The Differences and Similarities of the Book Divergent and the Short Story Harrison Bergeron
The Differences and Similarities of the book Divergent and the short story Harrison Bergeron
October 10, 2012
The book Divergent by Veronica Roth and the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, has similar and different views on how they want their societies to function. In each of these stories, citizens both support and go against the governments’ expectations. The government in each of these stories has ways of overpowering their citizens, which is why Tris, the main character in Divergent, and Harrison, the main character in “Harrison Bergeron” rebel against the governments. The way the societies function, the citizens views of the government and the function of the governments all sum up what each of the societies believe about human beings, life and the world.
The function of societies in each of the stories has similar and different ways of working. In Divergent, there are five factions or groups: Erudite, Amity, Candor, Abnegation and Dauntless. The Erudites are filled with knowledge, which is why many people in this faction are teachers. The role of Amity in society is to cultivate strong peaceful relationships with everyone. They are trustworthy, kind, self-sufficient, and forgiving. The faction of Candor is known for telling the truth and nothing but the truth. Not only are they truthful but they are also fair and impartial with their judgments. Abnegation, meaning self-denial, is the faction that has many leaders in government. They enjoy taking care of other people and making others happy. This is the faction that Tris was born into. Finally, the last faction is Dauntless. The members of Dauntless are usually fearless and not discouraged when in the face of danger. This is also the faction that Tris switches to. Veronica Roth describes each of the faction’s roles of the society as:
“Working together these factions have lived in peace for many years, each contributing to a different sector of society. Abnegation has fulfilled
October 10, 2012
The book Divergent by Veronica Roth and the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, has similar and different views on how they want their societies to function. In each of these stories, citizens both support and go against the governments’ expectations. The government in each of these stories has ways of overpowering their citizens, which is why Tris, the main character in Divergent, and Harrison, the main character in “Harrison Bergeron” rebel against the governments. The way the societies function, the citizens views of the government and the function of the governments all sum up what each of the societies believe about human beings, life and the world.
The function of societies in each of the stories has similar and different ways of working. In Divergent, there are five factions or groups: Erudite, Amity, Candor, Abnegation and Dauntless. The Erudites are filled with knowledge, which is why many people in this faction are teachers. The role of Amity in society is to cultivate strong peaceful relationships with everyone. They are trustworthy, kind, self-sufficient, and forgiving. The faction of Candor is known for telling the truth and nothing but the truth. Not only are they truthful but they are also fair and impartial with their judgments. Abnegation, meaning self-denial, is the faction that has many leaders in government. They enjoy taking care of other people and making others happy. This is the faction that Tris was born into. Finally, the last faction is Dauntless. The members of Dauntless are usually fearless and not discouraged when in the face of danger. This is also the faction that Tris switches to. Veronica Roth describes each of the faction’s roles of the society as:
“Working together these factions have lived in peace for many years, each contributing to a different sector of society. Abnegation has fulfilled