Summary
The science fiction story, “Harrison Bergeron”, is about what life would be truly be like if everyone was equal. In the story, they take this matter of equality to a literal stand point. They take it to as far as the government not letting people think certain thoughts. The government has a HG, or handicap general, that controls what everyone does and thinks. If you are a beautiful girl, you are given a mask to wear to make you seem more average as far as looks go. If you are very strong, you are to have huge weights to carry to weaken you. They even put earpieces into the very smart peoples’ ears, so that every twenty seconds, a signal is sent from the ear piece to the government, and a terrible sound suck as rifles going off or a car crash happening at full volume into the person’s ear. The two main characters of the story are Hazel and George Bergeron. They had a son named Harrison, who was taken away by the HG at age fourteen. They don’t mention much about him, because they can’t. Hazel can only think in short bursts and George has a deafening sound going off in his ear every twenty seconds. The story mentions, "Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantages of their brains" (1). Hazel and George sit down to watch TV one night, when something strange happens. The ballerina show that they were watching was interrupted by an announcement that Harrison Bergeron, George and Hazels’ son, had broken out of prison and was on the loose. Just moments later, Harrison busts through a screen proving his picture to the public and demands that he is emperor. He shouts out that he needs an empress, and one of the ballerinas volunteered. They begin dancing to music, and Harrison’s super strength allows them to float above the ground by the 30 foot ceiling. After kissing for quite the time, they get shot down by the HG with a double barrel 10 gauge shotgun.
Why It's Science FictionScience fiction is very obvious to see in this story. First off, it is set in 2081, which is a requirement of science fiction. Also, in science fiction stories, there is typically some sort of technology that is used in the story that society does not currently have or has developed yet. In this story, the power of the handicapped general is used. The HG gives the very intelligent people in society an ear piece that they must wear at all times, and if they do not wear it, then they will be arrested. The ear piece is only worn by the intelligent members of society because the it is made to keep the smart people from using their brains to their own advantage, which wouldn't be fair to the dumb people. So, as a solution to this problem, the government sends a signal to all the earpieces every twenty seconds or so, each signal a piercing sound to keep their minds from wandering too much. This supports it being a science fiction story because this is technology that we do not have, but is possible that we could have it in the future.
|
Literary TermsSetting - The setting is where and when a story takes place. "Harrison Bergeron" takes place in a futuristic town/city in the year 2081.
Climax - The climax of the story is the most interesting/eventful part of the plot. The climax in this story is when Harrison Bergeron burst onto the stage and creates a big scene. He claims that he is emperor, and picks his empress. Static Character - A static character is a character that does not change throughout the story. A good example of a static character in "Harrison Bergeron" would be George and Hazel Bergeron. They both start off at the beginning of the story as equal as everyone else, and throughout the story and when the story ends, they stay equal with the rest of society. Foil Character - A foil character in a story is basically the bad guy in a story. In this story, the foil character could be the HG. The HG is forcing everyone in the story to be equal, whether it be putting ear pieces in people's ears to prevent them from using their brains, or making them wear a mask to hide their beauty, either way, nobody likes it. Resolution - The resolution of a story is where the conflict of the story is solved. Often, the resolution is found at the very end of the story, but sometimes there can be multiple conflicts in the story, so there could be several resolutions. In this story, the resolution is when Harrison breaks all the rules, and the HG ends him with a 10 gauge. Problem solved. |
Connection to "A Sound Of Thunder""Harrison Bergeron" and "A Sound of Thunder", can be related in a couple of different ways. Of course they're both science fiction, but they also both have problems that are solved in a similar way. In "A Sound Of Thunder", the problem is solved by a man raising a gun to another man's head and firing, creating a sound of thunder. In "Harrison Bergeron", the problem is solved by the HG unloading a round out of a double barreled 10 gauge at a man, which then overall solves the problem.
To read "A Sound Of Thunder", click the button below. |