Kurt Vannegut And Anthem: Dystopian Societies

Steven Williams
Ms. Kline
English II
10/3/17
Dystopian Family
“Take a look in the mirror and what do you see? Do you see it clearer or are you deceived in what you believe.”- “Human” by Rag’n Bone.
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vannegut and “Anthem” by Ayn Rand are two stories of societies that strive for total equality among the people. These societies are called dystopian societies.. The government in these societies have deprived the people of individuality, free thinking and family, giving the people a false sense of happiness and love. Although “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vannegut and “Anthem” by Ayn Rand are both pieces of dystopian literature, their portrayal of family differs greatly.
Marriage is how a family starts and grows, but in these two dystopian societies, marriage has been altered by their government. In

In “Harrison Bergeron” people are forced to wear handicaps to suppress their uniqueness so they can be equally smart, strong, and fast. In the story we get an example of a common marriage in their society. The husband is named George Bergeron and the wife is named Hazel Bergeron. George is a strong and smart man, but because of this he must wear a handicap such as weights on his neck to counteract his strength. He must also wear a radio in his ear that transmits a signal to keep him from going into deep thought. He does this to obey the law that he believes in. Hazel is of average intelligence so she doesn't need handicaps. She is a sweet lady but unfortunately she’s a scatterbrain and can only think in short bursts. The Bergerons accept the way things are even if it is uncomfortable for George to wear the handicaps. At one point, Hazel tells George to rest his weights and says “I don’t care if you’re not equal to me for a while.” (Vonnegut 2) but George responds “I don’t notice it any more. It’s just a part of me.”(Vonnegut