First Post: Similarities and Differences of Harrison Bergeron

            The movie Harrison Bergeron is based off of its short story, yet their stories are quite different from each other. There are both similarities and differences with the two pieces, some are obvious and others are buried deep within the context of the two. And even though there are similarities, the amount of differences between the pieces is quite substantial.

            
            The most notable similarity between the story and the movie is the theme: living in a society where everyone is made equal, literally. The entirety of the United States has been “made equal” by suppressing any attributes of a person which would give them an advantage over others. This leaves society as a group of stupid, obedient people. Another, quiet prominent similarity is the characters in the two pieces, mainly the main characters of the two. There is Harrison Bergeron, his parents, his “lover” (roles of the character are slightly different between the two), and the Handicapper-General. These characters play basically the same roles between the movie and the story. These similarities are the basis for both Harrison Bergeron the movie, and “Harrison Bergeron” the short story.

             Yet the differences of the tow are what really make then what they are. While the movie focuses more upon Harrison and how he affects the setting, the story focuses upon Harrison’s parents and how the setting affects them. As well, the short story leaves certain, key details from itself. This allows the reader question, and to try and infer what these questions mean. This ultimately leaves each reader a sense of what the theme is. The movie, on the other hand, explains these plot holes by substituting their own interpretation of the story. They slightly modify and fill in certain things that allow the entire story to come together without leaving the feeling of not understanding the themes. All these differences define the pieces and make them the kinds of pieces they are.

              So in conclusion, the two stories main base are similar, but the defining features of the story and the movie are different. The main difference between the two is amount of details put into them. This allows you to read/watch the same story, yet get a different feel from each one. You have to quite different stories that are the same thing.