but people are also unable to revolt against the government, allowing the abuse of power to continue. In parallel, Vonnegut uses symbolism to show American’s failure to speak for themselves. Demonstrated in the story by the announcers on television who all have a significant presence in the media, this idea further represents the government’s manipulative power over the civilization. The media acts a voice for the people, and in this story, all the announcers have speech impediments, affecting the media’s ability to effectively communicate ideas, as “it [is not] clear at first as to what the bulletin[s are] about” (3). This fact demonstrates the disconnect between the truth and society, as citizens are unable to provide fellow Americans with the necessary information to speak up against the government. Once again, the effect is detrimental to society, considering the abuse of power does not cease. Vonnegut’s message relevant in many situations including the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and the protests against