In the short story “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut describes a vivid world in which the citizens are content and peaceful on the surface. However, it becomes clear that this is a dehumanizing and unpleasant world, where everyone is equal. It is a dystopia where strict regulations are imposed on the basis of equality. No one can be smarter, more beautiful, or more capable than anyone else; if you are naturally smarter than everyone else, handicaps are applied to level everyone up to be equal. The protagonist Harrison Bergeron challenges the forced equality in this society. Through creating a distorted version of social norms and values ​​such as equality at the extremes, the author pushes readers to question what happiness is and how it is achieved and justified in their real-life societies or cultures. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayVonnegut refers to the idea of ​​authentic happiness in a community when it creates a society in which all are made equal through the implementation of government-controlled handicaps on those who are exceptionally attractive, talented, or intelligent. No one is better than anyone else, as it reduces any competition that might cause controversy, ultimately producing what appears to be a satisfied society. The exception to the status quo thinking is Harrison Bergeron, son of a handicapped father named George and an unintelligent mother Hazel. His distinctive qualities make him a threat to society, putting him in prison with extreme handicaps. He eventually escapes, defying his physical and mental restrictions and is ultimately killed because of it. The citizens of this world are brainwashed by the government into accepting the status quo. They actually think that the oppression of their individuality is for the greater good of their society. Support for this belief is seen when George refers to the earlier times without handicaps as “the dark ages […] with everyone competing against everyone else” ( ). People like George show how this community perceives new obstacles as a good thing. However, the reader is aware that this is not genuine happiness but a false happiness on the surface. The public can see this falsehood of happiness promoted in this society. When Harrison was killed at the end of the story, his mother Hazel failed to react with real emotions to the tragedy of what happened. She could not react with the passion and depth of emotion one would expect from a mother who has lost her child. Her father George tells Hazel, "Forget the sad things," and she replies, "I always do" ( ). She is desensitized to her authentic feelings due to the norms that society has imposed on her. To promote “happiness” ignorance or rejection of sad or tragic events is taught. Because she is told to overlook sad things, this means that much of the happiness she feels is forced by society. It is not true happiness, but the false happiness that comes from not recognizing the raw emotions of sad events. This false happiness of these citizens is unknowingly to their detriment. The government has essentially brainwashed people by disguising the mind control they use to maintain power over people as “equality” without which their lives would be horrible. Vonnegut is trying to emphasize the importance of diversity, since if people were to become holistically identical, they would be more predictable and therefore easier for the government to control. If no one is allowed to be different in the name of equality, different perspectives, 54(4), 81-93.