Harrison Bergeron Symbolism

Words: 654
Pages: 3

Why do numerous authors write dystopias? Why do they want us to crack the code on their hidden messages? Symbolism is when an object, person, or setting represents something else. Allusion is a reference to a well known story, work of art, historical figure/ event, or movie. An allusion is similar to a symbol. Each author in Harrison Bergeron, 2BR02B, and The Lottery uses symbolism in a countless number of ways.
Kurt Vonnegut, the author of Harrison Bergeron, gives us some examples of symbolism. To start off with, George Bergeron,the father of Harrison, hears a 21 gun salute in his ear piece. Normally you hear a 21 gun salute for a fallen hero. For example, when someone in the army dies. Kurt Vonnegut puts the salute in his story to symbolise
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This short story also shows us many examples of symbolism. He even gives us a bit of allusion, for example, there is the title. It is from one of shakespeares plays. To be or not to be is a famous line from Hamlet. Ok, now here is the symbolism in the story. In the story the painter is telling a man that the world is not as perfect as everyone thinks it is. The painter paints this beautiful garden with people in white and purple. Then the author states, “ The painter gestured at a foul splattered dropcloth. “There’s a good picture of it,” he said. “Frame that, and you’ll have a picture more honest than this one.”” What the painter is trying to say is that this world they are living in is actually a very horrid place, and no one knows what is going on. The final example in this story is about the colors the doctors wear. All the doctors are dressed in white, and the other important people, working for the government, all wear purple. White symbolises innocence and purity. This what the doctors wear, yet they are the ones killing people. Purple usually symbolises royalty. All the citizens in this dystopia treat the people in purple like royalty, but they are murderers. Kurt Vonnegut is not the only author that can show symbolism and allusion in his work.
Shirley Jackson the author of The Lottery gives us examples of symbolism and allusion in her weird, eerie, and odd short story. When the person gets stoned it is from the biblical era. So this