The Ballerina Scene in Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron"

Often times in literature, authors use utopian societies in order to critique or warn about the dangers that some courses of actions or ideals can have on society and the future. Kurt Vonnegut employs such a tactic in his satirical short story, "Harrison Bergeron." He constructs a "perfect" society in which every person is made to be equal in every possible way. Those who are above average are "handicapped" by a totalitarian ruler, the Handicapper General. Vonnegut primarily criticizes this idea of total equality through the ballerina scene. He uses different metaphors in order to show how inequality in talent and intelligence creates a beautiful, diverse, creative, and interesting world. At first, the ballerinas on television are mediocre, ungraceful, and clumsy. The fact that they are tied down with bags and other handicaps like the mental radio hinder their ability to effectively dance and express themselves. Later on, when Harrison Bergeron escapes and enters the television station, he selects one of the ballerinas to be his "empress." She then takes off her mask and reveals that she is "blindingly beautiful." This action symbolizes a newfound freedom from a repressed state along with a will to not conform and challenge the status quo. The bold action by the ballerina shows that she is not satisfied with the world that forces her to suppress her talents and appearance and that she is willing to fight for her own freedom. At the same time, Harrison Bergeron's valiant storming into the TV station and self-proclamation as the new "Emperor" symbolize the same defiant spirit. Vonnegut then eloquently describes the dancing of Harrison Bergeron and the ballerina in order to demonstrate the benefits that inequality has on society. The once pedestrian dance that appeared on the television is converted into an elegant, heroic, engaging, and true form of art. Vonnegut shows his audience a magnificent side to humanity, one that cannot be achieved when we strive for complete and total equality. The ballerina kissing the ceiling metaphorically states that without "handicaps" to obstruct our progress, we are able to achieve and accomplish more. When the Handicapper General appears and kills Harrison Bergeron and the ballerina, Vonnegut warns his readers that rebellious spirits will not be able to live for long under the rule of a totalitarian government, especially if people who are able to act, like George Bergeron, remain passive and conform. Because everyone is not created with equal attributes and skills, I feel that there is not point to creating a society with total equality. This brings to mind the discussion we had over Harrison Bergeron. I agree that students should be separated into regular classes and honors classes because I believe it leads to greater success for those who are able to learn material faster. However, I deeply believe in Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. According to Gardner, humans are born with different intelligences with different levels. I feel as though people would be able to accomplish greater things if their multiple intelligences were identified and focused on in order to stimulate their specific talents. It is useless to strive for total equality in a society composed of dissimilar individuals.