`` Harrison Bergeron `` By Kurt Vonnegut Critique Of...

The world is an unfair place, and while this may seem wrong, changing it would only create more disorder. In the story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron,† Kurt Vonnegut introduces the readers to a world where everyone is â€Å"equal.† This definition of equality is based on the notion that all competition is evil and corrupt, and that no one should feel inferior in light of others success or talent. Controlled by the Handicapper General, the extreme measures used to equalize society has limited innovation and made commodities like food, entertainment, and relaxation of substandard quality. This fictional government has forced people to live in a way that suppresses their natural abilities, and it convinced many characters that this is the way society should be. The mass acceptance of such an existence by those characters demonstrates a critique of American conformity and the power of the government over this behavior. The tone of the story is very interesting. Though the co ntext of the story is quite shocking, the language it is written in is very informal and nonchalant; making the setting seem almost normal. The normalization of this society is meant to make the readers condemn its leaders for thinking such practices are acceptable; even though, the readers themselves may be holding on to ideas that are similarly condemnable to those who know better. Take, for example, the nature of society during the time period this story was written in. After WWII, America entered a time of mass