“Nobody was smarter… nobody was better looking… nobody was stronger or quicker,”(Vonnegut 1) everyone was equal. All of this is achieved in the short science fiction, “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The story is about a 14 year old boy named Harrison Bergeron who is beyond “normal” and how everyone who ever ‘above average’ have to wear handicaps. Handicaps prevent them from using certain abilities, it made people’s strongest abilities weaker. But, Bergeron is considered dangerous because of superhuman traits, egotistic personality, and mysterious behavior. First off, Bergeron is a known as a superhuman because he’s strong, smart, and handsome than the average person in 2081. His “appearance was Halloween and hardware,” (Vonnegut
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Nobody really knows who Harrison is, not even his own mother and father. Before Harrison even enters the newsroom they are telling everyone to stay away from him, that he was, “‘regarded as extremely dangerous’” (Vonnegut 3). Then once he did enter the newsroom everyone was terrified of him.After the general came into the newsroom and eliminated Harrison and the other dancer Harrison’s own mother and father completely forgot what just took place on the screen within seconds. When harrison’s father left to get a drink he comes back to see his wife crying and asking her why she was. She answered, “I forgot...something real sad on television” (Vonnegut 5). Even after what happen on television they both have completely forgotten about Harrison.
Superhuman, egotistic, and mysterious all perfectly describe Harrison. With his above average traits, he is convinced that he is better than everyone else. People fear him and want nothing to do with Harrison. Through these traits of Harrison, the story is teaching that no matter what people will fear difference. If it is not “normal” then its bad, but if people stray away form the “normal” and stay strong beautiful things can
Nobody really knows who Harrison is, not even his own mother and father. Before Harrison even enters the newsroom they are telling everyone to stay away from him, that he was, “‘regarded as extremely dangerous’” (Vonnegut 3). Then once he did enter the newsroom everyone was terrified of him.After the general came into the newsroom and eliminated Harrison and the other dancer Harrison’s own mother and father completely forgot what just took place on the screen within seconds. When harrison’s father left to get a drink he comes back to see his wife crying and asking her why she was. She answered, “I forgot...something real sad on television” (Vonnegut 5). Even after what happen on television they both have completely forgotten about Harrison.
Superhuman, egotistic, and mysterious all perfectly describe Harrison. With his above average traits, he is convinced that he is better than everyone else. People fear him and want nothing to do with Harrison. Through these traits of Harrison, the story is teaching that no matter what people will fear difference. If it is not “normal” then its bad, but if people stray away form the “normal” and stay strong beautiful things can