Thematic Comparison: Harrison Bergeron Vs. The Chrysalids

A artist's portrayal of Harrison Bergeron

A thematic connection can clearly be seen in both the short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and the novel The Chrysalids by John Wyndham as both show the extremes society will go to in an attempt to enforce equality.

It can clearly be seen in both texts how society often limits the special abnormalities of individuals. In Harrison Bergeron, anyone with a particular gift or ability is discouraged using a disability. This is done in an effort to hide an individual’s strengths and also prevent one person from being more skilled than another. Many people are given disabilities such as “George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear… Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.” Likewise in The Chrysalids, anything or anyone in the Waknuk village with an extra toe, arm or any other mutation, is considered a Deviation and is either killed or singled out and evicted to the Fringes. This is where other ‘deviations’ reside. David Strorm explains the typical ritual carried out by his father, a prevailing leader of the village and supporter of its religious values whenever a Deviation was found in his household. He describes that " we would sing a hymn while my father ceremoniously slaughtered the two-headed calf, four-legged chicken, or whatever other kind of Offence it happened to be. Sometimes it would be a much queerer thing than those..."  In both stories, the unique attributes of a person are restricted to keep  society at a common level. Both of these stories depict how society often prefers to censor anything that is abnormal or promotes individualism. Exceptionalities are suppressed, all to maintain equality among society.

The book cover of  'The Chrysalids'

Both texts also show how society fears those who may be particularly gifted or irregular. In Harrison Bergeron, a television news report informs citizens to fear the outstanding strength, intelligence and overall exceptional skills of Harrison Bergeron. Even after being given several handicaps to cover up his strengths, he is still described as ’under-handicapped’. The newsreader warns viewers about "Harrison Bergeron, age fourteen…has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous." Similarly in The Chrysalids, the highly religious villagers of Waknuk shun any kind of Deviation as they fear the consequences from God for accepting anyone with a mutation. Those with mutations are considered to symbolize The Devil and therefore, are feared. David Strorm, having grown up in a highly religious household, questions the faith he has been raised under after encountering a girl with six toes.  He thinks of the Definition of Man and recites to himself, "And each leg shall be jointed twice and shall have one foot and each foot 5 toes. And any creature that shall seem to be human, but is not formed thus, is not human. It is a blasphemy against the true image of God, and hateful in the sight of God." Both of these narratives illustrate how people are often taught to fear anything that is out of the ordinary instead of embracing it. To civilians, Harrison Bergeron is considered a dangerous criminal who occupies many remarkable qualities while those with mutations in The Chrysalids are feared and thought of as a form of the Devil in human form. This shows how irregularities are often feared by society.

In conclusion, both The Chrysalids and Harrison Bergeron prove the extremes society will go to in an effort to enforce equality. This includes putting limits on the unique qualities of individuals and fearing those with exceptionalities.