People are like new books, do not judge them by their cover. Some people may look mean, tough, or mad but deep down inside they are soft, kind, and sweet. Do not just judge people based on their appearance. In “Harrison Bergeron”, Harrison breaks out of a jail, dismantles his handicaps, and dances. He knows at any point he could die but he wants to show who he is to the world. Kurt Vonnegut writes about self expression by making Harrison dance with a ballerina instead of killing the innocent people at that studio.
Vonnegut writes that in the future we will have “handicaps”. Handicaps are 1) a bag a birdshot around people’s necks 2)buzzers in your ear that make you lose your thought or 3) metal around their neck. The only catch is that Harrison is 14, 7’ tall, and strong. Because of this Harrison has to be excluded or go to jail because he is not equal to the other people. If you refuse to listen or do what you are told, you will die. “Harrison placed his big hands on the girl’s tiny waist, letting her feel the weightlessness that would so be her’s” (Vonnegut 4). Even though Harrison’s society wants everyone to be equal Harrison was not afraid to stand up and express his feelings.
Harrison tries to break free from jail with the mentality to try to overcome the government of the 213th and 214th amendments. Harrison tears all his scrap-iron and breaks the ballerina and the musicians handicaps off too! “Harrison’s scrap-iron handicaps fell to the floor, setting him free” (Vonnegut 4). Harrison is destined to die but even so he wanted to feel free for the last few moments he had left of his life.
Harrison once in the air dancing kisses the ballerina in the air and… gets killed. Those last moments were the best for Harrison because he died free and happy. “...they were dead before they hit the floor” (Vonnegut 5). Even though Harrison died he left a legacy for the others that will remember him for what he did. He wanted a change, freedom.
Harrison at first might have seemed like a mean tough guy but in the end he just wanted to dance. The reader might have judged Harrison based on his appearance and that would have led them to believe something totally different than they did. Do not judge people based on their appearance, it only leads one to jump to conclusions.