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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. 198-

202.