Analysis

The analysis of the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut shows that the text has a chronological structure, with events that take place over several hours. 

The main characters of the story are Hazel, George, and Harrison Bergeron. While Hazel symbolizes the average person, who benefits from the current system, George and Harrison are symbols of mental and physical excellence that need to be suppressed.

The physical setting reveals that the events take place in the United States, in a future dystopian society, characterized by an extreme form of egalitarianism. Some of the events take place in the Bergerons’ house, while the others take place in a TV studio. The social setting mainly focuses on the negative consequences of a society where all people are supposed to be the same. 

The story is told by a third-person narrator who functions as an observer of the events. The narrator mainly presents events from George’s perspective.

The language used in the story is simple and resembles a journalistic and detached style. The narrative mainly relies on symbols and irony, which are used to criticize the unfairness of an egalitarian society. 

A full analysis of the short story can be found in the following pages.