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ozziebug524_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Medical trauma, and Murder
fieldofhats's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Read for Intro. to English Education.
In the world of this story, everyone must be equal in both physical and mental capacities, and those who have any sort of advantages in life must wear handicaps. Our main character, George, constantly hears loud and jarring noises in his ear whenever he thinks too hard. His wife, Hazel, does not need a handicap. The couple is watching a ballerina performance on television when they see their son, Harrison, who was removed from their home by the “police” just a short while before, remove his handicaps and declare himself emperor. He dances with a beautiful ballerina, who he tells to take off her handicaps as well, and they dance to the ceiling. He and the ballerina are then shot and killed by the “Handicapper General”. The television turns to static, and the parents can’t recall what they just witnessed.
In the world of this story, everyone must be equal in both physical and mental capacities, and those who have any sort of advantages in life must wear handicaps. Our main character, George, constantly hears loud and jarring noises in his ear whenever he thinks too hard. His wife, Hazel, does not need a handicap. The couple is watching a ballerina performance on television when they see their son, Harrison, who was removed from their home by the “police” just a short while before, remove his handicaps and declare himself emperor. He dances with a beautiful ballerina, who he tells to take off her handicaps as well, and they dance to the ceiling. He and the ballerina are then shot and killed by the “Handicapper General”. The television turns to static, and the parents can’t recall what they just witnessed.
I read this in high school, and it never quite left my psyche because I immediately recognized and remembered the premise as I began re-reading it. My reaction both then and now immediately after reading it was the same; I can’t seem to make heads or tales of the message. This is a story of liberation, I think. The message could be read as something like, “We shouldn’t let society’s standards hold us back”, and the ending of the story, when the liberator character dies, is a commentary on the strife of artists or something like that.
But there’s also an odd angle of the privileged people having to be dumbed down to fit the lowest standard, and since this is seemingly a bad thing, the audience gets it in their head that Vonnegut is promoting the rights and privileges of those who are already fortunate, implying that they shouldn’t be held back, instead of acknowledging the plight of those who were handicapped already by circumstances of life. And to add to this, the premise seems to imply a message of anti-equality, at least on the surface.
I don’t quite think that’s what Vonnegut intended, but I think it’s an angle that could definitely be explored with this piece. That’s where my mind goes first, both in high school and now. However, I think this story is commenting less on equality and more on equity. In this story, everyone is handicapped to fit the lowest denominator, and no one is allowed to exceed it. That seems absurd, of course, and it’s meant to be. The more logical conclusion to draw would be to give everyone more equal opportunity; if someone is handicapped or in some way seen as unequal in society’s eyes (people of color, LGBTQ+ people, those who belong to a minority religion, etc.), give them resources to elevate them to the proper standard. it seems as though Vonnegut wanted us to come to this exact conclusion. He wanted to show us how absurd this solution is so we get to thinking about the alternative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, and Death
cleotheo's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Murder