Kurt Vonnegut's Short Stories
Harrison Bergeron
Discuss the end of the story
Discuss the end of the story
What makes Harrison heroic is that he is willing to flaunt his singularity, even at the risk of death. This courage stands in stark contrast to George, who not only suffers his handicap, but argues for it. His wife, despite her average qualities, sees the injustice and wants to alleviate George's suffering, but George refuses to do so, instead repeating the government's policy. He is too scared to transgress, and as a result allows the injustice to continue. What Vonnegut suggests is that nothing can change unless individuals force it, but that individuals too often lack the courage to enforce that chance.