Many of us want equality, however, is it really possible? In “Harrison Bergeron,” although the Handicapper General claims that everyone in society is finally equal, is that truly the case? Everyone was not equal because few were below average, above average, and others were still talented. First of all, the handicaps given to talented people is used to bring them down to average. However, people who wear the handicaps may be below average. For example, in the story, good-looking people wore masks to make them less attractive. This is significant to my claim because the masks actually make them less appealing than average. If people were too pretty or beautiful, they’d have to wear hideous masks, which makes everyone not equal, because some …show more content…
They my believe that George is kept average since he isn’t able to think very well, therefore making him have average intelligence. However, one must consider his weights. The weight handicaps make him weaker compared to “average” people like Hazel. As you may recall, George’s weights, which were “47 pounds of birdshot in a canvas bag,” were so heavy that Hazel told him to lay and rest, but George replied that “I don’t mind. I don’t notice it anymore.” It also states that, “George was white and trembling, and tears stood on the rims of his red eyes.” However, this didn’t happen to Hazel, so, technically, they weren’t equal. Also, it was unfair for the ballerinas as well. Only “two of the eight ballerinas had collapsed to the studio floor.” The other six ballerinas were fine because they didn’t have the ear radios or weights. Therefore, they weren’t equal.
To sum this up, everyone in “Harrison Bergeron” was not equal because some were below average, above average, and/or still had their talents. Even with handicaps, “Harrison Bergeron” has proved that everyone is society cannot be completely equal, that being the case, everyone in the story was not entirely