Kurt vonnegut biography harrison bergeron sparknotes

Summary

It is the year 2081, and all people have been made 'equal' through the use of physical and mental handicaps. The United States Constitution mandates this equality in the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments, and the law is enforced by Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General.

George Bergeron and Hazel Bergeron are watching ballerinas on television, all of whom are weighted down with sash-weights and bags of birdshot so that their dancing is not too beautiful. Since George is naturally quite smart, he must wear a mental handicap radio in his ear; it torments him with a variety of sharp noises every twenty seconds or so, so that he is never able to think too hard.

When it occurs to him that the ballerinas should not be handicapped, his idea is immediately interrupted by the mental handicap radio in his ear. Two of the eight ballerinas on the television are also apparently mentally handicapped, since they wince in pain at the same time that he experiences a

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Background

Sociopolitical Context: The Cold War

“Harrison Bergeron” was published during the Cold War and is often interpreted as a satire of communism. The theme of “equality” was received by many audiences as a jab at the Soviet Union. When equality is the only goal, excellence is impossible. However, another interpretation is that “Harrison Bergeron” is a satire of the American misunderstanding of communism. The ridiculousness that arises from “total equality” is less a product of equality being a misguided goal and more a consequence of it being misunderstood. Since its publication, rulle adaptations have used different readings to inform their creative direction. In the United States, the story has been used both as a right-wing criticism of the left and a left-wing criticism of the right.

Authorial Context: Kurt Vonnegut

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Vonnegut is often hailed as one of the great American political satirists. In a career spanning more th

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Harrison Bergeron

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1961 short story by Kurt Vonnegut

"Harrison Bergeron" is a satiricaldystopianscience-fictionshort story by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, first published in October 1961. Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the story was republished in the author's Welcome to the Monkey House collection in 1968.

Plot

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In the year 2081, the Constitution dictates that all Americans are fully equal and not allowed to be smarter, better-looking, or more physically able than anyone else. This is due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments. Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, and her agents enforce the equality laws by forcing citizens to wear "handicaps" such as ugly masks for those who are too beautiful, earpiece radi