Is Diana Moon Glampers a “flat” or “round” character? Would you call Vonnegut’s characterization of her “realistic”? If not, why doesn’t it need to be?
What will be an ideal response?
- Diana Moon Glampers, like many science-fiction characters, is definitely flat because she is in the story merely as a type; in this case, as a tyrant who enforces all the handicaps required to enforce perfect equality in the year 2081. Vonnegut’s characterization is not necessarily realistic since she—ironically displaying a more-than-average strength and intelligence herself—blazes into the story only for the last ten paragraphs, merely to murder Harrison and the ballerina with a “double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun” (par. 79). She then loads the gun, points it at all the musicians who have taken off their handicaps, and gives them ten seconds to put them back on. Her two-paragraph appearance in the story does not show any depth of character or change of heart.
“Harrison Bergeron” is probably best seen as a fable, and it certainly has a moral: don’t be afraid to excel. As in most fables, rounded characterization is unnecessary to its purpose. To help students understand this clearly, you may wish to use this story as a platform for examining the idea of genre. Have students compare it to a classic realist story like “Araby” or “Paul’s Case” and enumerate the differences in style, structure, setting, and characterization.
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What will be an ideal response?