Harrison Bergeron Dystopia

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Utopia is an ideal world that refers to perfection in every aspect of humanity; mankind has strived for it through history. There will always be some leaders who promise to build a utopia with supporters who give them power to realize that dream. However, this always ends with the consequence that people in authority abuse their power and misunderstand the meaning of ‘equality’. This misunderstanding results in dystopia, the opposite of what they had tried to achieve. As the saying from a Chinese article The Interpretation of Utopia’s Dilemma states: “Subjectively, human beings’ pursuit of dreams aims at freedom and liberation, but objectively it may possibly bring unimaginable crisis to the world and other people.” The world seems to be …show more content…
Unfortunately, they become individualists because they appear to be abnormal towards the brain-washed group. They are caught by the police as dangerous criminals. So, in order to defend themselves, they may try to overcome the overwhelming control of the government. Harrison represents this spark of defiance and individuality that still exists in some citizens. He has none of the cowardice and passivity that characterize nearly everyone else in the story. Rather, he is an exaggerated alpha male, a talented, brave, breathtakingly strong man who hungers for power. When he breaks into the TV studio and announces that “I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!... I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived!” (4), he sounds insane to the other citizens’ears. At the same time, however, his strong strength and beauty revealed after ripping off his fetters remind some viewers that underneath their own handicaps, they are still talented as well. He acts heroically and releases the handicapped people for a second. But in the end, Harrison, the symbol of defiance, is killed by Diana Moon Glampers, the representation of government power. The quick death of Harrison suggests that in such a cruel, extremely equitable society, the strugging of the talented individualists can only result in tragedy. Even though they may have gained temporary victory, it is their destiny to die for the sake of society because the rational citizens are so rare that they lack support. Besides, to achieve the goal of total equality, the cruel treatment towards these high-talented individualists is neccessary to drag their level down. Therefore, the world is hopeless scary, and stressful for these rational individuals due to their clear understanding of what they are experiencing; it can be nothing but
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