Handicaps in Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron"

Handicaps in Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”

Kurt Vonnegut uses the symbolism of handicaps in his short story, "Harrison Bergeron," to convey the difficulty people have in expressing their individual self and standing up against "un-equality." The handicaps symbolize the fight and struggle for individual equality. The masks symbolize the need and desire for a glimpse of what  characteristics every individual hides. And, Harrison's red rubber ball nose symbolizes for equality we must humbly accept our own humiliation. Vonnegut's symbolism describes the hardship we endure as an individual in our communities, but we don’t need a second opinion if we accept ourselves inevitably.

Vonnegut’s use of the mask in “Harrison Bergeron” symbolizes the need and desire for a glimpse of what characteristics every individual hides . He takes the mask and as a handicap it is the balance of the woman’s beauty. While George was watching the ballerinas on the television, he commented the ballerina speaking  “(She) must have been extraordinary beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous.” In the story, the masks symbolize the influence community has on people’s reflection of themselves, how they should or should not appear to the public, and what is presentable and what is not. And, this symbolism shows how in “Harrison Bergeron” their was no equality for the individual. People wear masks all the time to hide what they truly are and appear as what they are not . We are at constant war, with our own selves and community, for our individualism.  We sometimes hate how different we look and how unique our personalities are and are willing to give up that individuality to fit the norm. However, when we take a step back and take off our masks, we are accepting everything that we are, the imperfections and the perfections. Harrison picks out his Queen, and “Last of all, he removed her mask. She was blindingly beautiful.” Harrison is showing her by taking off her mask she doesn’t need rules or regulations to tell her who she is. The ballerina is set free, and now can exceed beyond the boundaries of their community. This symbolizes taking away what we stand behind that misrepresents us and hides us, and seeing we are “blindingly beautiful ”. We are all not supermodels or presidents, and we blindly try to hard to mimic people that have more and look better to feel we are just at worthy as they are. Vonnegut describes the masks as hideous, because they are our falsities, desires, and guilty pleasures. When we let go of our masks, the people we are beneath are infinitely greater.

Vonnegut shows us through the symbolism of Harrison’s red rubber ball nose to take a step into equality we must have an understanding of humility. Vonnegut depicts Harrison piled with handicaps and wearing a red rubber ball on his nose to “offset his good looks” as a reminder that he is an outcast, and he is forever labeled a threat to the balance of the community.  Harrison is abandoned and betrayed by his friends, family, and community. The red nose also symbolizes the shame and self pity people crawl to for the comfort of embracing the inequality and rejoin the mob.  Vonnegut  tells us to have true equality, individuals have to be able to step out and accept their humiliation with humility. People have to love their “red rubber ball nose” and embrace that unique quality that ultimately makes them one of a kind. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, think we aren’t as good, but understand like Harrison Bergeron there are no limits for us, only we can set our life’s limitations.

Vonnegut shows us through the symbolism of handicaps that individuality is one of the most treasured qualities an “equal” person can possess. Being an individual means taking off the handicaps our community oppresses upon us and embracing everything that we are. People desperately try to fit in and be equal , we try so hard to be safe and follow everyone else so we don’t make a mistake and make a fool out of ourselves. We have pride and expectations for ourselves to blend in and not seen as insanely intolerable. The truth is we will never be exactly alike with appearance or titles, but, as equal people, we are to treat one another with the same amount of respect and reverence.