Harrison Bergeron Analysis

Harrison Bergeron is a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. The story is set in the future and in a society where everyone is made equal through the use of handicapping measures used by the government. Harrison Bergeron, the title character of the story, attempts to break free of these handicapping measures and pays for it with his life. Diana Moon Glampers, who is The Handicapper General in the story, shot and killed Harrison in attempt to maintain government control when Harrison set himself and others free of their handicapping devices and declared himself Emperor. Harrison is the son of George and Hazel Bergeron. He was removed from his parents’ home in April of 2081, at the age of fourteen, by government agents with the title …show more content…
During a television broadcast, Harrison entered the television studio and took over the show. Harrison shed himself of his handicaps and then declared himself Emperor. He then stated that the first woman to arise would be his Empress. When a woman, a ballerina who was at the television studio as part of a dance performance, arose, he declared her to be his Empress and tore off her handicaps. After declaring himself to be the Emperor and the ballerina to be his Empress, Harrison removed all the handicaps from the musicians in the studio and asked them to play music the best they could. After listening to the music for a while, Harrison danced with his new Empress. Harrison and his Empress literally danced on air and remained suspended just below the studio’s thirty-foot ceiling as they shared a long kiss. It was at that time Diana Moon Glampers came into the studio with a double-barrelled ten-gauge shotgun and fired twice. Both Harrison and his Empress were dead before they hit the floor. On page 19, line 280 Diana Moon Glampers tells the musicians that they have “ten seconds to get their handicaps back on.” This statement was made as an effort to exert her power over