Harrison Bergeron Society

Many may wonder what society will be like if everyone was equal in regards to looks, intelligence, and strength. Society wouldn't be prejudice, and there wouldn't be any wars due to the lack of competition, right? Even though this type of society seems like it can lead to utopia, it can also lead to some downfalls and communism. In the short story "Harrison Bergeron", the author, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., describes a futuristic American society in 2081, where everyone is equal. People who are above society standards wear handicaps, which restrict their abilities to get them at the same level as everyone else in the community. The person in charge of the society is the Handicapper General, and she does anything to keep her society running equally. Vonnegut shows how universal equality leads to a corrupted society using the actions of the Handicapper General. The Handicapper General's efforts to a society that is equal has lead to corruption. For example, when George was watching the ballerinas dancing, he noticed something particular about one. George says "she must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she [wears] is hideous [...] her handicap bags [are] as big as those carried by two-hundred pound men"(Vonnegut 3). This quote reveals that the HG believes in order to have a perfect society, everybody must be equal physically, and mentally. This …show more content…
The Handicapper General's efforts in creating a society where everyone is equal in every which way, is shown as unsuccessful communism. The people in society that were above average were oppressed.Vonnegut is showing readers the beauty in individuality and how precious it is. We all have all strengths and weaknesses, but it's what makes us unique. If we were all equal us humans will lose our humanity. Efforts to make humans equal in all ways will lead to society falling