Archetypes In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

The reason we learn history is so that we do not allow for it to be repeated. Meaning we don’t let even that happened in the past happen again today. But in literature there are certain patterns in characters, plot, settings and items. These patterns are referred to as archetypes and they help make stories relatable. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is no exception to the usage of archetypes.In this futuristic tale Vonngut gives their interpretation of how the world would be if someone solved the age old call for “equality”. His answer is the United States handicapping people who are above their set average. Vonnegut use of an archetypal hero shows the reader that true equality is not the positive they think it is. The archetype Harrison …show more content…
Meaning that the story is about him or the effect he has and because he is opposing the government which is wrong he is the hero. Hero’s are put in stories to put an end to the evil or negative forces in the story. They are the person people are rooting for to win when the good vs. evil fight happens. In the story you want to root for im because of his flashy and blatant opposition of his inequitable government.Vonnegut uses this archetype because most heroes are very different from ourselves they are usually more powerful than most humans. This feature is necessary to prove that their form of “equality” is wrong. The Handicapper General is stifling the gifts that Harrison has because he is above her “average”. In life everyone is going to be different but as humans should learn to accept them not change them to fit everyone. In a hero story their are other archetypal characters the hero must face. But in “Harrison Bergeron” the archetypal “temptress” doesn’t tempt the hero like expected but a prospective rebel. The temptress in this case would Harrison’s mother, Hazel. The person who resists her charms is her husband …show more content…
The purpose of martyr’s is to rile up the population to fight against the cause they died for. While Harrison dies for what he believes in, the removal of handicaps, he hasn’t quite riled up a crowd. His mother and father were saddened at the point of his death to the point of tear but then they didn’t remember it had ever had. So any of the people who were riled into rebellion forgot as if nothing happened because of the handicap he was trying to stop. This was done purposely by Vonnegut to better define his point that handicapping people is not the answer and that true equality will not be attain this