In his 1961 short story “Harrison Bergeron”, author Kurt Vonnegut crafts a political allegory that links a dystopian, future USA with the tyrannical, “equal” communist Soviet Union during the 1930s to 1950s. Vonnegut utilizes the Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers, to represent the cruel and ruthless Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin. The characters all have underlying links to this period in Soviet history, with George symbolizing the above average citizens of the USSR, while Harrison Bergeron embodies the dissidents, intellectuals, and artists of Stalin’s communist regime. All these elements help to advance Vonnegut’s simple social critique and warning; equality may be an ideal, but like all ideals, it too has its limits. When taken to
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A symbol of the able citizens of the USSR, he has a high intelligence that he could use to make a better life for himself and his family. However, as a result of extreme equality, he is handicapped to the level of the most vacuous humans. As the narrator explains, “George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear… Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.” (1). The handicap ensures that all humans, have the same intelligence, or ability to think. This equality traps George. Using his intelligence, he could create masterpieces of art or literature, create a business empire, or even become Handicapper General. Nonetheless, George is held back from individual achievement by the same principle that held back the intelligent citizens of the USSR and other communist systems: equality. By presenting the suffocation imposed upon the intellects in the society of the future, Vonnegut demonstrates to modern society how the individual can lose their freedom and future as a result of extreme …show more content…
The state attempts to control him, just like all the Georges of the world. Regardless, he escapes the shackles of equality and displays the greatness of humanity. He picks a beautiful empress, and as they dance, Vonnegut describes “It became their obvious intention to kiss the ceiling. They kissed it… It was then that Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor.” (5). This brutal end draws parallels to the greats of Soviet history, including the revered revolutionary Leon Trotsky, who, having succeeded in bringing socialism to his homeland, is killed by his opponents that saw him as too ‘great,’ and dangerous to their equal power. Just like Diana Glampers, Joseph Stalin knocks down the unequal citizens that simply cannot be controlled. In the name of equality, the very best of humanity are destroyed, and with them the only hope of lasting individual freedom and achievement. They are forgotten within
A symbol of the able citizens of the USSR, he has a high intelligence that he could use to make a better life for himself and his family. However, as a result of extreme equality, he is handicapped to the level of the most vacuous humans. As the narrator explains, “George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear… Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.” (1). The handicap ensures that all humans, have the same intelligence, or ability to think. This equality traps George. Using his intelligence, he could create masterpieces of art or literature, create a business empire, or even become Handicapper General. Nonetheless, George is held back from individual achievement by the same principle that held back the intelligent citizens of the USSR and other communist systems: equality. By presenting the suffocation imposed upon the intellects in the society of the future, Vonnegut demonstrates to modern society how the individual can lose their freedom and future as a result of extreme …show more content…
The state attempts to control him, just like all the Georges of the world. Regardless, he escapes the shackles of equality and displays the greatness of humanity. He picks a beautiful empress, and as they dance, Vonnegut describes “It became their obvious intention to kiss the ceiling. They kissed it… It was then that Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor.” (5). This brutal end draws parallels to the greats of Soviet history, including the revered revolutionary Leon Trotsky, who, having succeeded in bringing socialism to his homeland, is killed by his opponents that saw him as too ‘great,’ and dangerous to their equal power. Just like Diana Glampers, Joseph Stalin knocks down the unequal citizens that simply cannot be controlled. In the name of equality, the very best of humanity are destroyed, and with them the only hope of lasting individual freedom and achievement. They are forgotten within