Harrison Bergeron Short Story Review

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What would the world look like if everyone were required to be exactly equal? Author Kurt Vonnegut asks this question in his satirical science fiction short story “Harrison Bergeron.” After accidentally attributing this story to Harlan Ellison (whoops), I decided to get back into the story and write a review of it.

“Harrison Bergeron” first appeared in 1961, published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Vonnegut, known for his novels, such as Slaughterhouse Five, included this story in a collection in 1968. The story takes place in 2081. According to the U. S. Constitution, every citizen must be fully equal. This means that everyone must be exactly alike in terms of intelligence, looks, and abilities. If someone happens to be smart or beautiful, they are given handicaps to keep them on the same level as the average person. The story mostly focuses on a couple, George and Hazel, who have a son named Harrison. Because of his abilities, Harrison is taken from his home. Things take a turn for George and Hazel when Harrison escapes from prison and appears on TV.

I’ll be honest, I don’t have much experience with science fiction satire. I read Slaughterhouse Five, however, so I was familiar with Vonnegut’s work. I think what I enjoyed most about this story was its commitment to satire while also presenting a serious concept. The best kind of satire surrounds and examines serious ideas while also poking fun at them, and this story does that incredibly well. I won’t spoil all the shenanigans that go on. However, it’s worth it to read for yourself.

I also specifically enjoyed the characters in this story. Vonnegut creates characters that feel real while also, in a way, being caricatures of actual people. Often, you need to toe a fine line between real and fake when it comes to character building. However, the characters in this story help the satire to come across even better. For example, the title character of Harrison Bergeron dials everything up to an eleven when the story reaches the climax. However, what happens to him at the end reinforces the seriousness of the story’s situation.

This reminds me to write a review for Slaughterhouse Five

This reminds me to write a review for Slaughterhouse Five! I’m not sure if this story would count as Golden Age science fiction, but that’s what research is for. Until next time this week for another blog post. Happy reading!

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