Answer:
In the beginning of the story, the reader is given a picture of the world that Diana Moon Glampers watches upon:
The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the…Amendments to the Constitution, and…vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General. (Vonnegut 234)
Diana Moon Glampers is the one who maintains the idea of "checks and balances" among the society of 2081. In God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Glampers is portrayed as a "sixty-year-old virgin who, by almost anybody's standards, was too dumb to live….No one had ever loved her. There was no reason why anybody should. She was ugly, stupid, and boring" (Vit). Diana Moon Glampers is the epitome of every possible low in the world, and this allows her to hold such a high position in this futuristic society. Since everyone is created equal, her ugliness, stupidity, and boringness all play this major role in earning her such a high position as Handicapper General. She makes sure that no on is better than her, thus making everyone equal in "every which way" possible. Glampers represents the fairness that society is continually striving for to obtain. In this world, everyone stays at the same level-- no one is different, no one is jealous or fearful of anyone, and no one is trying to impress or overtake the next. In this sense, it is actually quite a positive point to be exactly equal in every way, or is it?
Equality is a great idea that the world should extend and embrace; however, absolute equality is another issue in which too much of a good thing may cause matters to go wrong. In a world of absolute equality, each human being would never be looked upon as anything more or less than the person beside him or her. Unfortunately, this advantage may only go so far. For example, how can an intelligent being be given as much credit as the simple minded human beside him? This is the case with Harrison Bergeron's parents. Harrison's mother, Hazel, is described as having "perfectly average intelligence,…And [while] George['s]…intelligence was way above normal" (Vonnegut 234). In order to stabilize their intelligence to the same level, Harrison's father has to wear "a little mental handicap radio in his ear" (Vonnegut 234).
Explanation:
