Harrison Bergeron

by Kurt Vonnegut

Harrison Bergeron: Situational Irony 1 key example

Situational Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Forced "Equality":

Vonnegut uses situational irony to expose the faults of absolute equality. The speaker explains that the government prohibits anyone from being smarter, better-looking, stronger, or quicker than anyone else. This supposed equality is enforced by the United States Handicapper General through vigilance, including violence against rebelling individuals. In turn, Vonnegut exposes the flaw of equality by totalitarian enforcement: all individuals might be physically and mentally equal to each other, but the entire population lives under the subjection of the federal government. The irony, then, is that equality is often pursued alongside freedom and independence, but forced equality actually inhibits the freedom of people in this society.