Unhappy with their initial attempt, Harrison takes control for a short while, and the music improves. He orders the musicians to play, promising them nobility if they do their best. He declares himself Emperor and rips off both his own handicaps and those of a ballerina, whom he chooses as his Empress. Harrison himself then storms the television studio in an attempt to overthrow the government. George recognizes his son for a moment, before having the thought eliminated by his radio. Harrison's escape from prison is announced, and a full-body photograph of him is shown, indicating that he is seven feet (2.1 m) tall and burdened by three hundred pounds (140 kg) of handicaps. She begins reading in her unacceptably natural, beautiful voice, then apologizes before switching to a more unpleasant one. On television, a news reporter struggles to read the bulletin and hands it to the ballerina wearing the most grotesque mask and heaviest weights. She suggests taking a few of the weights out of the bag, but George resists, aware of the illegality of such an action. Noticing his exhaustion, Hazel urges George to lie down and rest his "handicap bag", 47 pounds (21 kg) of weights locked around his neck.
George's thoughts are continually interrupted by the different noises emitted by his handicap radio, which piques Hazel's curiosity and imagination regarding handicaps. George and Hazel watch a televised ballet performance and comment on the dancers, who are weighed down to counteract their gracefulness and masked to hide their attractiveness. They are barely aware of the tragedy, as Hazel has "average" intelligence (contextually meaning stupidity), and George wears a handicap radio to regulate his intelligence. One April, 14-year-old Harrison Bergeron, an intelligent, athletic, and good-looking teenager, is taken away from his parents, George and Hazel, by the government. The Handicapper General's agents enforce the equality laws, forcing citizens to wear " handicaps": masks for those who are too beautiful, earpiece radios for the intelligent that broadcast loud noises meant to disrupt thoughts, and heavy weights for the strong or athletic. In the year 2081, the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments to the Constitution dictate that all Americans are fully equal and not allowed to be smarter, better-looking, or more physically able than anyone else.
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.
" Harrison Bergeron" is a satirical dystopian science-fiction short story by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, first published in October 1961. The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Short story by Kurt Vonnegut Harrison Bergeronĭystopia, science fiction, political fiction, satire
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