Dystopia In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeon

What do you imagine when you hear the word “Utopia”, some may have pictured sitting by the ocean in the Bahamas with a margarita in hand, the sounds of waves crashing and sand in between your toes. It’s a place of idealistic perfection, in government, laws, policies, and social conditions, and a state of mind, fairness and equality. While a dystopia, or a negative utopia, is a society characterized as an illusion of a perfect society maintained through unfair societal control. In Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeon” society is handicapping remarkable people by bringing them down to their lowest distinctiveness by attempting to control total equality and fairness throughout society. The members of society pay little to no attention to their handicaps
is a story about maintaining equality throughout society using extreme, inhumane, measures and methods by using handicaps. Vonnegut says, “It was the year 2081, and everybody was finally equal.” “They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. (Vonnegut pg. ) “ By handicaps I mean weighed down with 45 pounds of birdshot tied around your neck weighing you down , glasses that may give you excoriating headaches and may even cause you to go blind. Ear radios were also worn to send loud noises every 20 seconds from a government operated transmitter. Masks even had to be implemented to make everyone equal. The government is forcing equality upon the citizens, how is this equality? To me the year of 2081 was domineering, people are being punished for being more intelligent, more charismatic, better physical abilities, among other capabilities that the next person may not have. People who are born with God given gifts can’t fulfill their dreams and what may be their purpose to them because they are hindered. This is no way to