Inequality among people has been going on for centuries. Equality is difficult to achieve when humans and the government are involved. Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron” was written during a time when extreme measures were taken in order to obtain equality. Through his vivid descriptions and outstanding word choice the readers can see the struggles that the main characters encounters in their daily lives. An analysis of Vonnegut’s short story reveals the manipulation of people, people who cannot follow the rules, and the fear of competition that the people of 2081 faced involving equality versus inequality. Manipulation of people is an issue with this type of equality in the future. Having to wear a handicap system can make it
…show more content…
These people make it hard for everyone else to gain equality because no one is equal if the people who decide to break the get punished for it. Therefore those people get in trouble and everyone else is free but them; if they are not free than equality does not exist. A good example of this is “The minute people start cheating on laws, what do you think will happen to society?” (Vonnegut 235). In other words, no one is going to be equal in a society the breaks laws. No matter how hard this world tries equality doesn’t work if people still go against laws that try to make this world and this culture …show more content…
Competition is in everyday life no one would be able to survive without it. In the story it is said “ ‘ if I tried to get away with it’ said George, ‘then other people’d get away with it- and them pretty soon we’d be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn’t like that, would you’ ”(Vonnegut 235). When people are equal the competition will go away but people will always want to be better, stronger, smarter, or even better looking than the other person that is how this world works. Without competition the economy would fail and the markets would stop working. In other words, competition is needed in this world to help the economy grow and thrive so that the people of this generation can survive. If there was no competition then there would be no incentive to do anything or a better job at
These people make it hard for everyone else to gain equality because no one is equal if the people who decide to break the get punished for it. Therefore those people get in trouble and everyone else is free but them; if they are not free than equality does not exist. A good example of this is “The minute people start cheating on laws, what do you think will happen to society?” (Vonnegut 235). In other words, no one is going to be equal in a society the breaks laws. No matter how hard this world tries equality doesn’t work if people still go against laws that try to make this world and this culture …show more content…
Competition is in everyday life no one would be able to survive without it. In the story it is said “ ‘ if I tried to get away with it’ said George, ‘then other people’d get away with it- and them pretty soon we’d be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn’t like that, would you’ ”(Vonnegut 235). When people are equal the competition will go away but people will always want to be better, stronger, smarter, or even better looking than the other person that is how this world works. Without competition the economy would fail and the markets would stop working. In other words, competition is needed in this world to help the economy grow and thrive so that the people of this generation can survive. If there was no competition then there would be no incentive to do anything or a better job at