Examples Of Utopia In Harrison Bergeron

The Utopia of Equality A utopia is an imagined world in which everything is perfect. While many view a utopia as the ideal world, Kurt Vonnegut seeks to question the truth to that in his story “Harrison Bergeron”. The story reflects a perfect society in which everyone is equal, however, Vonnegut questions that reality by demonstrating what occurs when one person tries to act above his fellow citizens. In this political satire on the idea of socialism, Vonnegut points out the fears that would stem from a completely equal world. Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” depicts a utopia where everyone is equal in every way through government control, conformity, and violence. The society Vonnegut creates in “Harrison Bergeron” is centered on the control of its government. A sort of utopia is created because not only are individuals equal by God’s standards, they are also equal under the law. This equality under the law stems from additions to the …show more content…
Harrison Bergeron, at 14 has been jailed for suspicion that he would overthrow the government. At the end of the story he has escaped jail and makes an appearance on a local television show. Harrison abandons the laws and points out issues with the amendments to the constitution by removing his handicaps and showing who he could really be if given the opportunity. Because Harrison has gone against authorities and fails to conform like his mother, he is imprisoned. This clearly portrays the government’s need to be in control when they resort to violence in order to stop individuals who act out of order. Harrison points out the flaws of their utopia and depicts human differences as a beautiful thing. Here, the reader can understand the political satire because it represents the flaws in our governmental system when they are forced to result to violence when people act