The main characters in "Harrison Bergeron" are George, Hazel, and Harrison Bergeron. Each reacts differently to the role he or she plays in the United States in 2081. George Bergeron is someone with above average intellect, so he must wear a "mental handicap radio in his ear" that makes distracting noises every 20 seconds so he cannot think coherently. He expresses complete compliance with the society's enforced equality not only because he doesn't think the steep penalties for violating the laws would be "a bargain," but also because he buys into the rationale that competition belongs in the "dark ages." However, it is evident that his compliance is based upon his handicap radio, for he often begins to have ideas that conflict with the society's sentiments, but those thoughts are always interrupted by the governmental transmissions, so he can never pursue them. He is the one who makes the statement quoted.
Hazel is a person who requires no "handicap" device because she is already "normal," that is to say, inferior. She is at the lowest rung of intelligence, physical beauty, and strength, so everyone else in society has to be brought down to her level to create "equality." Surprisingly, the fact that everyone is now equal in society does not prevent her from being "a little envious." She wishes she could hear the sounds George hears from his earpiece. Neither does being equal keep her from feeling sadness; she feels sad when she sees her son executed on TV, yet she cannot remember why. However, like George, she immediately "forget[s] sad things," so she doesn't really notice the shortcomings of her society either.
Harrison Bergeron, the 14-year-old son of Hazel and George, would completely disagree with this statement from his father. No matter how many handicaps are piled on Harrison, he will not accept them. Eventually he tears off and discards the heavy weights, the earpiece, and the wavy glasses he has been forced to wear and rises (literally) to the heights of his true abilities. However, he is executed for his noncompliance.
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