Discussing Overreach and Author's Message in 'Harrison Bergeron' Essay

This essay delves into Kurt Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron,' exploring the themes of government overreach and the author's underlying message about individual freedom and equality. The analysis focuses on specific examples within the story, such as the Handicapper General's interventions, George's mental handicap, and the suppression of talent and intellect. The essay argues that Vonnegut critiques the dangers of enforced equality at the expense of individual expression and critical thinking. The author connects the story's message to the fundamental rights of an individual, highlighting the importance of free thought and questioning authority. The tragic end of the characters serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of sacrificing individuality for a distorted vision of equality. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar solved assignments and past papers for academic assistance.

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The examples of the Overreach and the message of the author
“Harrison Bergeron” is a futuristic story set in the era of 2081. Most of the constitutions of
the world allow an individual to think and express freely while staying in the system set by
the sovereign. In the current story, the role of the H-G in carrying the son of George to a
place where they can attach him with a handicap bag is the example of the overreach.
“Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people
like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains (Vonnegut)”.
It is a kind of brainwashing where a sovereign restricts the freewill thinking of a character
and converts him into a puppet in the hands of the government. The second overreach of the
government appears when the buzzer ringing in the head of the George does not allow him to
think anything beyond his regular thought process. The handicap bags on the shoulders of the
musicians also denotes the overreach of the government.
George is an intelligent character and he can always think out of the box to question the
authorities. The buzzer here does not allow him to think beyond his duties assigned by the
state. Hazel is an average person with no long-term thinking. Still, the overreach of the
government does not allow her to dream or emote. It does not allow any means of
entertainment to give her a sugar-coated message.
“And she had to apologize at once for her voice, which was a very unfair voice for a woman
to use. Her voice was a warm, luminous, timeless melody. "Excuse me-" she said, and she
began again, making her voice absolutely uncompetitive (Kurt).

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The message of the author is connected to the fundamental rights of an individual. This story
clearly tells us that powers behind the democratic setup or the aristocratic setup governing the
life of the individuals is not allowing them to think freely and ask questions from the
sovereign. They are not allowing the teenagers and the masses of the country to develop a
value system based on the universal truth of life. The author very cleverly connected the land
of the laws with universal power like gravity and others.
“Not only were the laws of the land abandoned but the law of gravity and the laws of motion
as well (Vonnegut, Harrison Bergeron)”.
The message of this story clearly says that as a human being we are free to live a life of
choice. The scene where George and Hazel kiss each other and reaches near the ceiling
denotes the intellectual emancipation of the characters. The tragic end of the couple brings us
back into the world of handicaps.
"Gee-" said Hazel, "I could tell that one was a doozy” ( (Kurt, Harrison Bergeron ).
It is futuristic satire presented by the author where he connected the human heart and brain
with an artificial environment created by the rulers. The intentions are clear. Keep them
happy so that they cannot think about the revolt, however, don’t allow them to cross the
limits of happiness because an overly satisfy brain can also find certain ways to revolt against
the system.
Bibliography
Kurt, Vonnegut. Harrison Bergeron . PP 3 , 1961.
—. Harrison Bergeron . PP 5 , 1961.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Harrison Bergeron. PP 1, 1961.
—. Harrison Bergeron. PP 4, 1961.

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