Main points of the movie Harrison Bergeron
Brent Garrison

      "Harrison  Bergeron"  by  Kurt  Vonnegut  is  a  film which
portrays numerous  facets of human psychology  linked with themes
that portray  a bleak future  for the human  species. Among these
themes  are  the  importance   of  individuality,  the  need  for
knowledge  of one's  history, and  the stunning  effect that  one
individual  can  produce  through  his  vision  of the truth. The
government in this futuristic world of 2053 has manipulated human
intelligence to the point where  all persons are required to wear
bands  that rest  on  their  temples. These  bands electronically
modify intelligence, effectively increasing or decreasing natural
IQs to the point where  everyone is average. Obviously, these new
ideals have no  basis in reality. While equality  must be striven
for in  many aspects, it  is the differences  between people that
comprise the backbone of modern society.
      As discussed  above, the bands that  citizens must wear are
incredibly intrusive  in their lives,  disturbing natural thought
and  emotions. The  motive behind  the donning  of these bands is
that equality  will eliminate hatred,  envy, and war.  While this
does prove true, numerous side  effects such as loss of identity,
lack of original  thought, and conformity to a  preset status quo
manifest  themselves as  well.  Indeed,  in school,  students are
commended  for obtaining  a C   in all  of their  subjects; being
average is  considered excellent. Below are  two examples of bell
curves:  the  first  models  modern  society's  realistic view of
grades  with respect  to ability,  while the  second portrays the
utopian  goal of  the world  in 2053,  where ideals  are severely
distorted. This  eradication of diversity in  the future leads to
a new  Constitution, which  states that  all men  are NOT created
equal; it is the government's duty  to render them so with mental
handicaps.  Thus,  zombielike  creatures,  mere  shells  of human
beings,  are  produced.  Marek  Vit  epitomizes  the  beliefs  of
Harrison  Bergeron's   world  with  a  quote   from  his  review:
"...uniformity (of any kind) leads  to the loss of individuality,
and therefore  to absolute deformity  of humanness."(1)
     Another  theme in  the movie  is that  ignorance of the past
leads  to a  bleak future.   Current events  such as  the "ethnic
cleansing"  occurring  in  Kosovo  today  perfectly parallel this
idea. With a  dictator such as Milosevic lording  over the ethnic
Albanians, one cannot help but  notice the similarity between him
and  Adolf Hitler.  A society  must  be  aware of  their past  to
prevent  mistakes  from  repeating  themselves.  Culture  is also
a factor which  defines the cumulative  personality of a  people.
When Harrison  overtakes the complex's  TV studio, he  broadcasts
famous movies  such as "It's  a Wonderful Life,"  "Citizen Kane,"
and "Casablanca," to name a few. The persons viewing this program
are shocked to realize the  way their lives have changed. Malcolm
X's  opinion   of  cultural  education   is  apparent  from   his
autobiography, where he states that  a race's strength stems from
the knowledge of their collective past. The fact that the zombies
dominating  Harrison's  culture  are  unaware  of  this  past  is
a tribute   to  the   effective  brainwashing   executed  by  the
government.
      Irony is prevalent in this movie as well. Where Harrison is
chastised and  mocked for his intelligence,  secretly he is being
monitored by  an agency of  highly intellectual individuals  that
run the country,  akin to the "Wizard of Oz."  The ironic part is
that there is a necessity  for highly intelligent persons in this
"perfect"  society. John  Claxton (head  of the  compound) states
that  there  are  certain  complexities  in  dealing  with  other
countries   that  the   average  individual   in  America  cannot
comprehend. Thus,  he possesses the role  of the godlike advisor,
leading  the  organization  behind  the  scenes  that advises and
monitors television, news, the president,  and all forms of media
accessible  to  the  public.  Through  interpretation, the viewer
realizes that under the false facade of mediocrity, society truly
covets  intelligence.  Unbeknownst  to  Harrison,  the woman that
recruits  him (with  whom he   ultimately falls  in love)  is the
daughter of Claxton, named Philippa. She was originally conceived
in the  compound, where rules  expressly forbid children  between
members. Claxton "pulled some strings,"(2)  and she became one of
the   organization's  members.   Philippa  becomes   pregnant  by
Harrison,  and  flees.   Ultimately,  Claxton's  second-hand  man
performs  a lobotomy  on her  as her  punishment. Their  child is
still  birthed,  but  extenuating  circumstances prevent Harrison
from realizing this. The final form of irony appears in the scene
previously  discussed  where  Harrison  broadcasts  movies to the
public. People appear mesmerized by  the program, and some remove
their headbands to the pleading of Mr. Bergeron. Supposedly, this
scene  gives  hope  for  the  future  of  the  American  culture.
Unfortunately, Harrison later learns that only 1.3% of the public
actually heard the true meaning of the program, and removed their
bands for good. Desparity descends on the movie, and John Claxton
urges Harrison to tell the people  of the country that it was all
a hoax (to preserve order). He  does this, but commits suicide on
the  air  to  demonstrate  the  reality  of  the situation to the
people.
      Symbolism is  utilized at the  conclusion of the  film when
two boys enthusiastically  bound up the stairs in  a home to view
the  recording  of  Harrison  in  the  TV  studio.  They  discuss
a friend's  possession of  other portions  of the  program before
settling in to view it.  After sitting, the two boys nonchalantly
remove  their headbands  to  watch  the broadcast  without mental
hindrance. This  is symbolic of  a freeing of  the mind, and  the
throwing  off of  shackles and  handicaps imposed  on them by the
government. Children have more exploratory minds than adults, and
are thus more  receptive to new ideas and  beliefs. The mere fact
that they  desire to watch  the program illustrates  hope for the
future of  society, as children  are the future  of every nation.
Harrison Bergeron  did not make  an immediate impact  on America,
but his values  were later accepted by others.  Philippa is shown
at  the bottom  of the  staircase in  the final  shot, making  it
apparent that one of the boys  upstairs is Harrison's son. If the
stairs  are   interpreted  as  an  evolutionary   ladder,  it  is
conceivable  that  the  boy's  presence  upstairs  puts  them  on
a higher  hypothetical rung  than Philippa,  who still  wears her
headband.
      Harrison  Bergeron acts  as the  outsider in  Plato's cave,
venturing into the  world apart and returning to  tell the others
of his vision. The truth that  he outlines for them is considered
absurd, and he is ultimately consumed by the culture he wishes to
change. While  his existence may  seem to have  been in vain,  he
does change the future. The themes  and symbolism in this work of
modern  art by  Kurt Vonnegut  illustrate to  modern society  the
importance  of  individuality  and  the  danger  of conforming to
a preconceived norm.

NOTES, WORKS CITED:

Marek Vit,  Uniformity and Deformity  in "Harrison Bergeron,"  An
  exploration of  the main theme  of "Harrison Bergeron"  [online
  resource] http://www.oocities.org/Hollywood/4953/bergeron.html

Kurt Vonnegut, "Harrison Bergeron," [movie resource]

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