Her finder du hjælp til at analysere novellen “Harrison Bergeron” af Kurt Vonnegut. Vi giver dig overblik over novellens indhold, opbygning og karakterer samt hjælp til at perspektivere novellen.
Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) var en amerikansk forfatter, som både skrev romaner, noveller, skuespil og essays. Han er berømt for science-fiction som sin foretrukne genre og for sin sorte, ofte satiriske humor. Hans mest populære roman er Slaughterhouse-Five, hvor han kritiserer krigens absurditet og grusomheder på en morbid, men komisk facon. “Harrison Bergeron” fra 1961 er en typisk dystopisk novelle, som Vonnegut også skrev flere af. Se fx vores study guide til “2BR02B”.
Uddrag
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Social setting
The story’s social setting presents a dystopian egalitarian society of the future. In 2081, US citizens live in a society where all people are equal and no one is considered more talented than anyone else. This happens with the help of artificial handicaps, which force intelligent, beautiful, and strong people to become mediocre: “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” (p. 1, ll. 2-4).
The purpose and use of artificial handicaps becomes clearer as the story progresses. Intelligent people are forced to wear radio transmitters in their ears (p. 1, ll. 13-15). Beautiful people are forced to wear masks that hide their beauty (p. 1, ll. 29-30) or are disfigured (p. 4, ll. 1-3). Physically strong people are burdened with weights: “Scrap metal was hung all over him” (p. 3, l. 39). The artificial handicaps are used to brainwash citizens, who are not allowed to think for themselves, and to repress their uniqueness.
