There are many different types of equality in the story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. There are three main equalities that caught my eye. Those equalities are how they say everybody is equal, George having to have a mental handicap radio in his ear, and how Hazel has a perfectly average intelligence. Those are the three main things I am going to be writing about.
Kurt expresses that In the year of 2081, everybody was finally equal. They werent on equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. What I learned from this is that nobody is perfect. Everyone is exactly alike and it will always be this way. People sit there and say this person is better looking than that person and thats not the truth. The truth is that everyone is exactly alike if every way. They are alike in intelligence, looks, strength, and everyone has the same abilities as all other in the world.
George Bergeron has to wear a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. His ear piece was tuned to a government transmitter and every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like himself from taking unfair advantages of their brains. Just because George is a handicap and has to wear a handicap ear piece at all times doesnt mean he is any different then all other people. He still looks just like other, has the strengths of other, and has the same abilities everyone else has. He just has problems with his hearing and thats all and with his ear piece he hears just like everyone else.
Hazel Bergeron has a perfectly average intelligence. This means she cant think about anything except in short bursts. Her not being able to think about a lot of things at once doesnt mean that she isnt smart. It just means that it takes her a little longer to gather her thoughts together. She has the ability to do certain things still and is a very smart woman. If she wanted to she could be a genius just like any other person can be if they wanted to. Just because it takes her a little longer to gather her thoughts doesnt mean she cant do certain things.
The equalities I learn from this story were very clear to me. Everyone being the same, George being handicap and Hazel having average intelligence does mean they arent like other people. All people are the exact same. No one is better looking, no one is stronger, and no one is smarter then anyone else. Every person in the world is equal in every way possible. All people have the same strengths and weaknesses. In the end everybody is finally equal.
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