Similarities Between A & P And Harrison Bergeron

The theme of the “meaning of freedom” is a common theme between the two stories “A&P” by Updike, and Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut. In both stories, the characters are take different routes to rebel from the standards of society. In A&P, gender roles are heavy, and Sammy is expected to conform, but he does otherwise by leaving his job. Harrison Bergeron takes place during a time where the human population is expected to be equal, but Harrison steps beyond these limits. These characters show that conforming to society truly does not make you free, in fact it holds you back from your full potential.

To understand the lack of freedom in A&P and Harrison Bergeron, the narrators describe specific examples of what it means and what to expect while living in society with limiting standards. In A&P, a trio of girls walk in the grocery store, essentially breaking from the idea of modesty that woman are expected to have by revealing themselves with only their bathing suits. Sammy, the cashier was so intrigued with this idea, especially because this was

uncommon, let alone the fact these girls were not thinking anything of it. The manager of the store confronts one of the girls “We want you dressed decently when you come in here.” “After this come in here with your shoulders covered, its our policy.” During this postmodern period, this would be the kind of reaction from someone who has been brainwashed into conforming. The narrator in Harrison Bergeron describes that everyone is exactly equal “they were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.” “And George with his intelligence way above normal had a little mental handicap over his ear. He was required by law to wear it all times.” The fact that the authorities are requiring George to wear a device to suppress his intellect says a lot about the society in the future year of 2081.
When characters in both stories realize there are others escaping their constricted lifestyles, they are resentful and frightened for them since they can’t imagine anything other than remaining conformed to society. After the girls leave the grocery store in A&P, Sammy is upset the manager embarrassed them, despite what they were wearing was disgraceful. Sammy decides to defend these girls by quitting his job. The manager believes he will regret his decision to take the risk by quitting. “Sammy, you don't want to do this to your mom and Dad. “You’ll feel this for the rest of your life.” In Harrison Bergeron, Harrison removes all of his handicaps so he can show the world who he truly is. When the people on TV realize the reality of his potential without his handicaps, they are fearful. “Screams and barking cries came from the television set.” These stories reveal that when people do something out of the ordinary, this disrupts society negatively because they desire what is comfortable.
The characters finally realize what freedom feels like, and how society has kept them tied up for a very long time.

“His face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if he’d just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.” In this quote, Sammy recognizes life will not be comfortable, but he can be content knowing he will never carry that resentment that results from being in agreement with the crazy standards society holds. In Harrison Bergeron, when everyone removes their masks and handicaps, true emotion is felt and the mundaneness of life is swept away. “And then, neutralizing gravity with love and pure will, they remained suspended in air inches below the ceiling, and they kissed each other for a long, long time.” You can see this was such an incredible experience, because they understand what it means to be free from the devices restricting

them.