Compare And Contrast Anthem And Harrison Bergeron

Many societies have strived for equality throughout history and many authors create stories that revolve around it. The author of Anthem, Ayn Rand and Kurt Vonnegut the Author of “Harrison Bergeron” both created their own societies that strive for perfect equality through the community. During both stories a citizen doesn’t abide by the rules of the society and are punished for it. In Both works the authors use similar concepts to prove their point throughout their stories.
One similar concept is that human nature causes people to resist control from others. In “Harrison Bergeron” Harrison, “tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper”(Vonnegut 4). This excerpt proves that when other people try to hold people back the person being held back will try to fight back. Many people do not want to be controlled by anyone but themselves. It is also proven in Anthem when Equality vows to fight, he, his sons, and his chosen friends; “For the freedom of man. For his rights. For his life. For his honor”(Rand 104). He vows to fight for the freedom of man against the very people trying to hold him back. Almost every person will be willing to rise up against someone who is trying to hold them back. Humanity is meant to be “free” not have every concept of their
Harrison’s father was smarter than other people so the society gave him, “A little mental handicap radio in his ear”(Vonnegut 1) that didn’t allow him to think too much about something. Not everyone in the society was equal so they tried to make them. In Anthem, Equality “learned things which are not in the scripts, we have solved secrets of which the scholars have no knowledge”(Rand 36). Equality was smarter than everyone in the society and when the scholars learned about it they tried to have him killed. The truth of the matter is that no matter how hard a society tries no one will ever be the same as someone