The meaning of unique, is something that is not similar, unequal, or incomparable. Uniqueness defines a person and who they are. The story, "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is about a place where everyone is 'equal'. Nobody was smarter, better looking, stronger, or quicker than anyone else. The theme of this short story is Freedom, whether the characters have it, or not. In comparison, an image of the same, simple and plain, non-lit bulbs lying on the ground, with one fluorescent bulb in the middle, standing tall and lit. The message of this image is Uniqueness brings Freedom. The fluorescent bulb is unique compared to the others, and because of it, it is free to stand tall, and show its light. In the short story, people whose intelligence is above normal, like George, had a little mental handicap radio in their ear. The story says, “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.” Others, who had a more appealing appearance, wore masks on their faces. The more stunning they looked, the uglier the mask. Also, the stronger you were, the more pounds of handicap bags you had to wear. “She must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous. And it was easy to see that she was the strongest and most graceful of all the dancers, for her handicap bags were as big as those worn by two-hundred pound men.” Near the end, Harrison escaped from jail, from being under suspicion of wanting to overthrow the government. He was a genius, as well as an athlete. Harrison wanted to be free, and tore every handicap device off of himself. He yelled, “Even as I stand here crippled, hobbled, sickened – I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived! Now watch me become what I can become!” Despite the fact that he was indeed tortured, and injured, he wanted to be free and show the world his unique abilities of strength and intelligence. A ballerina did the same, and she was blindingly beautiful. Her unique beauty stood out, and she was free to dance as gracefully as she wanted. She was free to be herself. The image of the light bulbs relate to this story, because the ones laying on the floor are all the same and ‘equal’, just like the characters in Harrison Bergeron. The one fluorescent bulb represents Harrison and the ballerina. They both knew what they were capable of, and wanted freedom to be able to do what they love, in the best way that they can.
