Individualism Vs. Society

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Ali Kilinc – 900235909 – Essay #2: Literary Analysis - Draft #: 7 Ms. Rebecca Alexander ENG 193: Literature & Composition – 10:30AM – 40423 16 May 2009 TOPIC #7: Discuss the theme of individualism versus society in “Harrison Bergeron” and “A&P.” Individualism vs. Society Where can one find tremendous yet seemingly fruitless acts of individualism in literature? The stories “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and “A & P” by John Updike both explore this central theme. In the story “A & P”, the struggle against society is portrayed through the character Sammy, and in the story “Harrison Bergeron”, it is portrayed by Harrison. The characters both face many challenges; Sammy faces his boss, who is set in his ways, and Harrison faces an entire society which is corrupt. The events that the two characters provoke in these stories flawlessly demonstrate their individualism. Sammy and Harrison prove to be perfect examples of individualism versus society through their uniqueness and self-expression, rebellion against authority, persistence, and their stubbornness to conform. Sammy and Harrison both show great signs of individualism in the stories “Harrison Bergeron” and “A & P” through their obvious displays of uniqueness and self-expression. For example, Harrison thinks that he needs to change what he presumes is wrong by doing something drastic. He removes his “handicaps,” and then starts dancing; the law requires that he

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wears his “handicaps”, and also states that dancing is illegal. Furthermore, he performs both of these acts on live television (Vonnegut, Jr. 201). In the story, no one can dare defy the Handicapper General and do such acts, but it is Harrison’s defying nature that leads him to act out of self-expression. Furthermore, in the story “A & P,” Sammy repeatedly imagines demeaning his boss, Lengel, and then lightly acts with his actual words by accusing him of being too harsh on the girls who were at the store. Since he did not see the girls in the same way as Lengel did, he speaks out because he feels as though he needs to express his own, different views. Moreover, Sammy awkwardly fantasizes about them in ways such as caressing their faces, further proving his uniqueness. Lengel, the manager of the A & P grocery store, is also a Sunday-school teacher and a very respectable member of the society. By defying Lengel on such a controversial subject, Sammy shows that he is feeling an immense sense of a need to act out of self-expression. Sammy and Harrison portray distinctive individualistic traits that eventually lead to both characters rebelling against their superiors. In “Harrison Bergeron” and “A & P,” the main characters, Harrison and Sammy,

both

rebel

against

authority

because

of

their

excessive

individualism. Their persistent acts of defiance stem from their uniqueness. The relentless and rebellious behavior that Harrison exhibits can only be explained by the utmost in self-motivating individualism. For example, Harrison’s behavior is so extraordinary, that he proclaims himself Emperor of a regime, which he newly creates (Vonnegut, Jr. 201). As a result of this

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mentality, he acts in a rebellious manner just as Sammy does in “A & P”. In contrast, Sammy plots to defy his leader, Lengel, as well. He doesn’t plot to overthrow him like Harrison does because Sammy is weak and unable to inspire anyone, including himself. What he does is similar to Harrison, proclaiming his denunciation and exclaiming his withdrawal, out of his frustration and anger. The way these characters, Sammy and Harrison, rebel against authority prove their obstinacy because of their inability to conform to

society’s

norms.

Thus,

they

further

prove

their

insubordination,

stubbornness, and affirm their individuality. One can also see that Sammy and Harrison exhibit extreme individualism through their persistence. For instance, Harrison is heavily handicapped in every way imaginable; on top of all that, he is also imprisoned. None of these are of the slightest hindrance for him because he is relentless, and he is able to escape. During his escape from jail, his character and personality become very obvious. When considering his circumstances and then taking into account what results in the aftermath, one can only come to the conclusion that Harrison is one inexorably stubborn teenager! When examining the stubbornness of Sammy in the story “A & P,” the only clue the reader needs is Sammy’s relentless imaginary attacks upon Lengel. His stubbornness overcomes his imagination, even though Sammy is obviously a weak and diminutive teenager who generally has an inability to rebel against authority. Yet Sammy reacts, as Lengel crushes more and more of Sammy’s hopes and dreams. To paraphrase Sir Isaac Newton, every action

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has its equal and opposite reaction. The more aggressive Lengel becomes, the more stubborn Sammy reacts, eventually leading him to do something seemingly drastic: quitting. For many readers, Harrison and Sammy’s behavior may seem baffling, but in reality it is quite noticeable due to the heavy foreshadowing that occurs early on in both stories. Their behavior can simply be explained through the characters’ inability to accept their current society’s standards and morals because they deem them either mistaken or not in cahoots with their own values [Insert quote or reference from stories here] [Insert research here]. It is obvious that Sammy’s and Harrison’s acts of stubbornness prove their individualism against the society in which they reside. Both “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and “A & P” by John Updike are two powerful stories that establish strong individualism against a form of authority [Insert citation here]. [Insert Research here] On one hand, the story “A & P” offers this display of individualism in the form of a weak rebellious

teenager.

Conversely,

“Harrison

Bergeron”

displays

this

individualism in the form of a boasting young man, full of energy. These stories also show how the character’s individualistic views somewhat force them to express their views and opinions. This self-expression leads to both of the characters’ downfall, because anyone who rebels against authority is bound to face consequences, as they both do. Finally, one must see that their stubbornness towards conformity proves their individuality. These

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stories definitively display that individuality violently bashes and thrashes out societal norms, however not necessarily leading to an affirmed victory.

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Works Cited Updike, John. “A & P. ” Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. Kennedy, X. J, and GIOIA. New York: Pearson, 2007. 14-19. Vonnegut Jr., Kurt. “Harrison Bergeron. ” Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. Kennedy, X. J, and GIOIA. New York: Pearson, 2007. 198202.