Marxism In Harrison Bergeron
Six years after Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany, Victory in Europe was declared. But with the fall of the Nazis, a new enemy of the West appeared—the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, or the USSR, was a Marxist-Leninist state with a highly centralized government and economy, that through its one-party, the Communist Party, promised social and economic equality for all. But the Red State did not fulfill its promises, with Soviet Premiers like Stalin killing millions of its citizens. It truly seemed as though Marxism, as it was practiced in the Soviet Union, was nothing but equality in social and economic misery for all. It is perhaps because of the USSR’s interpretation of Marxism that Kurt Vonnegut was inspired to write his short story Harrison
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The utopian vision proposed in the story comes from Harrison Bergeron when he removes all his handicaps and claims to be the “Emperor”. After claiming himself to be Emperor, he removes the handicaps of those around him, unlocking their abilities in fulfilling their potential: “Harrison plucked the mental handicap from her ear, snapped off her physical handicaps with marvelous delicacy. Last of all he removed her mask. She was blindingly beautiful.” (5). In this utopian vision that Harrison tries to unlock, people are able to compete against one another, an idea that was essentially brainwashed into shame by the egalitarian government in place. An example of competition being feared and put to shame can be shown when Hazel Bergeron asks her husband to disobey the law and remove his handicap. Her husband, George, responded: "If I tried to get away with it," said George, "then other people’d get away with it-and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?" (3). It is apparent that Harrison’s vision is a vision of utopia, as when he unlocks his potential and that of those around him, he begins to dance unlike anyone else, and “much improved” music begins to play around him—creating a utopia where people may be better at others in something, by specializing, ergo
The utopian vision proposed in the story comes from Harrison Bergeron when he removes all his handicaps and claims to be the “Emperor”. After claiming himself to be Emperor, he removes the handicaps of those around him, unlocking their abilities in fulfilling their potential: “Harrison plucked the mental handicap from her ear, snapped off her physical handicaps with marvelous delicacy. Last of all he removed her mask. She was blindingly beautiful.” (5). In this utopian vision that Harrison tries to unlock, people are able to compete against one another, an idea that was essentially brainwashed into shame by the egalitarian government in place. An example of competition being feared and put to shame can be shown when Hazel Bergeron asks her husband to disobey the law and remove his handicap. Her husband, George, responded: "If I tried to get away with it," said George, "then other people’d get away with it-and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?" (3). It is apparent that Harrison’s vision is a vision of utopia, as when he unlocks his potential and that of those around him, he begins to dance unlike anyone else, and “much improved” music begins to play around him—creating a utopia where people may be better at others in something, by specializing, ergo