Review of ‘Harrison Bergeron’ by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (written in 1968)
the ballerina, “Do not - I repeat , do not - try to reason with him”
Mr. Vonnegut’s omniscient narrative is a story about Man vs. society. In this piece the author challenges the reader to ask, does the evolving of society enhance humanity or imprison it?
Setting: A specific nuclear family unit and the futuristic and unspecified Country that controls them. The entire story is set within the confines of this one family‘s home. The house and the action from the outside world is filtered through the television controlled by the government. Even when the action transfers to the T.V. station, the focus of this sub-set was still central to the Bergeron family’s plight.
Symbol(s): The use of devices to maintain the equality of the citizens is disturbing. Sand bags tied around their necks were actually heavy objects designed to handicap physically strong people, so the weak ones could compete with them. How about those noise makers? Wouldn’t that be something to carry around? The ATD’s (Audio Torture Devices) were suppose to keep smart people from having an advantage over the slow. The reality was that these devices prevented people from protesting the government or at least exercising free will. Another dehumanizing device of control the government imposed was the facial masks, which stripped a person of dignity by removing their individual appearance for a generic one. The T.V. became a symbol as well, as it became the pipeline in which the government restricted what the people were to see and think. The house symbolized just how pervasive this government was in the lives of its people. The government’s cameras, bugs, torture and control devices all served to imprison the average citizen in an environment of fear, pain and death, if they did not comply to the rules of equality.
Theme: “The 213th Amendment to the Constitution..” Indicates the use of law to control society has not only reach obsessive levels, but the government in charge of law and society has itself completely spiraled out of control. This piece subconsciously questions the reader to evaluate their own circumstances, how free is free? How much control in Our lives do We give away?
The erasing of the parents memories for their son was the final insult this government shovels on its citizens. By controlling their thoughts, actions and finally feelings, the government had succeeded in creating truly robotized, automated drones for this sick, repressed and twisted society. Do you think Mr. Vonnegut was trying to warn Us?
© 2007 Mike W. Boitano
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