What Does It Mean To Say Hazel By Harrison Bergeron

“”Boy!” said Hazel, "that was a doozy, wasn't it?" It was such a doozy that George was white and trembling, and tears stood on the rims of his red eyes.” This quote from Harrison Bergeron portrays one of the many flaws of the society created by author Kurt Vonnegut, which supports the idea that a truly equal society wouldn’t be beneficial or enjoyable to all. The characters in the story that are above average are forcibly handicapped by the government to be “equal” with those who are below average. However, the society is flawed because those that enforce the equality, the handicappers, are excluded from the equality, everyone else must conform to. The idea displayed in this story was similar to the misguided attempt by the 21st century feminist because they preach equality, yet contradict or act as if they want otherwise. …show more content…
The characters who are above average are forced to submit to constant pain, for what they can’t control and the below average aren’t encouraged to grow, but to be clueless. Harrison Bergeron mainly focuses on the Bergeron’s, an old couple, whose “perfect” son was imprisoned for being too smart and athletic to control who somehow manages to escape. This goes against the idea that if everyone one was equal, the world would be a more enjoyable place; by showing that true equality is unattainable because we all have our differences and trying to control that will only cause problems. Furthermore, the equal society created by Vonnegut is flawed because the characters above and below average are in pain. However, characters that are average or handicapped can’t express and deal with these emotions. “There were tears on Hazel's cheeks, but she'd forgotten for the moment what they were about.” These flaws show why true equality is never going to enjoyable for