Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

Words: 286
Pages: 2

In the short story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., the author's message is that equality can not be achieved in a way that makes people happier or have a higher quality of life. The story tells of a society set in 2081 where all are equal. "Nobody [is] smarter than anybody else. Nobody [is] better looking than anybody else. Nobody [is] stronger or quicker than anybody else.". The people are handicapped if they were deemed better than others with physical hindrances. In the story, characters George and Hazel Bergeron are a married couple, both with handicaps. While George wears physical handicaps that weigh him down Hazel's handicap is her mental incapability of producing complex thoughts, therefore is perceived as "average intelligence"