Harrison Begeron
In “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. a world of total equality is portrayed but this equality is achieved by handicapping citizens with superior abilities and talents to make them average. Those with great intelligence are “required by law to wear a...mental handicap, to prevent the unfair advantage of their brains” (Vonnegut Jr. 1). Anyone who possesses natural physical strength is weighed down by “handicap bags” filled with lead balls (2).
The government of the United States is behind a series of deceptive statements that the citizens believe. Specifically, this refers to the fact that an absence of limitations on people's abilities, similar to the present-day world, would lead to the so-called “dark ages'' (2).
In fact, the government is deceiving itself as well, as the Handicapper General, their leader, is required to have her intelligence diminished. This underscores the frightening outcome of engineered deception.
In a dystopia like that of 1984 by George Orwell, the leaders knowingly lie to the citizens, are fully aware of this, and this is why their practice of destroying the past is ironic. An example of a lie that the citizens believe in 1984 is that “the Party invented airplanes”. As long as there is someone in a position of power who lies to the citizens knowingly, the past will never be completely forgotten.
In contrast, in “Harrison Bergeron” the leaders lie to themselves as well as their citizens that life is the best it has ever been. Thus there is absolutely no one who holds onto memories of the past, making the possibility of returning to it impossible.
Copyright © 2021 Yonah Aviv