I would argue that in John Paul Jaramillo’s short story called “Cabron” there is a strong, prominent theme of deviance. I would debate that the same theme is present in Sherman Alexie’s “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona” and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Harrison Bergeron.” Collectively these short stories all present similar thoughts. Considering deviance is defined as pulling away from the norm, it is clearly evident in all three of these stories, each in its own diverse way. In John Paul Jaramillo’s short story, “Cabron,” deviance can be seen right from the start. For example Jaramillo opened his story when he wrote, “Sheriff Sheehan stood at my Abuelita’s home (…) and explained the whole sad situation. Must have run into trouble with him a dozen …show more content…
nights and each time the old woman took me in. That night she peered out toward the patrol car and mouthed the words, ‘Take him’ (Jaramillo 27). The whole story is about a young troubled boy, named Manito. At this point in the story he has broken the law too many times, consequently he has been given an ankle monitor. That fact alone proves the presence of deviance in this story. At one moment in the story a judge named McKensey said to Manito, “Do you know what a miscreant is? Well that’s what you are becoming” (Jaramillo 27). From beginning to end, Jaramillo’s short story contains lots of deviance. “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona” is a short story about American Indians who live on a reservation. First of all, the fact that they live on a reservation could be considered deviant, because it is not the social norm to live in such an area. There are other elements of deviance found throughout the story, for example, Arnold, Victor the main character’s father, diverged from the norm when he left the Indian reservation to live in Phoenix, Arizona, due to troubles in his marriage and with his family. Thomas, Victor’s friend, predicted this would happen long before it did, when he said regarding Arnold, “he is afraid of his own family” (Alexie 248). Thomas’ whole life could be considered deviant, considering he was unlike the other Indians. His grandmother raised him, because his parents died when he was a baby. He wasn’t very well-liked by his peers, nor was he a very popular person, due to his tendency to tell stories frequently. Thomas, as an Indian, was quite different from the rest. Overall, this story contains lots of deviance. In Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Harrison Bergeron,” everyone is required to wear handicaps if they are even slightly above the average, in any matter.
For example, if a person was more intelligent, stronger, or better looking than a set standard established by the Handicapper General, that person would be required to wear hindrances. If a person tried to remove his or her handicaps, a punishment would immediately follow; therefore all the people went through their lives unable to reach their full potential. However, Harrison Bergeron, a remarkably intelligent, strong, handsome person, would not stand for such equality. He was taken from his parents at the age of 14. He deviated by breaking out of prison, shortly after being put in. Soon he found his way into a studio where, on live television, he shattered all the rules and took off all of his handicaps. Vonnegut wrote, “Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds” (198). This point in the story is the central area of all deviance and defying of rules. Then he announced that he was the emperor, he said, “do you hear? I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!” (Vonnegut
198). Without a doubt, these three stories are full of deviance. Whether it is an inconsequential action of defiance or a monstrous deed of disobedience, each of these stories clearly demonstrates deviant behavior. As mentioned above, deviance is defined as going against the social norm; therefore I have presented in all of the examples above that deviance can be located in each of these three stories.
Harrison Bergeron is a short story that creates many images and feelings while using symbols and themes to critique aspects of our lives. In the story, the future US government implements a mandatory handicap for any citizens who is over their standards of normal. The goal of the program is to make everyone equal in physical capabilities, mental aptitude and even outward appearance. The story is focused around a husband and wife whose son, Harrison, was taken by the government because he is very strong and smart, and therefore too above normal not to be locked up. But, Harrison’s will is too great. He ends up breaking out of prison, and into a TV studio where he appears on TV. There, he removes the government’s equipment off of himself, and a dancer, before beginning to dance beautifully until they are both killed by the authorities. The author uses this story to satire
Deviance is described as “the recognized violation of cultural norms”(Macionis 238). While deviance can include crime, it is not always such. Deviance can mean trying to sneak into a hospital room, desperately searching for someone like the character of Benny in the movie Benny and Joon. Or it could be preforming on the streets for people to watch. Deviance isn’t always a criminal act. The movie Benny and Joon gave several examples of deviant behavior portrayed by the three main characters, Benny, Joon, and Sam.
Harrison Bergeron’s mother, Hazel Bergeron, is the definition of the Handicapper General’s “normal” and model for enforced equality. Everyone must be leveled and thereby oppressed to her standards. Hazel’s husband, George Bergeron, is no exception. “‘I’d think it would be real interesting, hearing all the different sounds,’ said Hazel, a little envious. ‘All the things they think up.’” (Vonnegut 910). George suffers from his own comically ludicrous mental handicap. The fact that this incites jealousy in Hazel reaffirms the artificial equality Vonnegut ridicules. The author satirizes oppression in American society through his depictions of misery and restraint exhibited in his characters’ ordeals. “The different times that George is interrupted from thinking, and his inner monologue is cut, we have a sort of stopping his having dialogue with himself. So he can’t have a unique personality, which itself involves his worldviews” (Joodaki 71). Not being able to know oneself epitomizes
“Harrison Bergeron” is a short fiction written by Kurt Vonnegut, the story is set in the year 2081, and it talks about a futuristic society where all individuals are equal. No one is cleverer, beautiful or stronger than the other, and if somebody is better than the others, they find themselves compelled by The United States Handicapper General to put on what they call “handicaps” to bring down their abilities to the most basic levels as the others. Throughout the story, Vonnegut expresses a bold and vigorous political and social criticism of some historical events in the US during the 1960s such as the Cold War and Communism, television and American Culture and Civil Rights Movement.
The pages of history have longed been stained with the works of man written in blood. Wars and conflicts and bloodshed were all too common. But why? What could drive a man to kill another? Many would say it is man’s evil nature, his greed, envy, and wrath. And certainly, they all have a roll in it. But in reality, it is something far less malevolent, at least at first. The sole reason why conflicts grow and spread comes from the individuality that every human cherishes so dearly. This can easily be shown in the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, in which a society has been created where everyone of talent has been handicapped so they are not better than anyone else, all for the sake of equality. This text will show that Individuality
What is deviance? The fact or state of departing from usual or acceptable standards, especially in social or sexual behavior. Based off the readings in regards to deviant behavior, the stories tend to show how the social environment can cause a forceful reminder of the situational grounding of morality. In the story “Eating Your Friends Is the Hardest,” the people that survived the plane crash in the Andes had to make a decision on whether they were going to survive based on environmental necessities that were available or whether they were going to die due to lack of nourishment. The individuals had to put aside their moral ways of thinking eating human remains of friends/family members is deviant behavior and to consider that as temporary
The movie The Boondock Saints provides an excellent example of positive deviance through innovation. The Social theory of deviance can easily explain the brothers’ actions. The movie can be used to study deviance as the brothers kill people who are mafia members, breaking the norms of society. Even though the acts they are committing are clearly illegal and deviant, the people of South Boston do not react in a negative way. Since the Social theory is very broad, it will be easier to look at the brother’s acts under three sub theories: Labeling, Conflict and Strain theories.
As humans every individual on planet earth was created to be equal .Meaning despite race, colour, gender, sexuality, appearance or ability to perform a task everybody is the same.In the present society and generation its very difficult for everybody to be seen in the same way or treated equally. Harrison Bergeron takes place in 2081 and the government has been modified due to the government affirming laws in attempt to achieve total equality amongst everyone in society.Individuality is not supported by the government in fear of the idea of equality not being successful .Throughout the story characters such as Harrison, George ,and Hazel Bergeron encounter overwhelming events.In the short story Harrison Bergeron the author Kurt Vonnegut develops the idea of the dangers associated with total equality and the absence of individuality resulting in disastrous consequences.The outcome of the laws lead to lack of individualism and absence of freedom .Vonnegut also brings forward the actions the government takes in attempt to eliminate any threating forces.
Deviant behavior is sociologically defined as, when someone departs from the “norms”. Most of the time when someone says deviance they think against the law or acting out in a negative behavior. To sociologists it can be both positive and negative. While most crimes are deviant, they are not always. Norms can be classified into two categories, mores and folkways. Mores are informal rules that are not written; when mores are broken, they can have serious punishments and sanctions. Folkways are informal rules that are just expected to be followed, but have no real repercussions.
Goode, E 2006, 'IS THE DEVIANCE CONCEPT STILL RELEVANT TO SOCIOLOGY?', Sociological Spectrum, 26, 6, pp. 547-558, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 June 2014.
Never would I thought that we have a dystopian-like society in our world. Don’t know what a dystopia is? It is a society set in the future, typically portrayed in movies and books in, which everything is unpleasant. The novel Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut is a dystopian story of a fourteen-year-old boy named Harrison who grows up in a society that limits people’s individuality. When he is taken away from his parents, because of his strong idiosyncrasy, his parents do not even recall his presence because of the “mental handicaps” that the government forces onto them. Harrison eventually escapes from his imprisonment and tries to show others that they can get rid of the handicaps and be free. Though the government official, or Handicapper
Deviance is the term that s used for the type of behavior that does not comply or rather, goes against the norms of the society. Crime is an evident example of deviance and this has been used in a great way in this film. The film revolves around Derek who chooses to leave the path of deviance
Several individuals within society typically follow social guidelines that they are unaware of performing. Social guidelines such as stopping at a red light or saying thank you when someone has done something for you. These social guidelines or norms give society a script to follow regarding their behavior and actions. Although norms are the acceptable actions and behaviors that society is taught to perform, there are occurrences where individuals stay away from those in which they are now enacting deviance. To act deviant is considered to break away or do something different of a social norm. There are several forms of deviance that occur frequently within society that violate social norms and hinder society’s overall function.
Deviance is amongst other things a consequence of the response of others to a persons act. Students of deviance can not assume that they are dealing with a homogenous category. When they study people who have been labelled deviant (Howard Becker)
"Deviance, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. There is nothing inherently deviant in any human act, something is deviant only because some people have been successful in labeling it so." – J.L. Simmons